June 14, 2001
Notre Dame, Ind. – Notre Dame lacrosse standout Mike Adams (Sr., Wilton, Conn.) headed a trio of Irish student-athletes named to the Verizon Academic All-America At-Large Teams for spring sports during the spring of 2001.
Adams, who helped lead the Notre Dame lacrosse team to its first-ever NCAA semifinal appearance, was selected as a first team Academic All-American on the At-Large team. He is the first Notre Dame lacrosse player to be named first team and the third Irish lacrosse player chosen a Verizon Academic All-American.
The Wilton, Conn. native helped lead the Irish to their first-ever NCAA national semifinal appearance and a school record 14-2 finish. He anchored a Notre Dame defense that ranked third in the nation giving up just 6.93 goals per game and held six opponents to five goals or less. Adams was named to the USILA Scholar All-America Team and was an USILA honorable mention All-America at defense. He finished his Notre Dame career with three goals and one assist while collecting 118 ground balls. He graduated cum laude (with honors) with a 3.439 grade point average in accounting.
A three-year starter on defense, was joined by golfer Steve Ratay (Jr., Arlington Heights, Ill.) on the men’s team and rower Leah Ashe (Sr., Orchard Park, N.Y.) on the women’s team. Ratay was a third team choice while Ashe took second team honors.
The selection of Adams, Ratay and Ashe to the Verizon Academic All-American team gives the Irish a total of 11 student-athletes selected during the 2000-01 school year, surpassed only by the 12 athletes selected during 1995-96. Notre Dame now has 135 Academic All-Americans (second most all-time) since the program began in 1952.
Over the past two years, Notre Dame has had 20 student-athletes, representing 10 different teams selected Academic All-American. Baseball, with four, leads the way, followed by softball (3), women’s basketball (2), women’s soccer (2), men’s lacrosse (2), men’s golf (2), hockey (2), men’s soccer (1), women’s track (1) and rowing (1).
The Academic All-America Spring At-Large teams are chosen from student-athletes participating in seven spring sports – rowing (women), lacrosse, indoor/outdoor track, water polo (women), golf, tennis and volleyball (men). The teams are then selected in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America.