Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM AUGUST 2023 49 coach Brad Stevens, and at Purdue un- der Matt Painter before that, Shrews- berry worked for and learned from two of the best head coaches in the business. LEGENDARY LEGACIES Tight End University kept its reputa- tion tried and true in April when Notre Dame All-American Michael Mayer became the 26th Irish player from the position to be selected in the NFL Draft, the most of any program all time. After setting every program tight end receiving record during his three sea- sons at Notre Dame (2020-22), Mayer went to the Las Vegas Raiders in the second round with the No. 35 overall pick. For his career, Mayer recorded 180 catches for 2,099 yards and 18 touch- downs, all program standards. On the other side of the football, Isa- iah Foskey, an Irish All-America defen- sive end, was drafted by the New Or- leans Saints, also in the second round (40th overall), five picks after Mayer. During his four seasons and 41 games at Notre Dame (2019-22), Foskey had 122 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss and a Notre Dame career record 26.5 sacks. A TOUGH BREAK After enjoying one of the best sea- sons of any women's basketball player in Notre Dame history in 2022-23, star sophomore guard Olivia Miles was lost for the postseason when she suffered a knee injury in the regular-season finale Feb. 26. The injury was the underlying rea- son for Notre Dame's premature exits in both the ACC Tournament (second round) and the NCAA Tournament (third round). Considered one of the brightest young players in the country, Miles earned second-team All-America hon- ors from the Associated Press and third- team accolades from the USBWA after averaging 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game in the regular season. Miles helped Notre Dame to a 27-6 overall record, an ACC regular-season title and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tour- nament. A PERFECT PERFORMANCE In what was arguably Notre Dame's most complete outing of the 2022 football season, the Irish cruised to a 35-14 win at home over No. 5 Clemson last November. Relying on a dominating rushing game that piled up 263 yards and fea- tured two tailbacks — sophomores Lo- gan Diggs (114) and Audric Estimé (104) — who enjoyed 100-yard rushing days, the Irish built a 28-0 lead in the fourth quarter en route to an easy victory. Notre Dame actually shut out Clem- son for nearly the first 50 minutes of the game in handing the mighty Tigers their first loss of the season. This was the 27th straight regular- season win for the Irish over an ACC opponent, a streak that now stands at 28 heading into the 2023 season. Notre Dame freshman cornerback Ben Morrison recorded 7 tackles (4 solo) and 2 interceptions against Clemson, one of which he returned 96 yards for a touchdown. This marked only the second victory for Notre Dame over a top-five team since 2005. ✦ 1. Korbin Albert (soccer) — One of the great- est Notre Dame players in program history, the sophomore midfielder tallied 28 career goals and 65 points in just 44 career games during her two seasons in South Bend. Albert paced Notre Dame in almost every of - fensive category last season, including points (37) goals (22) and shots (96), and she also tied for first on the team with 5 assists. Albert was named a first-team All-American, a 2022 Hermann Trophy finalist (top three), the ACC Midfielder of the Year and the 2022 Top Drawer National Soccer Player of the Year. And for her efforts, Albert signed a pro con - tract with the prestigious Paris Saint-Germain soccer club in Europe in January. 2. Olivia Miles (basketball) — Despite a sea - son-ending knee injury in Notre Dame's regular- season finale at Louisville, the 5-foot-10 point guard led the Irish with 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game, and was second on the team with 14.3 points per contest. The only other player in the country to average at least 14 points 7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game was Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark. Among her plethora of postseason accolades, Miles was tabbed as a second-team All-Ameri - can by the Associated Press and was first-team All- ACC. She also finished just behind Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley for the ACC Player of the Year award, and was a finalist for both the Dawn Staley (nation's top guard) and Nancy Lieberman (nation's top floor general and playmaker) awards. 3. Olivia Markezich (track/cross country) — After a breakout track season that gained national recognition, the Irish senior earned 2023 ACC Women's Track Performer of the Year honors. Markezich won the women's 3000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Champion - ships a time of 9:25.03 in June at Austin, Texas. Her time broke the facility record at the Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium and shattered her previous personal record time in the event by nearly 10 seconds. Markezich also finished second nationally in the 3000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Champion - ships in March and placed eighth in the NCAA Cross Country Championships last November. 4. Eszter Muhari (fencing) — The Irish true freshman busted onto the scene in her first season by claiming an individual national title in the epee, helping Notre Dame to its 13 overall and third straight national title. With a 19-2 record in her debut season, the Budapest, Hungary, native earned ACC Fencer of the Year honors in the epee and was also named to the All-ACC Academic team. 5. Jackie Wolak (lacrosse) — The senior at - tacker led the Irish with 105 points (57 goals and 48 assists). That production placed Wolak among the nation's best in several vital catego - ries: fourth in total points, fifth in points per game (5.00) and seventh in total assists. Wolak recorded at least five points in 15 games this season and set a career high with 6 goals and 8 points against Virginia in late March. — Todd D. Burlage Sophomore midfielder Korbin Albert led the Irish women's soc- cer team in points (37), goals (22) and assists (tied with 5) on her way to first-team All-America honors and a professional con- tract with globally iconic Paris Saint-Germain after the season. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS 2022-23 Female Athletes Of The Year