May 7, 2009
#2 Notre Dame (15-0) vs. #13 Maryland (9-6)
NCAA Championship – First Round
Sunday, May 10 • 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Alumni Field • Notre Dame, Ind.
TV: ESPNU (Live)
Gametracker: und.com
SETTING THE STAGE … The second-ranked Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team will play host to No. 13 Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Sunday, May 10 at Alumni Field. The contest is slated for a 12:00 noon (ET) start and will be broadcast live on ESPNU. Notre Dame will carry a perfect 15-0 mark into Sunday’s tilt, while Maryland is 9-6. The Fighting Irish are the seventh seed in the tournament and the Terrapins are unseeded. Notre Dame is making its fourth straight NCAA Tournament and the 14th overall in program history. The winner of the Notre Dame-Maryland contest will take on the winner of the Syracuse-Siena tilt in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, May 16 in Hempstead, N.Y.
HOW TO FOLLOW … Sunday’s showdown between the Fighting Irish and Terrapins will be broadcast live on ESPNU … Rob Simmelkjaer will handle play-by-play duties, while Jack Emmer is the analyst … live stats also will be available via Gametracker on und.com.
SERIES HISTORY … This will be the third meeting between Notre Dame and Maryland … the Terrapins have won all three previous encounters … Maryland captured a 9-8 double-overtime victory in the last meeting, which occurred during the 2004 season … in the only meeting at Notre Dame, the Terrapins produced a 10-4 win in 2003 … this will be the second time both squads have met in the NCAA Championship … in 1995, Notre Dame fell at Maryland, 14-11, in the quarterfinals … that was the first quarterfinal appearance in Irish history.
ABOUT THE IRISH … Notre Dame is 15-0 on the season and coming off a 16-7 victory over Ohio State in the title game of the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) tournament … the Irish won the only two tournaments in the history of the league (2008 & 2009) … Notre Dame also won its 12th GWLL regular-season title by going 5-0 in conference play … the Irish have produced the first undefeated regular season in program history … Notre Dame ranks first nationally in team defense with a 6.13 goals-against average … the Irish are 10th in scoring offense (11.53) … Notre Dame is ranked second nationally in both major polls … that matches the highest ranking in program history … Scott Rodgers ranks first among all Division I goalies in save percentage (.663) and he is second in goals-against average (6.08) … senior attackman Ryan Hoff has a team-high 32 goals … fellow senior attackman Duncan Swezey leads the team in assists (20) and is tied for the team lead in points (42) along with junior attackman Neal Hicks … Kevin Corrigan is in his 21st season as the head coach of Notre Dame … he has a 196-95 (.674) record during his Fighting Irish tenure.
SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS … Maryland is 9-6 on the season and coming off a 10-6 win at Yale on May 2 … the Terrapins went 2-1 in ACC play this season … Maryland fell to North Carolina, 16-10, in the ACC semifinals on April 24 … the Terrapins are 3-2 on the road … Maryland has captured wins against Presbyterian (18-3), Air Force (15-4), Duke (11-8), Towson (9-7), Bryant (13-6), North Carolina (8-7), Binghamton (15-6), Penn (9-2) and Yale (10-6) … the Terrapins have fallen to Georgetown (13-10), UMBC (9-7), Virginia (10-9), Navy (10-4), Johns Hopkins (10-9) and North Carolina (16-10) … Maryland is averaging 10.18 goals per game, while surrendering 7.59 a contest … sophomore attackman Grant Catalino leads the team in goals (22) and assists (21) … the Terrapins have eight double-digit goal scorers … Jason Carter and Brian Phipps have split time in goal … Carter carries a 7.54 goals-against average and a .491 save percentage … Phipps has a 7.63 goals-against average to go along with a .580 save percentage … last season, Maryland posted a 10-6 record and fell to Virginia, 8-7 in overtime, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament … head coach Dave Cottle is in his eighth season at Maryland.
COMMON OPPONENTS … Notre Dame and Maryland have two common opponents this season (Air Force & North Carolina) … both squads defeated Air Force (Notre Dame 10-4, Maryland 15-4) … the Irish topped North Carolina, 9-7, on March 8 … Maryland defeated the Tar Heels, 8-7, during the regular season (March 21) yet fell to North Carolina, 16-10, in the ACC tournament (April 24).
IRISH AGAINST THE ACC … Notre Dame is 6-17 all-time against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams … the Irish have faced one ACC squad this season … the Irish topped North Carolina, 9-7, on March 8 … Notre Dame has faced an ACC opponent five times in NCAA Championship play … the Irish are 1-4 in those contests … the last ACC foe Notre Dame faced in the NCAA Tournament was Virginia in 2006 and the Cavaliers came away with a 14-10 victory.
NOTRE DAME IN NCAA PLAY … The Fighting Irish are making their 14th trip to the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship in the 29-year history of the program … all of the appearances have occurred since the 1990 season … this is the Notre Dame’s fourth straight trip to the NCAAs … the Fighting Irish are 5-13 all-time in the NCAA Championship … the top performance by the Fighting Irish in the postseason was in 2001 as they made it to the national semifinals … in addition to the 2001 campaign, the Irish also reached the quarterfinals of the tournament in 1995, 2000 and 2008 … last season, the Irish topped Colgate 8-7 in overtime in the first round before falling to eventual national champion Syracuse, 11-9, in the quarterfinals … Notre Dame has fallen to the eventual national champion in each of the past three tournaments … in 2007, the Irish dropped an 11-10 overtime contest at Johns Hopkins … in 2006, Notre Dame was bested at Virginia, 14-10 … both of those contests were in the first round.
SEEDING … This marks the third time that Notre Dame has garnered a seed in the NCAA Championship … the Irish were the fifth seed in 2001 and advanced to the national semifinals for the first time in program history … last season, the Irish were the No. 6 seed and moved on to the quarterfinals.
OVERTIME … Notre Dame has gone to overtime in each of its past two NCAA Tournament first-round games … last season, the Irish topped Colgate, 8-7, in the extra session … in 2007, Notre Dame fell at Johns Hopkins, 11-10, in overtime.
IRISH IN THE FIRST ROUND … Notre Dame is 4-9 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Championship … last season, the Irish downed Colgate, 8-7 in overtime, in the NCAA first round.
WINNING WAYS … With its current 15-0 mark, Notre Dame has established a program record for wins in a campaign … the Irish had reached the 14-win plateau on two occasions (2001 & 2008) prior to this season … this is the fourth straight season that the Irish have reached double-figures in wins.
GWLL DOMINANCE … Notre Dame is 65-10 (.867) all-time in Great Western Lacrosse League play (regular season and tournament) … the Irish won 20 of their last 21 games against GWLL opponents … this is the 16th and final season for the GWLL … Notre Dame went undefeated in GWLL play on eight occasions, including this season … Notre Dame won the GWLL regular-season title on 12 occasions, including this season, along with winning the only two GWLL tournaments (2008 & 2009) … the Irish have won the regular-season championship title outright eight times, while earning a share of the crown four times.
HOT DAY FOR HOFF … Senior attackman Ryan Hoff netted six goals in Notre Dame’s 16-7 victory over Ohio State in the title game of the GWLL tournament on May 3 … that marked the most goals for any Fighting Irish player this season … it was one shy of the program record that Hoff shares with Randy Colley.
UNBLEMISHED … This season’s 13-0 regular-season record marked the first undefeated regular season in Irish history … with its current 15-0 mark, Notre Dame is the only undefeated team in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse … there is just one other undefeated team among all NCAA Division I, II and III schools … Le Moyne is unblemished in D-II with a 15-0 record … prior to this season, Notre Dame’s best start occurred during the 1993 campaign when the Irish posted eight straight victories to start the year … the current 15-game winning streak also is a program best … the Fighting Irish had nine-game win streaks in both 1992 and 2001.
IN THE POLLS … The Fighting Irish currently are ranked second in both the Inside Lacrosse media poll and the USILA coaches poll … that matches the highest ranking in program history … the Fighting Irish were ranked second nationally in 2001 after starting the campaign 5-0 … the Irish advanced to the final four that season.
RODGERS NAMED GWLL PLAYER OF YEAR … Notre Dame goalie Scott Rodgers was named the 2009 Great Western Lacrosse League Player of the Year … Rodgers is 15-0 on the season and leads the nation with a .663 save percentage and ranks second with a 6.08 goals-against average … Rodgers is the sixth Notre Dame player to be selected as the GWLL Player of the Year and the first since fellow goalie Joey Kemp received the honor in 2007.
CORRIGAN COPS GWLL COACH OF THE YEAR HONORS … Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan was tabbed as the 2009 Great Western Lacrosse League Coach of the Year … it marked the fifth time (1994, 1996, 2001, 2007, 2009) that Corrigan has been named the league’s top coach … Corrigan, who is in his 21st season as head coach of the Irish, has guided Notre Dame to the first undefeated regular season in program history … the Fighting Irish went 5-0 in conference play to capture their 12th regular-season GWLL title, which all have come under the direction of Corrigan … in addition, Notre Dame has gone undefeated in GWLL play on eight occasions.
ALL-LEAGUE ACCOLADES IN ABUNDANCE … Eight Notre Dame players received All-Great Western Lacrosse League honors this season … the Fighting Irish boasted seven first-team picks … Scott Rodgers (Sr./G), Ryan Hoff (Sr./A), Duncan Swezey (Sr./A), Peter Christman (Sr./M), Grant Krebs (Jr./M), Sam Barnes (Jr./D) and Regis McDermott (Sr./D) all were named to the league’s top team, while Neal Hicks (Jr./A) was a second-team selection … the eight all-league members were the most from any of the conference’s six schools … the league’s head coaches voted on the awards and all-conference teams … the eight all-GWLL performers is tied for the second-most all-time in Notre Dame history … the Fighting Irish also had eight selections in 2007 … nine picks from the 2001 campaign are the most ever for the Irish … the seven first-team nods tie the program mark, which also was achieved in ’01.
IRISH DEFENSE BEST IN THE NATION … The Notre Dame defense ranks first in the nation with a 6.13 goals-against average … that mark is on pace to eclipse the program-record mark of 6.66 from the 2007 season … this season, the Fighting Irish have held opponents to seven goals or fewer in 11 games and have yet to allow more than nine goals in a single contest … Notre Dame has surrendered four goals or fewer four times … the Irish had the nation’s fifth-best scoring defense in 2008 by allowing 7.04 goals per game … in 2007, Notre Dame ranked fourth nationally with the 6.66 mark.
RODGERS ATOP THE RANKINGS … Notre Dame’s Scott Rodgers ranks first among all NCAA Division I goalies with a .663 save percentage … he is second nationally with a 6.08 goals-against average.
SHUTTING DOWN THE COMPETITION … Notre Dame held Quinnipiac scoreless in the first half of its 10-2 win on April 18 … the Irish came back the next day and held St. John’s without a goal in the second half … Notre Dame held the Red Storm without a goal over the last three quarters of the game … that was the first time the Irish held an opponent scoreless in three consecutive quarters in a game since they did not surrender a goal to Lehigh in the first three quarters back on April 21, 2007.
SCORELESS STREAKS … The Notre Dame defense has produced a scoreless streak of at least 20 minutes in each of the past seven games … here is a breakdown of the games (in chronological order) and the length of the streaks … Air Force (29:06), Denver (20:39), Quinnipiac (33:02), St. John’s (51:08), Ohio State (21:40), Quinnipiac (25:29) and Ohio State (22:46).
CLASS ACT … Notre Dame’s senior class has a current four-year record of 50-12 (.806) … that is the most victories over a four-year span in the history of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse … during their time on campus, the Fighting Irish have gone to three straight NCAA Tournaments, including a quarterfinal berth last season … the current senior class has not lost a home game, going 24-0 to this point of their careers.
HAT TRICKS … Notre Dame has had seven players notch a hat trick this season … Ryan Hoff has a team-high five games with at least three goals, while Grant Krebs has done it four times … Duncan Swezey, Neal Hicks and Peter Christman have accomplished the feat three times … David Earl and Zach Brenneman all have done it two times … included in those figures are two four-goal games from Swezey and one four-goal game from Hicks and Brenneman along with a five-goal and six-goal effort from Hoff.
HOME SWEET HOME … Notre Dame’s current 25-game home win streak is the longest active streak in the country … it also is a program best … the Irish are 6-0 at home this season … the Fighting Irish went 6-0 at home last season … the Irish have gone three-plus seasons without losing a home contest … the current streak stems back to a 14-13 overtime win against Air Force on April 10, 2005 … Notre Dame’s last loss at home was a 9-6 setback to Denver on April 7, 2005 … the Irish went a perfect 6-0 at home during the 2006 campaign and followed it up with a 6-0 mark in 2007 … six of the games during the streak have been played in the Loftus Sports Center, while 12 have taken place outside at Moose Krause Stadium, the former home of Irish lacrosse … six have been played at Alumni Field, while one victory last season took place at School Field in South Bend … the Fighting Irish have taken down seven ranked opponents during the streak … Notre Dame owns an overall home record of 126-35 (.783) during the 28-plus years of varsity lacrosse at the University.
A RECORD CROWD … The Notre Dame-Ohio State tilt on April 25 was played in front of 30,192 fans at Ohio Stadium (The Horseshoe) … that attendance figure is an NCAA record for a regular season men’s lacrosse game … it also marked the largest crowd to attend a contest involving Notre Dame … the previous high was 21,103 from the 2001 NCAA semifinals against Syracuse in Piscataway, N.J.
STREAKING … Junior midfielder Grant Krebs carries a team-best 31-game point streak into Sunday’s tilt with Maryland … the streak ranks seventh nationally … he has notched 72 points on 54 goals and 18 assists during the streak … Krebs has tallied 37 points on 28 goals and nine assists this season … Krebs also owns the team’s longest goal-scoring streak … he has deposited a goal in 27 straight games.
FAST STARTS … The Fighting Irish have out scored their opponents 93-47 in the first half of play this season.
THIRD QUARTER SHUTDOWN … Notre Dame has surrendered just 18 third-quarter goals this season … that is an average of 1.2 per game … the Fighting Irish own a 39-18 scoring advantage in the third quarter.
GETTING OFFENSIVE … Notre Dame ranks 10th among all NCAA Division I teams by averaging 11.53 goals per game this season … the Irish have scored at least nine goals in 14 of 15 games this season and scored a season-high 19 times against Dartmouth (Feb. 28) … the Irish averaged 12.09 goals per game last season and that placed them fifth nationally … in 2007, Notre Dame averaged 11.65 goals per game, which ranked fourth in the nation.
PLAYING ON BOTH ENDS … Notre Dame is one of four teams to rank in the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense … the Irish rank first in defense (6.13) and 10th in offense (11.53) … Syracuse (1st offense/6th defense), UMBC (6th offense/8th defense) and Princeton (9th offense/7th defense) are the other squads that rank in the top 10 in both categories.
SPREADING THE WEALTH … The Irish have had 19 different players score a goal this season … in the 19-7 win over Dartmouth, Notre Dame had a season-high 10 players notch a goal … Notre Dame boasts seven double-figure scorers … senior attackman Ryan Hoff leads the team with 32 goals, while junior midfielder Grant Krebs has 28 … attackmen Neal Hicks (25) and Duncan Swezey (22) along with midfielders Zach Brenneman (16), Peter Christman (14) and David Earl (12) are the other double-figure goal scorers for the Irish.
HOFF MOVING UP THE CHARTS … Senior attackman Ryan Hoff ranks second all-time in program history with 134 career goals … as a rookie, he tallied 21 goals before becoming the second Fighting Irish player ever to register back-to-back 40-goal campaigns with 40 in 2007 and 41 in 2008 … Hoff has 32 goals this season … Randy Colley (1992-95) is the program record holder with 173 career goals.
IRON MEN … Seniors Peter Christman and Ryan Hoff have not missed a game during their four-year careers at Notre Dame … the duo has played in a program-record 62 contests … Hoff, an attackman, has started 59 of those games, while Christman, a midfielder, has 35 starts … fellow senior Regis McDermott, a defenseman, ranks right behind them in the Notre Dame record books with 60 games played … his only two missed games came this season due to injury.
CHRISTMAN IN THE CLUTCH … Peter Christman’s goal that snapped a 7-7 tie with 2:54 left in regulation in the win over Villanova on March 31 was not the first clutch tally of his career … last season, Christman netted the game winner in an 8-7 overtime triumph of Colgate in the first round of the NCAA Tournament … earlier that season, the midfielder scored the game winner with 23 seconds left in a 7-6 victory over Albany.
POINTING THE WAY … Senior attackman Duncan Swezey is tied for the team lead in points with 42 … Swezey has a team-high 20 assists to go along with 22 goals, which place him fourth among all Irish players … the point and assist totals are career-high marks, while he has equaled his top goal output for a season … Swezey has notched a point in every game this season and has scored a goal in all but three contests.
HICKS HAVING CAREER SEASON … Junior attackman Neal Hicks is producing a career-best season … Hicks is tied for the team lead in points with 42 … he is third on the squad in goals (25) and assists (17) … all of those offensive numbers are single-season career-high figures for the junior … he was named to the All-GWLL second team … entering this season, Hicks had totaled 13 goals and seven assists for his career … in the 2009 season opener, the Atlanta native returned to his home state and registered the first hat trick of his career in a 10-9 win over Loyola … Hicks followed that up with an eight-point performance on four goals and four assists in a 13-8 win at Penn State … all of those numbers were single-game career-high marks for the junior … the eight points were one off the program record of nine … Hicks netted a hat trick in Notre Dame’s 7-4 win over Quinnipiac in the GWLL semifinals.
PICKING UP THE BALL … Senior defenseman Regis McDermott has a team-high 51 ground balls … McDermott scooped up a career-high eight ground balls in the 14-8 win over Ohio State on April 25 … sophomore LSM Andrew Irving is second on the squad with 49 ground balls.
WORTH THE WAIT … Entering the 2009 season, senior goalie Scott Rodgers had only appeared in seven career games while backing up three-time All-American Joey Kemp … after not playing at all last season, Rodgers made his first collegiate start in the 10-9 win over Loyola on Feb. 14 … Rodgers came up with two huge saves in the final minute to preserve the win for the Fighting Irish and collect the first victory of his career … the senior followed that performance up with a career-high 20 saves in a 13-8 win over Penn State on Feb. 22 … that effort earned him a spot on the Inside Lacrosse team of the week … the Long Island native came up big in the 9-7 triumph of No. 3 North Carolina as he made 16 saves and was named the Great Western Lacrosse League player of the week for his effort … another clutch effort was needed in a 9-7 win over Villanova as he made two saves down the stretch, including one in the final 30 seconds … he currently ranks first among all NCAA Division I goalies with a .663 save percentage and is second with a 6.08 goals-against average … he was named the 2009 GWLL Player of the Year and a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee.
SENIOR CLASS FINALIST … Notre Dame attackman Ryan Hoff is among a list of 10 NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse players who have been selected as finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award … 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: Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition … Hoff has a team-high 32 goals this season … the senior carries a 3.230 cumulative grade-point average as a marketing major in the Mendoza College of Business … Hoff was a dean’s list member in the fall of 2008 as he posted a 3.883 semester GPA.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION … Notre Dame’s Sam Barnes, Grant Krebs and Scott Rodgers all have been named to the Inside Lacrosse team of the week this season … Barnes earned the honor after helping the Fighting Irish shut down Dartmouth in Notre Dame’s 19-7 victory in its home opener on Feb. 28 … Krebs was named to the first Inside Lacrosse team of the week (Feb. 17) after notching four points on three goals and an assist in the 10-9 season-opening win over Loyola … the junior midfielder was selected to the squad as the `EMO Sniper’ after he scored two man-up tallies in the second half against the Greyhounds … Rodgers, a senior goalie, was named to the IL team of the week on Feb. 24 after notching a career-high 20 saves in a 13-8 victory at Penn State.
RODGERS A TEWAARATON TROPHY NOMINEE … Fighting Irish senior goalie Scott Rodgers has been selected as one of 21 nominees for the 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy … the award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate lacrosse player … Rodgers, the 2009 GWLL Player of the Year, ranks first nationally in save percentage (.663) and is second in goals-against average (6.08) … the team captain has made 10 or more saves in 10 games this season … Rodgers is the fifth player in Notre Dame history to be tabbed as a nominee for the Tewaaraton Trophy … he joins attackmen Tom Glatzel (2001), David Ulrich (2001), Pat Walsh (2004 & 2005) and goalie Joey Kemp (2008) with that honor.
COVERING THE NATION … The trip to the Patriot Cup on March 21 marked Notre Dame’s first-ever game in the state of Texas … over the past few seasons, the Irish have helped bring the sport to new locations … last season, the Fighting Irish took on Dartmouth in Atlanta, Ga. … that marked the first-ever NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse game in the state of Georgia … the Irish returned to Georgia for this season’s opener against Loyola … in 2006, Notre Dame faced Cornell in the first Division I men’s lacrosse game in the state of Illinois as the two schools met in Lisle … the Irish battled Denver in Bridgeview, Ill. last season … Notre Dame also has competed in the GWLL Tournament in Birmingham, Mich. in each of the past two seasons.
WOUNDED WARRIOR … The Fighting Irish faced Vermont as part of the 2009 Patriot Cup on March 21 in Dallas, Texas … the Patriot Cup, which also featured Bucknell taking on Air Force, benefitted the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) … the WWP is a nonprofit organization that seeks to assist the men and women of our armed forces who have been severly injured during the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations around the world … the WWP provides unique programs and services, raises awareness and enlists public support and provides a means for veterans to help each other … for more information on the WWP, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
HALTING THE HEELS … Notre Dame held North Carolina scoreless for a stretch of 29:57 from the second quarter to the fourth quarter in the Irish win on March 8 … the third-ranked Tar Heels entered the contest averaging nearly 15 goals per game, which ranked fifth nationally … North Carolina scored with 4:19 remaining in the first half to take a 4-3 lead … the Tar Heels did not notch another goal until the 4:22 mark of the fourth quarter … Notre Dame out scored North Carolina 4-0 during that stretch en route to the 9-7 victory … the win over the third-ranked Tar Heels marked the second time in program history that the Irish had defeated a team ranked in the top three of the national polls … the Fighting Irish took down third-ranked Johns Hopkins, 13-9, during the quarterfinals of the 2001 NCAA Championship.
IRISH CAPTAINS … Seniors Peter Christman (M), Regis McDermott (D), Davey Melera (M) and Scott Rodgers (G) all are first-time captains for the Fighting Irish during the 2009 campaign.
GIVING BACK … While the support of the South Bend/Michiana community has been a key ingredient to the success of the Fighting Irish at home over the years, the Notre Dame players have routinely given back to the local community … last spring, the Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse team was recognized with The Trophy Award at Notre Dame’s seventh annual O.S.C.A.R.S (Outstanding Student-Athletes Celebrating Achievements and Recognition Showcase) … established by the Office of Student Welfare and Development at Notre Dame, The Trophy Award annually recognizes an athletic team that has demonstrated its commitment and dedication to the community through unparalleled community service to Notre Dame and South Bend.
RECAPPING ’08 … Notre Dame produced a 14-3 record during the 2008 season … the Fighting Irish won the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) title by capturing the inaugural GWLL tournament … that marked the 11th GWLL crown for the program … Notre Dame garnered the No. 6 seed for the NCAA Championship and topped Colgate, 8-7, in overtime before falling to eventual national champion Syracuse, 11-9, during the quarterfinals … that was the fourth time the Irish had advanced to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals … it was Notre Dame’s 13th trip to the NCAA Tournament and the second time the Irish had earned a seed … Notre Dame has been eliminated from the tournament by the eventual national champion in each of the past three seasons (Virginia, 14-10, in ’06 and Johns Hopkins, 11-10 in overtime, in ’07) … the Irish offense and defense both concluded the ’08 season ranked fifth nationally … the offense averaged 12.09 goals per game, while the defense surrendered just 7.04 per contest … the Irish finished the season ranked fifth in the final USILA poll and sixth according to Inside Lacrosse.
BIG EAST AWAITS … The 2009 season will be the last for Notre Dame in the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) … the Fighting Irish will begin play in the BIG EAST Conference in 2010 … the six other conference schools that will participate in the newly-formed league are Georgetown, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova … the teams will play a six-game single round-robin regular season schedule … the BIG EAST will apply for an automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA Championship field … men’s lacrosse will be the BIG EAST’s 11th men’s sport while the Conference conducts 13 women’s sports … Notre Dame already is a member of the BIG EAST in 23 other sports … Notre Dame has been a member of the GWLL since 1994 … the Fighting Irish captured 12 regular-season GWLL titles in addition to winning both GWLL tournaments (2008 & 2009).
ARLOTTA STADIUM … Arlotta Stadium will become the new home for the Notre Dame men’s and women’s lacrosse programs upon completion, which is scheduled for June of 2009 … construction of the facility began in August of 2008 … conceptual plans suggest a 2,000-seat, lighted stadium that would include an artificial-turf field, locker rooms, restrooms and concession areas … the state-of-the-art facility is named after Notre Dame graduate John Arlotta, president and chief executive officer of Denver-based Coram Inc. … he and his wife Bobbie pledged the lead gift toward the stadium to be built to the east of the Joyce Center as part of the University’s new athletics quadrangle … the Arlotta children – Mindy, Andy and Jon – also have pledged an additional gift from The Arlotta Family Foundation toward the project … in addition to their generous donation, alumni and friends of the lacrosse programs have donated over two million dollars.
SIGN UP FOR IRISH ALERT TEXT MESSAGE SERVICE … Go to und.com to sign up for Irish ALERT, a text messaging service designed to give fans game updates for all 26 varsity sports at Notre Dame … Irish men’s lacrosse fans can sign up to receive scores following each quarter.
KEEPING UP WITH ND MEN’S LACROSSE … Log onto und.com for the latest information on the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse program … und.com, the official athletics web site for the University of Notre Dame, features press releases, game stories, feature stories, video interviews, stats, rosters and more … fans also can call the Notre Dame Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 … the hotline provides schedules and result information for all 26 varsity sports … in addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting assistant sports information director Sean Carroll at Carroll.64@nd.edu or (574) 631-2664 … all requests for story ideas, interview access, match credentials and further information on Irish men’s lacrosse should similarly be directed to Carroll … credential and interview requests should be made at least 24 hours in advance.