Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ND SPORTS in charge of the Washington women's program. In 1989-90, he led the USC men's team to an NCAA championship and followed it up with a title at Wash- ington in 2005. He spent the last 14 seasons with the Huskies and took the program to four national semifinal ap- pearances (2004, 2005, 2006 and 2013). "I am excited to become the new head coach of women's volleyball at the University of Notre Dame," McLaughlin, who was an assistant under Brown for one season in 1996, said in a statement. "The University of Washington was a great place to coach and, at this point in my career, this is the only other school I would have even considered. Since first having been given the opportunity by Debbie Brown to coach here as an assistant for one season, I always thought it would be a great place to be a head coach. "I love the school's values, the spirit, the tradition, the beautiful campus and the enthusiasm of everyone that is a part of this great university. There is no doubt Notre Dame is a special place." "I couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome of our coaching search," Swarbrick added. "Jim McLaughlin is an elite coach who has enjoyed suc- cess at the highest levels. However, fundamentally, he is an extraordinary teacher of the game and is absolutely committed to helping student-athletes reach their full potential in all aspects of their collegiate experience. I am excited to watch him implement his unique style of coaching here at Notre Dame." Last season, McLaughlin's Wash- ington team went 31-3 and earned a ranking as high as No. 2 in the country at one point. TOP WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYER TRANSFERS Notre Dame lost its leading scorer from the last two seasons to a trans- fer and, to add insult to injury, she is headed to USC. The Trojans announced that sopho- more midfielder Morgan Andrews would be transferring west Jan. 25. Andrews earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors in 2013, and All-ACC distinction in both 2013 and 2014. She netted 13 goals and 10 assists while starting in all 44 games in two seasons for head coach Theresa Romagnolo's squad. Former Irish head coach Randy Wal- drum recruited the two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year to South Bend. Notre Dame has reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons, while USC hopes Andrews can help the program con- tinue to build. The Trojans posted a winning season for the first time in four years in 2014. "We are excited to get such an ex- tremely talented player to add to our roster," USC head coach Keidane McAlpine said. "Through this process, I have been equally as impressed with her as a person. This is a win for the Trojans, but also a win for the Pac-12." Barring an NCAA waiver, she will sit out the 2015 season and have two remaining years of eligibility for the Trojans.