Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 11, 2025 49 BY TODD D. BURLAGE F rom an overwhelmed college fresh- man, drinking from a fire hose while trying to balance everything Notre Dame throws at its student-athletes, to a comfortable graduate student help- ing to guide her younger teammates through their own adjustment periods, Irish distance ace Sophie Novak has seen and done it all. Now, as she works through her fi- nal eight months on campus, the Lake Orion, Mich., native can finally relax and savor her remaining time as both a student and a competitor. "When you're a freshman at a new place, it's just a very different routine and I felt overwhelmed," Novak said of her first year at Notre Dame in 2021-22. "Just trying to keep my head above wa- ter and stay on top of everything was very challenging. At Notre Dame, it is very easy to put too much pressure on yourself. It's easy to get lost." Better time management and steady improvement have marked Novak's running career at Notre Dame. Though, there have been some setbacks on the cross country course. After enjoying quick and lasting success as a steeple- chase competitor during her indoor and outdoor track and field careers, Novak admitted to not always being at her best during the cross country sea- sons each fall. As a redshirt junior one year ago, No- vak finished only 104th individually at the ACC Championships after finishing 25th as a redshirt sophomore in 2023. "Last year, I just felt like I was run- ning tired all of the time. My confidence in myself was super low," said Novak, who feels much better this season, hav- ing finished fifth individually Sept. 19 at the National Catholic Invitational. "Once you feel like you're running in quicksand, it's hard to get back to a spot in cross country when you feel like you're running strong again." That Novak's confidence slipped last fall during the cross country season was surprising considering only about three months prior she was on top of the world after qualifying for and compet- ing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. Novak finished ninth in her heat race at the trials and didn't make the U.S. team. But the experience she gained by competing in this premier event can only help her moving forward. "It was insanely intimidating, but it was also a super-fun experience," said Novak, who set herself up for the Olym- pic Trials after finishing seventh in the steeplechase at the 2024 NCAA Out- door Championships. "I just looked at it like, 'Let's just see what we can do, go compete with some actual professional runners, and just kind of see how we could do.' "It set me up for this coming year. Now I know better what to expect." So, while Novak prepares to try and chase down a school record and an in- dividual national championship in the steeplechase next spring — her premier event — the three-time All-ACC aca- demic selection also said she feels bet- ter about her cross country prospects this fall with the ACC Championships (Oct. 31) and the NCAA Championships (Nov. 22) coming fast. "I feel like I am coming into this with a lot clearer head than last year. I feel a lot better," she said. "It's my last sea- son with Notre Dame, so I really want to make the most of it. And that starts right now." ✦ Veteran Runner Sophie Novak Savoring Her Last Go-Around N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S Novak, a three-time All-ACC academic selection, finished seventh in the steeplechase at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Irish Roundup CROSS COUNTRY Both the No. 9-ranked men and the women posted first-place finishes in the Joe Piane Invitational Oct. 3 at South Bend … Mary Bonner Dalton took first overall for the women with a 5K time of 15:53.1. MEN'S GOLF Came in fifth out of 16 teams with 17-under-par team score of 847 in the Windon Memorial Classic Sept. 29-30 in Lake Forest, Ill. WOMEN'S GOLF Finished first with a 7-over team score of 583 in the Women's Fighting Irish Classic Sept. 28 in South Bend … It marked the program's first tournament win since the Bettie Lou Evans Invite in October 2017. MEN'S SOCCER (6-2-2 OVERALL, 2-1-0 ACC) Suffered a 2-0 loss to SMU Sept. 27 at Alumni Stadium … Rebounded with a 3-2 win over Hope Sept. 30 in Alumni Stadium. WOMEN'S SOCCER (9-0-1 OVERALL, 4-0-0 ACC) The No. 2-ranked Fighting Irish remained unbeaten 10 games into the season, topping Clemson 5-1 Sept. 28 in Clemson, S.C. VOLLEYBALL (4-6 OVERALL, 1-1 ACC) Opened ACC play with a 3-1 loss at Syracuse Sept. 26, but bounced back with a 3-0 triumph at Boston College Sept. 28.