Irish Enjoying Spring Success
Six teams combine for 121-21-1 (.850) record.

April 19, 2001

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – In a year that already has seen three University of Notre Dame athletic teams attain number-one rankings, Irish spring sport teams continue to succeed at a breakneck pace.

Here are current win-loss records for Notre Dame’s spring sports (through events of April 18:

Baseball — 31-5-1 Softball — 36-3 Men’s Lacrosse — 10-1 Men’s Tennis — 15-5 Women’s Lacrosse — 8-3 Women’s Tennis — 21-4

Those six alone have combined for a gaudy 121-21-1 (.850) record, in addition to these other accomplishments:

The women’s golf team has won two events this spring (and a third last fall), while the men’s golfers compete for the BIG EAST title April 28-29 in Providence, R.I. The men’s outdoor track team has an automatic 2001 NCAA qualifier in Ryan Shay in the 10,000 meters (he finished 10th in that event at the 2000 Olympic Trials), while the women’s 4×100 relay unit is a provisional qualifier for the 2001 NCAA outdoor meet. The rowing team has won five of six varsity eight races this spring.

Seven Notre Dame teams have cracked the top five in national rankings in 2000-01: women’s soccer, men’s fencing, women’s fencing, women’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, women’s tennis and baseball. Women’s soccer, men’s fencing, women’s basketball, men’s lacrosse and baseball all have been ranked as high as first or second.

If women’s lacrosse earns a national ranking next week coming off a victory Monday at seventh-rated Yale, it will be Notre Dame’s 16th sport (out of 22 possible) to be ranked in the national top 20 this year.

Ten Notre Dame teams have been in the top 10: the seven who made the top five, plus men’s basketball (10th), men’s tennis (10th) and football (10th).

Here are Notre Dame’s highest team rankings in 2000-01:

1st: +women’s soccer (NCAA semifinalist), +women’s basketball (NCAA champion), +men’s fencing (3rd in NCAAs) 2nd: +men’s lacrosse, +baseball 5th: women’s fencing (3rd in NCAAs), +women’s tennis 10th: football, men’s basketball (NCAA second round), men’s tennis 11th: +softball 14th: +rowing 15th: +women’s swimming (37th in NCAAs) 18th: men’s cross country (9th in NCAAs)

19th: volleyball (NCAA second round)
+ — highest ranking in history of program