Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2026 71 BY TODD D. BURLAGE W ith NCAA Tournament appear- ances by the men's and women's soccer squads, two top-15 national finishes from the Irish cross country teams and notable improvement from Notre Dame volleyball, the five fall Irish Olympic sports programs enjoyed solid seasons in 2025. With plenty of talented athletes and promising newcomers back for 2026, the five Irish coaches that lead these programs can't wait to get started to at least match, and maybe even surpass, the successes of last season. MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY Season Opener: Winrow-Valparaiso Open Sept. 4 at Valparaiso, Ind. ACC Predicted Finish: Top three in a wide-open field. NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Finish in the top 10. Coach's Expectations: With five of his top seven runners back from a team that finished fourth in the ACC and 13th nationally last season, Notre Dame director of men's and women's cross country Matt Sparks can't help but talk about big goals this season. The ACC is wide open, with Wake Forest as a slight favorite to win the conference title. But don't rule out Notre Dame to claim the title and earn its first ACC championship since 2021. And as far as the national meet, Sparks said a top-10 finish is definitely attainable. "The talent is there, the collegiate accolades are there, and now they just have to put it all together at the same time," Sparks explained. "But the tal- ent is definitely in place to have a great season." If this season and Sparks' projections are going to hold together, veteran runners CJ Singleton and Daelen Ackley will have to set a leadership tone both on the course and during practice. Top Runner: Graduate student Ethan Coleman grabbed All-ACC accolades for the third time with a seventh-place finish in the conference meet and earned All-America honors with a 28th-place finish at the NCAA Championship last season. Athlete To Watch: Immediate impact is expected from incoming freshman Noah Bontrager. The Westview (Ind.) High School distance star is the first Indiana high school runner to ever break a four-minute mile, and as a senior last season, he ran the second-fastest two-mile time in the coun- try by a high schooler. Don't Miss: With no clear favorites in the league this season, the ACC Championship race Oct. 30 in Blacksburg, Va., will be as entertaining as any conference meet in recent memory. WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY Season Opener: Winrow-Valparaiso Open Sept. 4 at Valparaiso, Ind. ACC Predicted Finish: Top three with defending national champ NC State back and loaded again. NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Finish in the top five. Coach's Expectations: With a runner-up finish at the ACC Championship and a seventh-place show- ing at the NCAA Championship in 2025, Notre Dame maximized its postseason efforts last season. And with his "power duo" back in juniors Mary Bonner Dalton and Amaya Aramini, Notre Dame director of men's and women's cross country Matt Sparks sees no reason why his team can't take another step in 2026. "There is a confidence and a swagger about this group," said Sparks, who returns five of his top seven runners from last season. "Competing for a program that perpetually ranks top 10 in the coun- try allows them to walk into any season knowing that they can do great things." Beyond the two junior team leaders, look for senior Gretchen Farley to again improve after fin- ishing 30th in the ACC Championship and 135th nationally last season. Top Runner: As a sophomore in 2025, Mary Bon- ner Dalton paced the Irish with a second-place individual finish in the ACC Championship and earned All-America honors with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championship. Athlete To Watch: An NCAA Championship quali- fier in the 10K during the 2026 outdoor track and field season, rising junior Amaya Aramini returns after earning All-America cross country honors last season with a 25th-place finish in the NCAA Championship. Aramini also finished 16th in the 2025 ACC Championship. Don't Miss: Dethroning defending NCAA cham- pion NC State remains a long shot. But chasing down a top-five finish in the NCAA Championship Nov. 21 is a mission worth watching. Irish Fall Sports Teams Reaching For Even More N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S Senior midfielder Nolan Spicer tied for the team lead last season with 11 points on 2 goals and 7 assists. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS