Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Laura Winter — Softball The Irish pitcher recently became the first Notre Dame soft- ball player to be selected in the National Pro Fastpitch Draft since 2007. The Akron Racers picked the senior hurler seventh overall. The 2013 Big East Player of the Year, Winter led this year's Irish team with a 14-4 record on the mound as of mid- April. She had 147 strikeouts and a 2.06 ERA. Stephen O'Hara — Lacrosse The All-American defenseman is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award this spring. O'Hara, a sixth-round pick in the Major League Lacrosse Draft this winter, has started 41 consecutive games for the Irish on defense. He has helped Notre Dame build a reputation as one of the best defensive teams in the country over the past few years. He is one of five Irish lacrosse players to be named a finalist for the Senior CLASS award since 2009. Margaret Smith — Lacrosse On the women's side, Smith is one of two Irish lacrosse players to earn Midseason All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse. Smith led the Atlantic Coast Conference in ground- balls and turnovers halfway through the team's first season in the new league. Her 26 created turnovers were at least twice as many as anyone else on the Irish roster this season. Smith joined freshman attack Cortney Fortunato on the second- team All-America squad at the halfway point of the season. Patrick Feeney — Track & Field The Irish senior currently holds the NCAA's second-best time of the year in the 400-meter race. Feeney ran the 400 in 45.56 seconds at the Stanford Invitational meet in Palo Alto, Calif. The Indianapolis native earned first-team All-America honors in indoor track as a junior. He was a few tenths of a second ahead of teammate and training partner Chris Giest- ing, who is currently fourth in the nation. TOP OF THE CLASS