Feb. 10, 2016

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame senior men’s soccer midfielder Patrick Hodan (Brookfield, Wis./Marquette University HS), senior rower Sarah Kappers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Ursula Academy) and Class of 2015 men’s cross country/track & field athlete Jake Kildoo (Grove City, Pa./Grove City Area HS) are among 43 student-athletes who have been selected for the Weaver-James-Corrigan awards, part of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s postgraduate scholarship program, while senior men’s lacrosse defenseman Matt Landis (Pelham, N.Y./Pelham Memorial HS) was among nine individuals chosen as a Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award recipient.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarships are presented to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Hodan, Kappers and Kildoo will receive $5,000 toward his or her graduate education and are honored because they have performed distinction both in the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary contact in the community.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award goes to those student-athletes who plan to pursue professional careers in their chosen sports following graduation.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan Award is named in honor of the late Jim Weaver and Bob James, as well as Gene Corrigan, the ACC’s first three commissioners (Corrigan also served as director of athletics at Notre Dame from 1981-87).

The 52 student-athletes selected for this year’s awards will be honored at the annual Cone Health ACC Postgraduate Luncheon hosted by the Nat Greene Kiwanis Club and presented by ESPN on April 13 in the Imperial Ballroom at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina.

With this year’s quartet of honorees, Notre Dame now has produced 11 Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarship recipients in its three years as an ACC member.

A tri-captain for the Notre Dame men’s soccer program, Hodan recently was recognized as the 2015 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year. He also was a second-round selection (28th overall pick) by the San Jose Earthquakes during the 2016 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft.

Hodan completed his Fighting Irish career as a three-time (2013-15) National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) all-region selection, a 2014 NSCAA first team All-American, the 2014 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-America choice, including a two-time first team choice (2014-15), a three-time all-ACC performer and a 2014 Missouri Athletic Club (M.A.C.) Hermann Trophy semifinalist.

Hodan is a finance major in Notre Dame’s top-ranked Mendoza College of Business, and appeared on the Dean’s List during each of his first six semesters at Notre Dame.

A three-time monogram recipient at Notre Dame, Kappers has competed at two ACC and two NCAA regattas during her time wearing the Fighting Irish blue and gold. She is a two-time Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) National Scholar-Athlete, a two-time ACC Rowing All-Academic Team member and a two-time selection to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

In addition, Kappers serves as one of the Fighting Irish rowing team’s representatives on the 2015-16 Notre Dame Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).

A psychology and science pre-professional major, Kappers appeared on the Dean’s List during her first six semesters at Notre Dame and put together a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in both the spring 2015 and fall 2015 semesters. On the water, Kappers has helped the Fighting Irish win a BIG EAST Conference title (2013) and finish second at two ACC Championships (2014-15). Notre Dame also has finished ninth and 16th, respectively, at the last two NCAA Championships (2014-15).

A four-year cross country and track runner at Notre Dame, Kildoo was a NCAA Division I East Preliminary qualifier in track from 2013-15. He also earned ACC Cross Country Performer of the Week honors on Sept. 23, 2014, and he was selected to the 2012 United States World Junior Cross Country Team.

A 2015 Notre Dame graduate with his bachelor’s degrees in Arabic and philosophy, Kildoo was recognized on the 2013 and 2015 United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team in track, and he was a 2012 and 2013 BIG EAST Academic All-Star.

A two-year participant (2012-13) in Notre Dame’s Rosenthal Leadership Academy, Kildoo also was awarded the Hritzu-Erikson Award for Excellence in Arabic Studies.

Landis, who is a finance major in Notre Dame’s top-ranked Mendoza College of Business, received the William C. Schmeisser Award from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) as the outstanding defensive player in Division I as a junior in 2015. He was a 2015 USILA first-team All-American, the 2015 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a 2015 first-team All-ACC selection.

A two-time selection as ACC Defensive Player of the Week in 2015, Landis was named the Lacrosse Magazine Player of the Week last May after holding Albany star Lyle Thompson to a single goal and four assists in a 14-10 Notre Dame NCAA Championship quarterfinal win over the Great Danes in 2015.

He also was a 2015 ACC All-Academic Men’s Lacrosse Team selection.

Landis led Notre Dame to a 12-3 record as junior in 2015, including the ACC regular-season title, the number one overall seed in the NCAA Championship and a berth in NCAA Championship weekend. He paced Notre Dame to a 12-6 record as a sophomore in 2014, including the ACC Tournament crown and an NCAA Championship title game appearance.

He heads into his third season as a starter on defense for Notre Dame in 2016.

Last month, Landis was a first-round pick (third overall selection and first defenseman picked) in the 2016 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft by the Florida Launch.

– ND –

Chris Masters, associate athletics communications director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2001 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s basketball and women’s golf programs. A native of San Francisco, California, Masters is a 1996 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, earned his master’s degree from Kansas State University in 1998, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).