Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 SEPT. 28, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Maddy Westbeld To Miss Start Of Season For Notre Dame Women's Basketball The Fighting Irish women's basketball team will be without their longest- tenured player for the early parts of the 2024-25 season. Fifth-year senior forward Maddy Westbeld underwent foot surgery in the early going of the fall semester, according to a university spokesperson. Westbeld released a social media statement on the matter Sept. 16. "I've decided to take the nec- essary time to listen to my body and do what's best for myself, my teammates, and my career," Westbeld wrote. "This is not a setback by any means. It is a step forward for the longevity of my career and to be at full strength when I return to the court this season. "While I'll be on the sideline for the beginning of the year, this doesn't change the mission and goal for my team. As I learn how to lead and navigate in this capac- ity, I'm leaning on my family at Notre Dame to guide me through it. I can't wait to get back on the court with my teammates." Westbeld has played in 120 games with 120 starts at Notre Dame. She's only missed one appearance in four seasons; she had to sit out a game with a head injury last season. She came back and played with a clear face guard for a few weeks. For her career, Westbeld is averaging 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 30.3 minutes of action per game. As a senior, she averaged 14.4 points and a career-best 8.7 rebounds per game. She also upped her time on the court to 33.2 minutes per game, the highest number of her career. Notre Dame is surely going to miss Westbeld at the four spot, but the Irish got deeper there in the offseason with the addition of Liza Karlen from Marquette. Pitt transfer Liatu King can only play forward in a lineup that features five-star freshman Kate Koval at center. Karlen and King were all- conference honorees at their prior programs. Koval was the No. 5 recruit in the country per ESPN. Sophomore Cassandre Prosper played in only five games last season before she went down with a foot injury of her own. She's healthy and able to play in place of Westbeld, too. The injury bug has been hard on Notre Dame in recent seasons, but the saving grace in Monday's news is that Westbeld's ailment is not season-ending. Her absence will allow Karlen and King to get even more acclimated in South Bend than they would've been if Westbeld was eating up her usual minutes. Westbeld's transition back into the fold, one would think, should be seamless once she's ready to go. The hope is obviously for that to be sooner than later. — Tyler Horka Westbeld missed only one game in her first four seasons at Notre Dame, but she will miss the early weeks of the 2024-25 season following foot surgery. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Jordan Botelho To Miss Rest Of Season With Knee Injury Notre Dame had been waiting for Jordan Botelho to have a season like this. The graduate student defensive end had the highest 2024 Pro Football Focus defensive grade of any of the Fighting Irish's regular rotation players on that side of the ball through three games. And now he's out for the season with a knee injury. With 8:19 left in the second quarter of the Irish's game against Purdue, Botelho bent around the left side of the Boilermakers' line and lost his footing. He immediately grabbed his right knee and began tapping it. After Botelho underwent an on-field medical examination from the Notre Dame training staff, one long enough for the CBS broadcast to go to a media timeout, Irish staffers called for the medical cart to pick him up. Most of the current Irish defense — led by his replacement, sophomore Boubacar Traore — acknowledged Botelho as he left the field seated up- right. He waved at his teammates before entering the tunnel. That was his last act in shoulder pads this year. "You feel awful for the kid," head coach Marcus Freeman said Monday. "Feel awful for him." In five seasons at Notre Dame, Botelho has accumulated 77 total tackles, 15 stops for loss and 11.5 sacks. In 2024, Botelho had 12 total tackles with 1 tackle for loss and 1 sack before getting hurt. He led the Irish with 7 quarterback pressures and 5 quarterback hurries through three games, per Pro Football Focus. He had a pass-rush win percentage of 23.3, the highest among any Notre Dame player with double-digit pass-rush snaps logged. Botelho can retain a year of eligibility by taking a medical redshirt for this season, meaning he can indeed return to Notre Dame for a sixth season in 2025 if the coaching staff welcomes him back and he takes the staff up on the offer. He arrived in South Bend in 2020, so his first season was the COVID year, which did not count against anyone's eligibility. — Tyler Horka Botelho was leading the Irish in several pass-rushing statistical catego- ries before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Purdue. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER