Jan. 26, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – A 13-man freshman class that is ranked second nationally according to Inside Lacrosse will supplement a University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse squad that is coming off a national title-game appearance in 2014.
Eight of Notre Dame’s talented rookies are among the top 70 in the Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Freshman rankings. Attackman Mikey Wynne is No. 4 overall, while midfielder Brendan Collins is No. 24 and defenseman Alex Hurdle (#30) joins them in the top 30. Goalie Owen Molloy (#38), LSM/defenseman John Sexton (#40), midfielder Jordan Walter (#51) along with attackmen Tyler Ruhl (#64) and Pierre Byrne (#70) also appear on the list.
“We have some talented guys in this class, but we are going to have to see if they can figure out ways to earn a role on a team that has a lot of guys back,” Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan says. “The one thing I feel real confident about is that they’ll provide great competition at pretty much every position. Guys know they are going to have to earn spots up and down our roster and that’s a great and healthy thing for a team. That excites me the most about bringing in a good group.”
This is the fifth time in the last six years that Notre Dame has compiled a recruiting class ranked in the top 10 nationally by Inside Lacrosse. The Fighting Irish had the nation’s eighth-ranked class in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and the 2009 group was rated fifth overall.
Here is a complete breakdown of Notre Dame’s 2015 freshman class …
Kyle Borbi – Midfielder – Medford, New Jersey/Shawnee
Tallied 50 goals and 30 assists en route to earning first-team All-State and All-County honors as a senior … notched 149 goals and 82 assists during his high school career … First Team All-Olympic Conference all four seasons at Shawnee … three-time Olympic Conference Player of the Year … First Team All-South Jersey as a sophomore, junior and senior … named to the Champion All-American Game roster … four-time conference champion … played club lacrosse for Tri-State and was team captain … competed on the varsity football team at Shawnee for four years, with a starting role in his last three seasons … played slot back and linebacker along with being a kick and punt returner … football team won the Group 4 state title his senior season … son of John and Charlotte Borbi … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Borbi… “Kyle could play attack or midfield. He has a really good feel for the game and has a good offensive sense. He understands the game and sees opportunities for himself to make plays. The key for him and Pierre (Byrne) is that if they want to play in the midfield they need to play defense because we play two-way midfielders there.”
Pierre Byrne – Attackman – South Bend, Indiana/Culver Military Academy
Listed at No. 70 in the Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Freshman ranking … earned four varsity letters in lacrosse and football along with one letter in basketball at Culver Military Academy … tallied 115 goals and 74 assists during his high school career … Culver was ranked in the national top-10 each of his last two seasons and the team won the North American Lacrosse Invitational (NALI) title in 2013 and 2014 … named Second Team All-Midwest as a senior … played for Crabs LC (Md.), Long Island Express LC (N.Y.), 3D LC (Colo.), Roughriders LC (Md.) and RC Starz LC (Calif.)… selected for Under Armour All-American/Midwest Team in 2012 and 2013 … competed in the Under Armour Underclassmen All-American Games and was on the all-tournament team along with Notre Dame classmates Mikey Wynne, Brendan Collins and Alex Hurdle … selected for Adrenaline All-American Game as a senior … Maverik Showtime All-Star Game in 2012 and 2013 … Denver Shootout All-Star Game in 2013 … three-time Adrenaline Shootout All-Star Game selection (2010-12) … selected to participate in the inaugural Nike “Ride” event as one of the top high school players in the United States … also was a standout on the gridiron … played on the varsity as a freshman and compiled 17 touchdowns during his sophomore season … notched 83 tackles as a junior … registered 13 touchdowns and 55 tackles during his senior season … appeared in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces In The Crowd” for his football accomplishments … earned Academic All-State honors in football … two-time football team MVP (2012 & 2014) … awarded Oliver Medal as Culver Academy’s Outstanding Senior Athlete … son of Gerry and Tracy Byrne … father, an assistant coach for the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team, played lacrosse at UMass … uncle, Stephen Byrne, played lacrosse at Virginia … sister, Rory, is a freshman on the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team … has an older brother, Brandon … joins his former Culver teammate Kyle Trolley on the Fighting Irish roster … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Byrne… “Pierre can play in the attack or midfield. He is just so elusive and there’s such a need for guys who can break down their man off the dribble and create slides and create opportunities by themselves. He has a good offensive sense and we’ll see where we can use him best.”
Brendan Collins – Midfielder – Bethesda, Maryland/Georgetown Prep
Appeared at No. 24 in the Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Freshman ranking … Under Armour All-American … scored a goal in the Under Armour All-American Game … compiled 74 goals and 40 assists during his high school career … tallied 15 goals, 11 assists and 30 ground balls his senior season at Georgetown Prep … helped lead Georgetown Prep to a 19-1 mark and the league title during his final campaign … played in the Under Armour Underclass Lacrosse Classic, earning all-tournament honors … two-time First Team All-Met selection … First Team All-Interstate Athletic Conference on two occasions … competed for FCA LC (Md.) and Blackwolf LC (Md.) … played varsity football his junior year … son of Steve and Carin Collins … father played football at the University of Delaware … has three siblings … older brother, Matt, was on the Fighting Irish lacrosse team from 2011-14.
Corrigan on Collins… “We’re excited to add a player of Brendan’s quality in mid year. He is smart, athletic, well coached and competitive. He should compete to play for us this spring.”
Austin Gaiss – Midfielder – North Andover, Massachusetts/Phillips Academy
Selected for the New England Under Armour Underclassmen Team as a junior … “Fab Forty” All-Star at the 2012 Philly Fall Showcase … 2013 Phillips Academy Team MVP … captain of Phillips Academy squad as a junior and senior … tallied 45 points during his junior campaign … posted 38 points as a senior and copped the Hulburd Trophy, which is given to the senior who typifies enthusiasm, character and a winning spirit … played for the Fighting Clams LC (Mass.) … varsity starter as a freshman … an honor student all four years of high school … son of Michael and Jennifer Gaiss … sister, Kaitlin, played lacrosse at Duke … has an older brother, Ryan … Phillips Academy teammate of fellow Irish lacrosse freshman William Young … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Gaiss… “Unfortunately Austin is hurt right now and probably won’t practice this spring, but we are excited about his ability and his IQ for the game and look forward to his contributions in the future.”
Patrick Hadley – Midfielder – Hopkinton, New Hampshire/Deerfield Academy
Attended Deerfield Academy for his sophomore, junior and senior years … joins fellow Deerfield alums Bobby Gray and Liam Kennedy on the Fighting Irish roster … played club lacrosse for the New Hampshire Tomahawks … New Hampshire Tomahawks King of the Hill All-Star … son of Mark and Holli Hadley … father played basketball at Harvard … has two younger brothers, Andrew and William, and a younger sister, Katherine … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Hadley… “Patrick is a big, physical-looking kid. We’re anxious to see him and how he develops early on. Physically I really like his look and I think he has the skills. We just have to see if we can put all of that together, but he has a lot of upside.”
Alex Hurdle – Defenseman – Cockeysville, Maryland/McDonough
Under Armour All-American … rated 30th in the Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Freshman ranking … First Team All-Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), All-Metro and All-State as a senior … Baltimore Under Armour Underclass All-American Team as a sophomore and junior … Nike Blue Chip invitee … received the 2014 McDonough Lacrosse Coaches’ Award … two-time Baltimore Summer Kick-off All-Star Team (2012 and 2013) … top SPARQ athlete and top defender at Nike “Ride” event … played for the Baltimore Crabs LC and the Maryland Roughrider LC … also competed in wrestling and football at McDonough … played fullback and tailback on the football squad … as a senior, rushed for 14 touchdowns, led team to MIAA title, named All-State and All-MIAA … earned The Howard C. Eyth Scholar Athlete Award for the McDonough senior class … attended same high school as former Notre Dame basketball and lacrosse player Brittany Mallory … son of Hans-Michael Hurdle and Cynthia Cootauco … father was a two-time All-America lacrosse player at Swarthmore College … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Hurdle… “Alex is a strong physical kid who needs to learn the college game. The thing with our freshman defenseman always is if they can understand everything we’re going to ask them to do off-ball specifically. Can they handle the flow of traffic and the speed of decision-making? We need to help them understand our language and the basics of our defense and help them understand the importance we put on making consistent and simple plays. Alex has a lot of ability and a real tenacity and toughness.”
Owen Molloy – Goalie – Basking Ridge, New Jersey/Ridge
Appeared at No. 38 in the Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Freshman ranking … No. 3 rated goalie in his class according to Inside Lacrosse … U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American, Under Armour All-American and First Team National Interscholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association (NILCA) All-American as a senior at Ridge … started and played the first half of the Under Armour All-American Game … made 12 saves in that contest … selected for Under Armour Underclass Games/Team New Jersey in 2013 … selected to participate in the inaugural Nike “Ride” event as one of the top high school players in the United States … played for the Tri-State LC (N.J.) … played football his freshman year … an honor-roll student all four years of high school … son of Christopher and Eleanor Molloy … has an older brother, Jack, and an older sister, Emma) … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Molloy… “Owen has already shown that he is a terrific ball stopper. He has a poise and confidence that you love to see in a young guy. It’s going to be an extremely competitive position for us. I think we have three very good goaltenders and Owen will get his chance to compete there and give us a chance.”
Tyler Ruhl – Attackman – Baltimore, Maryland/The Gilman School
Rated 64th in the Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Freshman ranking … earned three varsity letters in lacrosse, two in soccer and one in football … led lacrosse team in points during his senior campaign … received All-Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and All-Metro accolades as a senior … won the team’s Campbell Award and was a finalist for the C. Markland Kelly Award … son of Robert Helfferich and Erin Ruhl Helfferich … uncle, Billy Ruhl, and aunt, Caroline Ruhl, played lacrosse at Maryland … joins fellow Gilman School alums Conor and Jack Doyle on the Fighting Irish roster … played for the Baltimore Lacrosse Club … has a younger brother, Charlie … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Ruhl… “Tyler can play inside or outside and he handles the ball well. I can see him developing into a guy who can play a variety of roles, which is always good.”
John Sexton – LSM/Defenseman – Sudbury, Massachusetts/Lincoln-Sudbury
Ranked 40th in the Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Freshman ranking … Under Armour All-American … scored a goal in the Under Armour All-American Game … three-time U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American … Eastern Massachusetts All-American as a senior … Lincoln-Sudbury team captain during his senior campaign … four-time All-Dual County Conference … tallied 22 goals and 21 assists during his high school career … played for Laxachusetts LC (Mass.) … captained the Lincoln-Sudbury football team his senior season and earned all-conference recognition … led his squad in tackles for loss as a senior … cousin, Jon Harvey (’01), played lacrosse for the Fighting Irish … son of Ralph and Valerie Sexton … has an older sister, Rachel … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Sexton… “John is just a good, smart, tenacious guy who seems to be around the ball all the time. Some guys just have that knack and he’s one of them. He will most likely be at long pole.”
John Travisano, Jr. – Faceoff/Midfielder – Ellicott City, Maryland/Howard
Earned All-America honors from US Lacrosse as a senior at Howard High School … selected for the C. Markland Award (top 4A/3A player in the state of Maryland) as a senior … named the 2014 Lacrosse Player of the Year in Howard County, Md. … First-Team All-Howard County during his senior campaign … public school All-State Team as a senior … Maryland State Lacrosse Coaches Association (MSLCA) Senior All-Star Team … First Team All-Metro (Washington, DC) and Second Team All-Metro (Baltimore) … tallied 37 goals and 14 assists as a senior in addition to picking up 256 ground balls (a Howard County record) … won 83 percent of his faceoff attempts during his senior season … Howard was the 2014 Maryland state finalist (4A/3A) and county champions … played for the Roughriders LC (Md.) … competed on the Howard varsity football team as a junior and senior … two-time all-county football player … named Howard High School Male Athlete of the Year as a senior … son of Jack and Laurie Travisano … has a younger brother, Michael, and an older sister, Samantha … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Travisano… “John has shown that he’s a very good faceoff guy and a good lacrosse player. He was the Howard County player of the year and that’s no small feat. He can play a variety of roles for us. He’s a great kid and a smart player.”
Jordan Walter – Midfielder – Cold Spring Harbor, New York/Cold Spring Harbor
Listed at No. 51 in the Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Freshman ranking … All-American and team captain as a senior at Cold Spring Harbor … selected to Newsday’s All-Long Island Team as a senior … two-time all-county … Cold Spring Harbor was Nassau County champions during his freshman and sophomore seasons … Brine National All-American (New York team) and Jake Reed Blue Chip Player to Watch as a sophomore … played club lacrosse with For the Love of the Game … competed on the Cold Spring Harbor varsity football team … played running back and outside linebacker … elected football team captain as a senior but could not play due to a knee surgery … son of Robert and Karen Walter … has two younger brothers, Jack and Reid, and a younger sister, Caroline … father played lacrosse at Western New England University … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Walter… “Jordan has a lot of upside. He’s athletic, strong and he handles the ball with both hands. He shoots the ball well and he sees the field well. I think Jordan has a really bright future. We’ll see what kind of role he can play for us this year. We also needs to see how he does defensively to see if that’s an opportunity for him.”
Mikey Wynne – Attackman – Sykesville, Maryland/St. Paul’s
Rated fourth in the Inside Lacrosse Power 100 Freshman ranking … scored four goals en route to being named MVP of the Under Armour All-American Game … played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Glenelg High School before finishing his career at St. Paul’s … tallied 141 goals and 45 assists during his two seasons at St. Paul’s … his 72 goals as a senior broke the St. Paul’s record that he established the previous season when he deposited 69 goals … First Team All-Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and First Team All-Metro as a senior … finalist for the Kelly Award (best player in Maryland) as a senior … earned All-MIAA accolades as a junior in addition to being a Baltimore Under Armour Underclass All-American … First Team All-Baltimore Sun as a junior and senior … played club lacrosse for Baltimore Rock … tallied 83 points and was named the team’s offensive MVP during his freshman season at Glenelg … as a sophomore, produced 93 points, was named offensive MVP for Glenelg and was tapped as a Brine All-American … competed on the Glenelg football and basketball teams … team captain of the St. Paul’s football squad as a senior … received the Mathematics Achievement Award at St. Paul’s as a senior … son of Brian and Karen Wynne … has four brothers, Josh, Zach, Nick and Kevin … father played lacrosse at Salisbury, while mother played field hockey at Salisbury … three older brothers played college lacrosse … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Wynne… “The good thing about Mikey is that he doesn’t have to have the ball in his stick to make plays. He’s a really good and smart off-ball player.”
William Young – Defenseman – New York, New York/Phillips Academy (Massachusetts)
Earned varsity letters and was a three-year starter for the lacrosse and football teams at Phillips Academy … during his senior season, Andover went 9-0 and won the New England Prep School football championship … Denver Shootout All-Star and CT Super Sophs All-Star … played club for 3D New England for three summers culminating in winning the Lake Placid U-19 Championship in 2014 … began playing lacrosse in 8th grade … son of Andrew and Stefanie Young … father was on the crew team at Princeton … mother played tennis at Harvard… has an older sister, Edith who studies photography at the Rhode Island School of Design … Phillips Academy teammate of fellow Irish freshman Austin Gaiss … enrolled in Notre Dame’s First Year of Studies program.
Corrigan on Young… “Will will compete for playing time at close defense. He has shown that he has a good sense of the game down there. I like some of the things he’s done early on in the fall. All three of those guys (John Sexton, Alex Hurdle) can push some guys at that end of the field.”
2014-15 University of Notre Dame Men’s Lacrosse Freshman Class
NAME POS. HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL
Kyle Borbi M Medford, New Jersey/Shawnee
Pierre Byrne A South Bend, Indiana/Culver Military Academy
Brendan Collins M Bethesda, Maryland/Georgetown Prep
Austin Gaiss M North Andover, Massachusetts/Phillips Academy
Patrick Hadley M Hopkinton, New Hampshire/Deerfield Academy
Alex Hurdle D Cockeysville, Maryland/McDonough
Owen Molloy G Basking Ridge, New Jersey/Ridge
Tyler Ruhl A Baltimore, Maryland/The Gilman School
John Sexton LSM/D Sudbury, Massachusetts/Lincoln-Sudbury
John Travisano, Jr. FO/M Ellicott City, Maryland/Howard
Jordan Walter M Cold Spring Harbor, New York/Cold Spring Harbor
Mikey Wynne A Sykesville, Maryland/St. Paul’s
William Young D New York, New York/Phillips Academy (Massachusetts)
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No. 2 Notre Dame will open the 2015 season Feb. 14 with a home showdown against Georgetown.
The Fighting Irish won the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth straight season. Notre Dame advanced to Championship Weekend for the third time in the last five seasons and for the fourth time overall in program history before finishing the 2014 campaign with a 12-6 record.
The University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team pursues excellence on and off the field through the three pillars in which the program is built: Character, Culture & Community. These three foundational values guide the promise of the program, which is to provide its student-athletes with the most compelling and enriching experience in all of college athletics. Through academics, competition, service and travel, the program aims to immerse its players in situations that enhance their student-athlete experience to help them become the people, students and teammates they aspire to be.
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