Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/542018
Sanford (hired from Boise State), defensive line coach Keith Gilmore (hired from North Carolina), running backs coach Autry Denson (hired from South Florida) and defensive backs coach Todd Lyght (hired from Vander- bilt). Denson and Lyght had just been hired by their respective programs in the offseason, but both were All-Amer- icans during their playing careers at Notre Dame, and the opportunity to rejoin their alma mater was too good to pass on. Other shifts and hires were also an- nounced. Mike Denbrock was named associate head coach, Mike Elston added the title of recruiting coordina- tor, Bob Elliott was hired as special assistant to the head coach, and former quarterback Ron Powlus was hired as director of player development. Men's Basketball Nearly Knocks Off Undefeated Kentucky The 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats Top Five Women's Teams 1. Basketball (36-3) — Advancing to the Final Four for the fifth straight season, the Irish suffered a similar fate as the 2014 squad, falling to UConn 63-53 in the finale. The Irish finished 15-1 overall in the ACC, and defeated Florida State 71-58 to capture the ACC championship. 2. Soccer (14-6-2) — Six different players earned All- ACC honors for Notre Dame, which advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championships but fell 2-1 to No. 5 Texas A&M. The Irish were ranked as high as No. 7 at one time during the season. 3. Track & Field — Led by All-American performances from junior Molly Seidel, senior Jade Barber and junior Margaret Bamgbose, Notre Dame finished 13th at the NCAA Championships for its best finish in program his- tory. Barber finished her time with the Irish as the most decorated exclusive track athlete in team history, collect- ing nine All-America honors over the course of her career. 4. Fencing — The Irish fencers finished third at the NCAA Championships, led by junior Lee Kiefer's third in- dividual title and freshman Francesca Russo's first crown. The future looks bright for 2016 with both champions scheduled to return for another year. 5. Softball (42-15) — Winners of 24 straight games at one point in the season, the Irish reached as high as No. 21 nationally in polls before an 8-1 upset from Pittsburgh in the first round of the ACC Tournament. They then were unable to advance out of the South Bend Regional, suffering a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Kentucky. Seven different Notre Dame players earned NFCA All-Region honors for the second straight season. — Jordan Wells Guard Jewell Loyd earned consensus All- America notice as a junior before opting to turn pro after a second straight national runner-up finish. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS