Oct. 24, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Head coach Bobby Clark calls Harrison Shipp “The Little Wizard” for his craftiness on the soccer pitch. It’s not hard to believe that Shipp, a senior forward on the second-ranked Notre Dame men’s soccer team, may have some magical powers when you consider what he’s able to accomplish on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
Shipp recently was named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award in the men’s soccer division. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
“One of the reasons I came to Notre Dame was that the school offered more than just a soccer-playing experience,” Shipp said after he was named a Senior CLASS Award candidate in August. “It’s nice to be recognized for those things besides just soccer. Obviously this time of year there is a major emphasis on soccer, but I think it’s important to keep those other aspects in mind because it is such an important part of the South Bend community.”
Shipp is having a career-best season on the field and is a key reason why Notre Dame is undefeated (8-0-5, 5-0-3 ACC) and currently tied with Wake Forest for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. The forward has team-high totals in goals (6) and assists (6). Three of his goals have been game winners, including the golden goal in a 2-1 victory at Clemson. He also tallied Notre Dame’s first goal in the win over the Tigers, which was part of a career-best seven-game point streak for Shipp.
Last season, Shipp notched six goals and six assists and was named Third Team All-BIG EAST and Second Team All-Great Lakes Region. He was a vital part of Notre Dame’s 17-4-1 campaign that saw the Irish win the BIG EAST Championship and earn the overall No. 1 seed for the NCAA Championship. He has never missed a match during his Notre Dame career and has produced 17 goals and 20 assists in 73 games.
A dean’s list selection each of the last five semesters, Shipp boasts a 3.883 cumulative GPA as a finance major in Notre Dame’s nationally-ranked Mendoza College of Business. He was named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Second Team for excelling both on the field and in the classroom. Along with being one of the top players on the Notre Dame squad, he is a two-time recipient of the team’s Knute Rockne Scholar-Athlete Award (2011 & 2012) and was a BIG EAST Academic All-Star on three occasions (2010-12).
Shipp and the rest of his Fighting Irish teammates participate in numerous service initiatives in the South Bend/Notre Dame community. He also has been heavily involved in service work, including Habitat for Humanity, in his hometown of Lake Forest, Ill. In addition, Shipp is a member of Notre Dame’s Rosenthal Leadership Academy, which develops, challenges and supports student-athletes and coaches in their continual quest to become world-class leaders in athletics, academics and life.
The Senior CLASS Award finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates announced in August. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through November 25. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2013 NCAA College Cup® in December. For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
2013 Men’s Soccer Senior CLASS Award Finalists
Bryan Ciesiulka, Marquette
Kevin Cope, Michigan State
A.J. Corrado, Indiana
Itode Fubara, East Tennessee State
Nick Kristock, Oakland
Mackenzie Pridham, Cal Poly
Chris Ritter, Northwestern
Harrison Shipp, Notre Dame
Joe Sofia, UCLA
Kyle Venter, New Mexico
See how Harrison Shipp balances soccer and his studies …
— Sean Carroll, Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director
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