Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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YEAR IN REVIEW shocking among the trio. After spend‑ ing his freshman season at linebacker, Niklas was moved to tight end, where he was a reserve behind Tyler Eifert in 2012 and the starter in 2013. He caught 32 passes for 498 yards and five touch‑ downs last season and would have entered 2014 as one of the nation's top prospects at the position. Tuitt and Niklas were both drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, re‑ spectively, while Atkinson signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent. NOTRE DAME STRIKES APPAREL DEAL WITH UNDER ARMOUR On Jan. 21, athletics director Jack Swarbrick officially announced that Top Five Male Athletes 1. Gerek Meinhardt, Fencing — Not only did Meinhardt win his second national title in the men's foil event this year, but he also became the first American foilist to hit No. 1 in the world rankings. In Janu- ary, he was the first collegiate fencer to ever reach that mark. He'll spend the next two years training for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, which will be his third time fencing for the U.S. on the Olympic stage. 2. Harrison Shipp, Soccer — Shipp filled his trophy case this fall after going underappreciated through the early part of his college career. A unanimous All-American, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, the Scholar All-America Player of the Year and the captain of the national champions, Shipp led the Irish with 12 goals and 10 assists. Analysts say his ability to find open teammates has earned him mention as a candidate to play with the U.S. in the 2018 World Cup. 3. Zack Martin, Football — Martin quietly put together one of the better offensive line careers in re- cent Notre Dame history. The two-time captain started a record 52 consecutive games and capped his career by being named the MVP of the Pinstripe Bowl. He was the team's highest draft pick this April, going at No. 16 to the Dallas Cowboys. 4. Matt Kavanagh, Lacrosse — The sophomore led a high-powered Irish attack to the national champion- ship game, scoring 2.33 goals per contest while creat- ing opportunities for his teammates. A finalist for the Tewaaraton Award, lacrosse's version of the Heisman Trophy, he is the first player in program history to have at least 30 goals and 30 assists in the same season (42 goals and 33 assists). 5. Pat Connaughton, Basketball/Baseball — The fourth-round Baltimore Orioles draft pick holds the unique distinction of being the only NCAA athlete to dunk over a lottery pick (Duke's Jabari Parker) and strike out a Heisman Trophy winner (Florida State's Jameis Winston). He will return for his senior hoops season as one of the team's top three scorers. — Dan Murphy Sophomore Matt Kavanagh (42 goals and 33 assists) paced the Irish lacrosse team en route to the national title game versus Duke. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND