Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 9, 2024 57 BY TODD D. BURLAGE F rom Colorado in the West to Ten- nessee in the Southeast, to Indiana in the Midwest — Notre Dame graduate student Emily Covert has covered a lot of ground during her cross country and track careers, literally and figuratively. The Irish distance ace began her col- lege pursuits in 2019 as a freshman at the University of Colorado. There, after bat- tling injuries early in her career, she be- came a four-time All-American — twice in outdoor track, once in indoor track, once in cross country — during her four and a half years with the Buffaloes. Ready for a new challenge upon gradua- tion from Colorado, Covert transferred to Tennessee for the 2023-24 spring semes- ter, where she raced well for the Volun- teers, recording top-five finishes in both the 10,000 meters and the 5,000 meters at the 2024 SEC Outdoor Championships. But upon realizing after one semes- ter that Tennessee wasn't an ideal cul- tural fit, Covert transferred for a second time, this time to Notre Dame, where the Edina, Minn., native couldn't be happier. "When I first got to the team, I felt very welcome," Covert said of her arrival to Notre Dame in July. "There was never a time when I questioned if I made the right decision. I've only known my team- mates for a couple of months now, and I feel like I've known them forever. I feel like I've already made lifelong friends." A two-time state cross country champion out of Washburn High School in Minneapolis in 2017 and 2018; a Foot Locker Midwest Regional Champion in 2018; a 2021 NCAA All-American in cross country; followed by two more All-America honors during the 2022 track seasons, Covert's running ca- reer seems to have seamlessly hummed along, free of any setbacks. Though, that hasn't necessarily been the case. Battling through four stress fractures in one calendar year during parts of her senior high school and freshman college seasons, Covert — from diet to practice routine — overhauled her entire train- ing regimen to take better care of her body, and to improve stamina and per- formance through injury avoidance. "It's difficult to know that you're not taking care of your body as well as you should be when you don't know any bet- ter," Covert explained, thanking her Col- orado coaches for their guidance through her training improvements. "I really had to relearn how I came into this sport and what it would take for me to improve." While Covert's training adjustments didn't take hold until before her junior year at Colorado in 2021-22, the improvements were well worth the wait, and are still on full display. Her career at Notre Dame is just beginning with only two cross country races under her belt — she finished eighth in the Joe Piane Invitational at Notre Dame Oct. 4 and 15th at the Wisconsin Pre-Na- tionals Oct. 19 — and the fit between pro- gram and athlete has been perfect. After losing three-time cross country All-American Olivia Markezich to grad- uation after last season, Irish head wom- en's cross country coach Matt Sparks needed a quick boost of talent and lead- ership, and he got both with Covert. "I love it here at Notre Dame, and that is such an important box to check in this sport," she said. "One of the most important aspects of performance is just making sure you're surrounded by people that uplift you, and you're with people that better you. And that's not only as an athlete, but as a person. And I genuinely feel like I got that here." ✦ Irish Roundup CROSS COUNTRY The women placed fifth and the men came in seventh at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals Oct. 19 in Madison, Wis. … Next up is the ACC Championship Nov. 1 in Raleigh, N.C. MEN'S GOLF Tied for sixth with an 11-over-par team score of 875 in the Williams Cup Oct. 20-22 in Wilmington, N.C. HOCKEY (3-1 OVERALL, 0-0 BIG TEN) Split a two-game set with Alaska Oct. 18-19 in South Bend, winning 4-1 before being edged 1-0. MEN'S SOCCER (6-3-5 OVERALL, 2-2-2 ACC) Played Boston College to a 1-1 draw Oct. 19 at Alumni Stadium … Took down Illinois-Chicago 5-0 Oct. 22 in South Bend. WOMEN'S SOCCER (10-1-4 OVERALL, 4-0-4 ACC) Defended their home turf with a 3-0 triumph over No. 6 Stanford Oct. 20 at Alumni Stadium … Earned a 3-3 tie at No. 1 Duke Oct. 24. WOMEN'S SWIMMING (1-2 OVERALL, 0-0 ACC) Lost to both Wisconsin (223-118) and Michigan (279-68) in a tri-meet Oct. 18-19 in Ann Arbor, Mich. VOLLEYBALL (9-8 OVERALL, 2-5 ACC) Lost a pair of home matches against North Carolina State (3-0) Oct. 18 and Wake Forest (3-0) Oct. 20, extending their losing streak to four contests. Cross Country's Emily Covert Feeling Right At Home In South Bend N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S Covert flashed her abilities in back-to-back meets for the Irish this fall, finishing eighth in the Joe Piane Invitational Oct. 4 and 15th at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals Oct. 19. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS