Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ND SPORTS remind ourselves of as a staff is we have a very young group." With senior Jake Kildoo the lone har- rier out of eligibility and a full year to work with his squad rather than a few weeks before the season, Sparks has reason to be optimistic about the 2015 campaign. "I like to individualize my training for each kid, but I didn't know what each kid needed specifically to make them better," Sparks said. "It took probably two months before we could really pin- point the intricacies of each individual. At that point of the year, we only had a month left in the season, so that's where some of the growth came in that last month." Notre Dame will look to junior Tim Ball to thrive next season after finally putting together a complete cross coun- try slate. Injuries had limited Ball the last two years, presenting even more of an enigma to Sparks since his times were deceptively low. Healthy, Ball stuck with junior Mike Clevenger for most of the season be- fore the three months of strenuous workload took their toll and he faded down the stretch. Nonetheless, Ball complemented Clevenger's sixth-place regional finish and Kildoo's 39th-place slot by finishing 40th. The idea of Ball and Clevenger working together the next nine months only draws more op- timism from Sparks. "If we can keep him healthy, we feel he can be right there with Michael in years to come," Sparks said. "Those guys are roommates and best friends, so it'll be kind of neat to see them work together over the next few years." ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED • P.O. BOx 2331 • DURhAm, NC 27702 1-800-421-7751 • www.BlueGoldOnline.com 2014 ND WIN OVER U-M PANORAMIC PRINT Notre Dame Win Over Michigan • Sept. 6, 2014 at ND Stadium Availabled Unframed for $30 ea. + $12 S&H. Standard framed (pictured above) — $89 ea. + $16 S&H Deluxe framed — $199 ea. + FREE S&H Prints are dropshipped direct from the manufacturer. NEW!