Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 3, 2026 49 BY TODD D. BURLAGE G iven all the successes, honors and championships that star distance runner Noah Bontrager collected during his high school years, overconfidence and unrealistic expectations would've been easy for the Shipshewana, Ind., native to bring with him to Notre Dame when he enrolled as a freshman stu- dent-athlete in the summer. Instead, one of the best distance run- ners in Indiana high school history is handling his transition to college with patience and perspective. "It can be easy as a freshman to come in here and train and compete too hard and get hurt," Bontrager explained. "So staying healthy, that's a big goal." Bontrager's prep titles and records are too many to list on this page. But while competing at Westview High School from 2022-26, Bontrager swept the individual championships in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the IHSAA Boys Track and Field State Finals as both a junior in 2025 and as a senior in 2026. Going out in style, Bontrager broke the state meet records in both events — the 1,600 meters (4:01.83) and the 3,200 meters (8:47.57) — as a senior last June in the final two races of his prep career. Upon graduating from Westview, Bontrager competed nationally and won the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:32.53 at the USATF Under-20 Cham- pionships June 19 in Eugene, Ore. And perhaps most impressively, Bon- trager posted a time of 3:59.48 in the mile run at the New Balance Nationals meet in Boston March 15, becoming the first Indiana high school runner to ever break the 4-minute barrier in the mile. "That was amazing. I don't even know how to put the moment into words," Bontrager said. "I try not to pride myself in that too much. But I have that as con- fidence in the back of my mind, having that confidence in my back pocket that I can do great things as I move forward." As the culmination and celebration of a terrific high school career, Bon- trager was named the 2025-26 Ga- torade Indiana Boys Track and Field Player of the Year for his work on the track, in the classroom and throughout the community. Beyond his remarkable accomplish- ments in high school as a runner, Bon- trager also maintained a 3.88 GPA, became the co-president of the West- view National Honor Society and spent countless hours volunteering with Feed My Starving Children and other causes through his school and church. Humble, grounded and hardworking, Bontrager labored this summer helping remove dozens of trees from his grand- father's property that had fallen during a round of severe storms in the area, and Noah curiously described the rigorous work as "a lot of fun!" Always a naturally gifted runner, Bon- trager admitted that everything came so easily early on that he didn't take his sport seriously until high school when the records started falling and a path to college pursuits and beyond started clearing. Irish cross country and track and field director Matt Sparks is thrilled to welcome Bontrager into his program and expects his star rookie to make an immediate impact on his programs for years to come. In Notre Dame's season-opening cross country meet Sept. 18, Bontrager shook off any nervousness, finished strong and placed third at the 8K Na- tional Catholic Invitational on campus in 23:33.2. "Noah was not a kid that ran a lot of mileage in high school," Sparks said of Bontrager's transition. "But he has adjusted well to our college training program." And when it comes to family life, Bontrager has the best of all worlds at Notre Dame. Bontrager's hometown of Shipshe- wana — a rural town known for its popular flea market and dense Amish population — is less than an hour from campus, making home a nearby cure for any homesickness. "Yeah, it's weird not having my par- ents here," said Bontrager, who enrolled at Notre Dame in June. "But it's nice to gain some independence, grow a little bit and find out who I am without my family there beside me all the time." ✦ Freshman Noah Bontrager Makes College Transition Look Easy N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S Bontrager placed third in his first collegiate race for Notre Dame at the National Catholic Invitational Sept. 18 in South Bend. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Irish Roundup MEN'S SOCCER (5-1-2 OVERALL, 2-0-0 ACC) The No. 10-ranked Irish notched a hard- fought 3-1 win at No. 1 Stanford Sept. 20 … Hosted Syracuse Sept. 25. WOMEN'S SOCCER (4-0-6 OVERALL, 2-0-1 ACC) The No. 15 Irish shut out Boston College 4-0 Sept. 18 at Alumni Stadium … Played to a 1-1 draw at No. 4 Duke Sept. 24. VOLLEYBALL (3-6 OVERALL, 0-0 ACC) Picked up a pair of 3-0 victories versus Eastern Illinois in South Bend Sept. 18 and at Charleston, Ill., Sept. 20 … Opened up ACC play with road matches at Boston College Sept. 25 and at Syracuse Sept. 27.