Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JUNE/JULY 2018 57 ND SPORTS BASEBALL (24-30, 12-18 ACC) After going 7-3 in a 10-game stretch from April 22 to May 15, Notre Dame staggered into the postseason, getting swept in a three-game series at Lou- isville May 17-19. The Irish then dropped two games in the ACC Tournament, falling 6-2 to Miami May 22 and 21-4 to Clemson May 23. In the Clemson game, Notre Dame took a 3-0 lead before the Tigers offense exploded for 17 runs in the top of the fourth, highlighted by four home runs in an inning that featured six different Irish pitchers. Notre Dame plated one final run before the game and the season came to an end. The Irish finished the year with a losing record overall and in the ACC for the second straight year, but did place three players on the All-ACC squad. Junior second baseman Nick Podkul and junior third baseman/outfielder Matt Vierling each earned second-team honors, while junior outfielder Eric Gilgenbach landed on the third team. WOMEN'S GOLF Junior Emma Albrecht and freshman Abby Heck led the way for Notre Dame at the NCAA Regional May 7-9 in Madison, Wis. Albrecht carded a 5-under-par 67 on the final day of competition to finish in a tie for 11th place. The round of 67 set a record for an individual Notre Dame golfer in NCAA action by four strokes. Heck closed the tournament with five consecutive birdies to finish with a 3-under 69 that put her in a tie for 23rd. The performances from Heck and Albrecht helped Notre Dame finish 12th out of 18 teams. WOMEN'S LACROSSE (10-9, 3-4 ACC) Notre Dame opened ACC Tournament play in the quarterfinals April 26 and battled back from a five-goal halftime deficit to defeat Virginia 11-10. In the semifinals April 27, Notre Dame faced then-No. 2 Boston College and fell into a 4-0 hole before ultimately losing 17-7. After splitting the two games in the ACC Tournament, the Irish were not chosen to participate in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Although the season ended early, Notre Dame did land four players on the West/Midwest All-Region team. Sophomore midfielder Savannah Buchanan was named to the first team, while junior goalie Samantha Giacolone, junior defenseman Hannah Proctor and freshman midfielder Andie Aldave were put on the second team. ROWING The Notre Dame rowing team finished in fourth place at the ACC Cham- pionships May 13 at Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C. The second varsity four finished in second place in the grand final race, while the second varsity eight and first varsity four both finished in a tie for third place. Coming out of the event, Notre Dame was ranked No. 17 in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/U.S. Rowing poll. However, the Irish did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. SOFTBALL (34-23, 13-10 ACC) After splitting games with Boston College and Florida State in the ACC Tourna- ment May 10-11 in Atlanta, the Irish received a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame started off the Lexington (Ky.) Regional with a 4-1 win over No. 17 Michigan May 18. The next day, however, the Irish suffered a 10-0 loss to No. 19 Kentucky. The Irish topped Michigan 2-1 May 19 and then saw their season come to an end with an 8-0 loss to Kentucky later in the day. MEN'S TENNIS (19-14, 7-5 ACC) After closing the regular season by winning five of its last six matches, No. 25 Notre Dame split a pair of contests in the ACC Championship. The Irish defeated Georgia Tech 4-1 in the quarterfinals April 27, but fell 4-0 to Wake Forest in the semifinals April 28. The Irish received a bid to the NCAA Championships and knocked off West- ern Michigan 4-1 in the first round May 12 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The next day, their season came to an end the hands of No. 15 Michigan with a 4-0 setback in the second round. Notre Dame sent one individual player to the NCAA Championships, junior Alex Lebedev, the nation's No. 34 singles player according to the Intercolle- giate Tennis Association. The junior dropped his first-round singles match to No. 75 Henry Pattent of UNC Asheville in three sets. WOMEN'S TENNIS (11-15, 2-12 ACC) The Irish struggled mightily down the stretch, losing 11 of their last 12 regular-season matches. Notre Dame's campaign then came to an end in the first round of the ACC Tournament with a 4-2 defeat to Wake Forest April 25. Senior Allison Miller finished her Notre Dame career on a high note by be- coming the 26th all-conference honoree under head coach Jay Louderback, who retired following the season. MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD Notre Dame placed 12th with 35.5 points at the ACC Outdoor Champion- ships May 10-12 in Coral Gables, Fla. The highlight of the meet came from fifth-year senior Nathan Richartz, who won his second consecutive outdoor pole vault title with a leap of 18 feet, 8.5 inches. Richartz's winning height broke his school (18-4.5) and meet record, and tied the ACC record. Richartz, who placed ninth nationally to earn All-America honors last year, was slated to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 6-9 in Eu- gene, Ore. He qualified for his third national meet at the NCAA East Regional May 24-26 in Tampa, Fla. Junior high jumper Matthew Birzer also qualified to compete in Eugene. WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD The Irish — who notched a ninth-place finish at the ACC Outdoor Champion- ships May 10-12 in Coral Gables, Fla. — are sending four athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 6-9 in Eugene, Ore. Junior Annie Heffernan and Anna Rohrer both qualified to compete in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA East Regional May 24-26 in Tampa, Fla. Rohrer finished second with a time of 33:54.15, while Heffernan placed 12th, grab- bing the final qualifier spot, with a time of 34:23.92. Senior Jessica Harris took fifth in a rain-soaked 1,500 meters in a time of 4:17.86 to earn her second consecutive trip to nationals, and junior Rachel DaDamio grabbed fifth place in the 5,000 meters to earn a spot in Eugene. — David McKinney Irish Roundup Juniors Annie Heffernan (above) and Anna Rohrer qualified to compete in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 6-9 in Eugene, Ore. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA