Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 14, 2026 49 BY TODD D. BURLAGE J ust about anyone who followed the ex- ceptional athletic pursuits of Gretchen Farley at Park Tudor High School in In- dianapolis from 2019-23 can't help but still marvel at just how disciplined and accomplished this multi-sport star was during her time there. An Indiana state title winner in soccer, a 1,000-point scorer in basketball and an IHSAA state meet individual record holder in track, the now Notre Dame se- nior performed a juggling act few other high schoolers could ever handle. As one snapshot into how Farley's high school pursuits kept her busy all day every day, she competed in both the Indiana state soccer championship game and the Indiana state champion- ship cross country meet on the same weekend on two different occasions. In fact, as a prep senior in 2022, Farley finished fifth individually at the state cross country meet in the afternoon, and later that evening, she helped her team claim an Indiana state soccer championship. "And I scored the last goal of the game," Farley recalled with a laugh. "So I thought that was a great way to finish my soccer career. That was quite a day." Never one to sit still, Farley in high school would balance soccer and cross country in the fall, basketball and in- door track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring. While this workload may sound over- whelming from the outside looking in, Farley explained how the rigorous rou- tine became inherent from emulating her three siblings, all of whom are more than a decade older than Gretchen. Hannah Farley was a sprinter for Stan- ford in the early 2010s, while twin sib- lings Abby and Henry both competed in track and field at Duke in the mid-2010s. Despite the more than a decade age gap between Gretchen and her siblings, their admiration and support for one another have never wavered. "We are all so close. They are so won- derful. I've always looked up to them," Gretchen said. "When they were going to high school and college, I was the lit- tle sister who would tag along. I'd sit in the stands and watch them race, watch them play basketball, soccer. And I al- ways wanted to be just like them." One sibling story that Gretchen is proud to share is how her sister Abby set the Indiana high school champion- ship meet record in the 800-meter run in 2011 with a time of 2:08.91. Abby — a three-time state champion in the event — later had her record broken, but little sis never forgot it. Among all of Gretchen's athletic pursuits and goals, reclaiming that 800-meter record for the Farley family topped her list. And Gretchen dramatically did it as a Park Tudor senior in 2023 — 12 years after Abby — posting a time of 2:04.95, an IHSAA championship record that still stands. "I went for it and I was able to get the record back for my sister and the Far- leys," Gretchen shared with great pride. "I remember crossing that finish line, getting the state championship, and seeing the time on the board. It doesn't get any better than that." All of this comes without mentioning that while at Notre Dame, Gretchen has also become an All-ACC Academic hon- oree who will graduate this spring with a degree in neuroscience and behavior. "If I was going to come to Notre Dame," she explained, "I was going to push myself as hard as I could." And she's not done yet. Under the NCAA's new age-based eli- gibility model, Farley has the option of coming back as a fifth-year in 2027-28. To nobody's surprise, this was a quick and easy decision for her. "To be able to come back makes me so happy," said Gretchen, who finished 18th at the ACC Championships Oct. 30 in Blacksburg, Va. "If this year was my last year, that would be really hard because I'm not ready to leave this place." ✦ Cross Country Star Gretchen Farley Pushing All Limits N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S Farley, a multi-sport standout at Indianapolis' Park Tudor High School, finished 18th at the ACC Cross Country Championships Oct. 30 in Blacksburg, Va. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Irish Roundup HOCKEY (2-6 OVERALL, 0-2 BIG TEN) Opened Big Ten play with 7-1 and 9-1 defeats at No. 2 Wisconsin Oct. 30-31 … Traveled to Penn State Nov. 6-7 for a two-game series. MEN'S SOCCER (7-5-4 OVERALL, 4-4-0 ACC) Closed out the regular season with 3-0 shutout of Duke Oct. 30 at Alumni Stadium … Earned the No. 8 seed in the ACC Championship, but were edged 5-4 in penalty kicks by No. 9 seed Virginia after playing to a 2-2 draw in their first-round match Nov. 4 in South Bend. WOMEN'S SOCCER (10-1-6 OVERALL, 8-1-1 ACC) No. 9 Notre Dame notched a 2-1 victory at No. 13 Stanford Nov. 1 … Concluded the regular season with a 1-0 win over Miami Nov. 5 in South Bend to capture its first-ever ACC regular-season title. VOLLEYBALL (5-16 OVERALL, 2-10 ACC) Split a pair of home matches at Purcell Pavilion, falling 3-2 to Georgia Tech Oct. 30 before bounc- ing back with a 3-2 victory over Clemson Nov. 1 … Hit the road to play at Virginia Tech Nov. 6 and at Virginia Nov. 8.