Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Tewaaraton Award as the top player in the country. Known as the Heisman Trophy for college lacrosse, the Tewaaraton was a fitting reward for Kavanagh after the All-American attacker captained and led Notre Dame to its second straight national title this spring. One of five finalists for the award — which included teammate and Irish graduate goalie Liam Entenmann — Ka- vanagh took home the honor after also being named a finalist for the award fol- lowing outstanding seasons in 2021 and 2023. Kavanagh finished his career at Notre Dame with 301 points, the most in pro- gram history. WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Despite being hampered by multiple injuries most of the 2023-24 season, the No. 4-seeded Fighting Irish women's basketball team fought through, over- came and still claimed its sixth Atlantic Coast Conference championship with a 55-51 victory over No. 2 North Carolina State March 10. Despite trailing 49-43 in the fourth quarter of the title game, the Irish closed on a 12-2 run to claim their first ACC Tournament title since 2019. Senior forward Maddy Westbeld paced the Notre Dame comeback after scoring 14 of her 16 points in the second half. The conference championship helped lift the Irish to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament where they reached the Sweet 16 before being eliminated by No. 3 Oregon State in the Sweet 16. BOUNCING BACK Following a heartbreaking 17-14 de- feat to Ohio State late last September, followed by a 33-20 upset loss to Louis- ville two weeks later, the Fighting Irish football program was already out of playoff consideration last season barely into October. Undeterred, head coach Marcus Free- man rallied his troops and reeled off five wins in his final six games to reach the 10-victory mark for the first time as the Notre Dame skipper and sixth time in the last seven seasons for the football program. The highlights of the double-digit win total included the 28-point victory over No. 10 USC and an impressive 40-8 win over No. 21 Oregon State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Dec. 29. A NEAR MISS For only the second time in pro- gram history, the Irish men's soccer team reached the College Cup national championship match in December, only to have its dreams end one win short of a second all-time national title for the program in a 2-1 loss to Clemson. This was only Notre Dame's third ap- pearance in program history in the Col- lege Cup final four tournament, but its second in the last three seasons. The Irish won their only national title in 2013. Notre Dame finished its season 13- 3-6 overall and 6-0-2 in the grueling ACC. The Irish were led offensively this season by junior forwards Eno Nto (11 goals, 1 assist) and Matthew Roou (10 goals, 3 assists), who finished tied for the team lead with 23 points. ✦ BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM AUGUST 2024 45 Notre Dame's Top Rookies Of 2023-24 1. Hannah Hidalgo (basketball) — The star freshman guard made an immediate impact during her first collegiate season when she became an Associated Press first-team All-American, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, the ACC Tournament MVP, the ACC Rookie of the Year and a Wooden Award Finalist as the best player in the country. The Merchantville, N.J., native led the Irish in scoring with 22.6 points a game and led the nation with 160 steals. Hidalgo won ACC Rookie of the Week honors 12 times, the most ever by a first-year conference player. 2. Markus Burton (basketball) — Burton hit the court running and became one of the most prolific scoring freshmen in the country in 2023-24. He averaged 17.5 points per game — third nationally among all Division I freshmen — which helped carry the Mishawaka, Ind., native to ACC Rookie of the Year honors. Burton's 577 points this season broke the previ- ous Notre Dame rookie scoring mark by 58 points, and he led the ACC in steals per game (2.2) and was third in assists (4.8) in league play. 3. Jordan Faison (football/lacrosse) — The first-year Irish two-sport athlete went from walk-on to scholarship wide receiver on the football team and eventual Sun Bowl MVP after he finished his rookie season with 19 catches for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns, which tied for the second most among Irish pass catchers. Meanwhile, on the lacrosse field, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native tallied 22 goals and 30 points from his midfielder position to help Notre Dame to its second straight NCAA championship. 4. Jaden Greathouse (football) — The rookie wide receiver didn't take long to make an imme- diate impact with the Irish when he scored a touchdown on his first collegiate reception, a 34-yard second-quarter grab in the 2023 season opener against Navy Aug. 26. The Austin, Texas, native appeared in 12 games and made five starts in his first season, finishing the year with 18 receptions for 265 yards while adding a team-best 5 receiving scores to put himself in good position to earn a starting spot this season. 5. Ava Lange (volleyball) — The freshman outside hitter from Playa Del Rey, Calif., finished second on the team with 228 kills and recorded double-digit kills in 14 matches. She added 64 digs and 31 blocks while competing in all 26 matches with 16 starts. Also a 2023 All-ACC Academic Team honoree, Lange recorded a career-high 17 kills against Boston College Sept. 22 and posted a career-high 4 blocks against Virginia Nov. 12. — Todd D. Burlage Hannah Hidalgo paced the Irish in scoring with 22.6 points per game and assists with 5.5 a contest, and led the nation with 160 steals. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS