Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/542018
the difference between the 2012 and 2013 football seasons. It was student- athlete leadership. You can't find trends in three or four years. There are too many things in the course of a short time frame like that, that impact how a season goes." FAVORITE MOMENT The 2014-15 school year did not fea- ture a national title — like the one in men's soccer the year prior — plus runner-up finishes in women's basket- ball and men's lacrosse. Winning the Music City Bowl over LSU to revive football expectations was huge, and an NCAA Tournament bid in baseball for the first time in eight years provided more joy during the season. "I get in trouble for singling any of them out," Swarbrick reflected. "The pride you feel when Molly Seidel wins the 10,000 meters national title is the same pride you feel when [rower] Anna Kottkemp gives the valedicto- rian address at Commencement. Those are special moments. "The excellence of our women's bas- ketball program getting back to an- other championship game, lacrosse getting to the Final Four …" However, Swarbrick admits the emotion of seeing the men's basketball program peak in March was powerful, especially because of the leadership of head coach Mike Brey, plus seniors Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant. "If you put a gun to my head and I had to pick one, in Greensboro, beat- ing Duke and North Carolina, winning the ACC men's basketball champion- ship in our second year in the confer- ence, that was really big," Swarbrick said. "Big for the program, big for the way we're perceived in the ACC … and it's special because of the nature of the leadership in that team." ✦ ACC Commissioner John Swofford hands head basketball coach Mike Brey and the Irish their champion- ship trophy after winning the ACC Basketball Tournament in March. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN