Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ND SPORTS son said. "We did give him a couple of days off. "He had to take care of four final exams when he got back here, so it wasn't easy for him. I give him a lot of credit, he had to get that done right when he got back, before we played Merrimack, for his eligibility." "We played a lot of games over there," Bjork added. "But I got some time off when I came back, so I made up some rest. It was a little tough just getting back and getting in the swing of things, though." Going forward, the biggest take- away for Bjork from his Team USA experience was a newfound belief in his own abilities. "It's a tremendous experience for him; we've seen confidence since he's gotten back," Jackson said. "It works both ways for some guys — some guys get relegated to the fourth line or 13th forward, and they come back and they've lost confidence. "Anders moved up to the second line because of injury and he never re- linquished that. He played with great players and scored some points, it'll give him some confidence going into the second half." MEN'S LACROSSE RANKED PRESEASON NO. 1 Following runs to the NCAA Tour- nament semifinals in two consecutive years, Notre Dame enters 2016 ranked No. 1 nationally in the preseason by Inside Lacrosse. "I appreciate and respect the honor of starting the year ranked No. 1," Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corri- gan told UND.com. "I hope it can help us focus on doing the things it will take to end the year No. 1." Senior attack Matt Kavanagh, junior midfielder Sergio Perkovic and senior defenseman Matt Landis all return after earning first-team All-America honors last season. That trio led the Irish to a 12-3 overall finish, including a 4-0 mark in ACC play, last season. The same publication also tabs Notre Dame's schedule as the toughest in the nation. The Irish host defending national champion Denver March 13, in addition to ACC contests against Virginia and Duke. They also play Maryland, a squad that features six preseason All-Americans, March 5 in Orange County, Calif. Notre Dame opens its season Feb. 20 against Georgetown in Atlanta. ✦ According to Inside Lacrosse, senior attack Matt Kavanagh (50) and the Irish are the preseason favorite to win the national championship. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS