Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Aldave, Howe & Buchanan Earn Preseason All-ACC Honors

Irish tabbed third in ACC preseason coaches poll

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Junior midfielder Andie Aldave, junior attacker Maddie Howe and senior midfielder Savannah Buchanan were each named to the Preseason All-ACC Team ahead of the 2020 campaign, the conference announced Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 4).

Last week, all three players earned Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American recognition, with Aldave earning First Team accolades, Howe earning Third Team honors and Buchanan receiving Honorable Mention recognition.

The Irish were also slotted third in the conference’s preseason coaches poll.

ABOUT ALDAVE
Aldave broke her own single-season program record with 152 draw controls in 2019 en route to being named a First Team IWLCA and Inside Lacrosse All-American. A team captain in 2020, Aldave ranked sixth in the country last season with an average of eight draw controls per game, and helped the Irish earn a draw control percentage of 63.6%, which was second in the nation. Aldave also added a career-high 47 goals and 67 points in 19 games. A First Team All-ACC selection and Tewaaraton Award nominee, Aldave collected 21 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers as one of the nation’s best all-around midfielders.

ABOUT BUCHANAN
A Second Team All-ACC honoree, Buchanan racked up 71 draw controls, 34 points (16G, 18A), 37 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers as a two-way force for the Irish in 2019. Buchanan, a Second Team All-West/Midwest Region honoree last season, earned at least five draw controls in seven contests as a key component of Notre Dame’s dominant year in the circle. A 2020 team captain, Buchanan also collected multiple ground balls and caused turnovers in four games as part of an Irish defensive unit that allowed an ACC best 8.05 goals per game.

ABOUT HOWE
Howe led the Irish with a career-best 59 goals and 78 points in 2019. She netted a hat trick in 13 contests, including six of the final seven games down the stretch. She converted on 17-of-26 free-position shots, and her 65.4% free position percentage ranked seventh in the country. A 2019 IWLCA Second Team All-American and First Team All-ACC selection, Howe notched six goals and six assists on Feb. 22 at Ohio State, which tied Jillian Byers for the most points recorded in a single game in program history. She was also named an Honorable Mention All-American by Inside Lacrosse a season ago.

ACC Preseason Coaches’ Poll

  1. North Carolina, 62
  2. Syracuse, 52
  3. Notre Dame, 45
  4. Boston College, 43
  5. Virginia, 35
  6. Virginia Tech, 22
  7. Duke, 20
  8. Louisville, 9

Preseason All-ACC Team
A: Emily Hawryschuk, Syracuse
A: Katie Hoeg, North Carolina
A: Maddie Howe, Notre Dame
A: Jamie Ortega, North Carolina
M: Andie Aldave, Notre Dame
M: Sammy Mueller, Virginia
M: Paige Petty, Virginia Tech
D: Sarah Cooper, Syracuse
D: Kerry Defliese, Syracuse
D: Emma Trenchard, North Carolina
G: Taylor Moreno, North Carolina
At-Large: Caroline Blalock, Louisville
At-Large: Nora Bowen, Virginia
At-Large: Savannah Buchanan, Notre Dame
At-Large: Megan Carney, Syracuse
At-Large: Charlotte North, Boston College
At-Large: Sheila Rietano, Boston College

UP NEXT
No. 7 Notre Dame opens the 2020 campaign with a home contest against Marquette on Sunday, February 9. The Irish will play nine home contests this spring, and admission for all Notre Dame women’s lacrosse home games is free. For the complete schedule, click here.

For more on the Irish women’s lacrosse program, follow @NDWomensLax on Twitter and Instagram.

—ND—