March 7, 2011
Senior attack Ansley Stewart is one of seven seniors on this year’s women’s lacrosse team and provides leadership and scoring. Through the first four games this season, Stewart had six goals and two assists for eight points. Three of those goals came in Notre Dame’s last game, a 12-10, win at Duquesne on February 27. A native of Alexandria, Va., Stewart has strong stick skills and a variety of shots that make her an important member of the Irish attack unit. As a junior, Stewart was fifth on the team in scoring with 19 goals and five assists for 24 points as the team was 11-7 on the year. A political science major, she is a two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star. Stewart and her teammates will next be in action this Thursday, March 10th when the Irish play host to Ohio State at Arlotta Stadium. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m. Following a practice last week, und.com’s Briana Coyne had a chance to sit down with Stewart to find out more about her game, the women’s lacrosse team and her four seasons at Notre Dame.
What are your personal goals for this season? My personal goals for this season are to win a second Big East Championship, win a National Championship and be a key contributor on attack.
What has been your favorite memory with the team? My favorite memory with the team is winning the Big East Championship my sophomore year.
What is the best part and the worst part of playing attack? The best part is being in charge of controlling the tempo of the game. The worst part is that I love playing defense. I’ve been asking Coach Coyne to let me play defense in a game for three years…we’ll see if that will ever happen.
Who was your sports idol as a kid and why? My sports idol as a kid was Michael Jordan. I used to sign my name Ansley Stewart #23. I still watch Space Jam every year on his birthday.
If there was a song to describe your team, what would it be? “Lovin’ Each Day” by Ronan Keating
What does it mean to you to play for the Fighting Irish? When you put on the Irish jersey, you are playing for something bigger than yourself. You’re playing for a University that values the highest level of athletic and academic achievement. You are playing for a University that values tradition, hard work and compassion for others. I feel a huge sense of pride every time I get to wear our jersey.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do? If I could travel anywhere in the world, I’d go to Ireland to visit my great-grandmother’s hometown. I’d also like to visit the new Harry Potter theme park down in Orlando.
What would you do if you knew you could not fail? Get Brian Dupra (#6 on the baseball team) to sing the national anthem at our senior game this year.
What has been your favorite class at Notre Dame? My favorite class at Notre Dame is either Political Theory with Josh Kaplan, or Fiction Writing with Matthew Benedict.
What is your dream job? My dream job is to be the social director at the White House or to be on Broadway.
Who has been the most influential person in your lacrosse career? The most influential people in my lacrosse career have been the senior class from my freshman year at Notre Dame- Caitlin McKinney, Becky Ranck, Julie Foote and Heather and Lindsey Ferguson. They had the perfect balance between hard work and fun.
What is your favorite movie quote? “The physical appearance of the please makes no difference.” -Despicable Me
Describe yourself in a few words. Loyal and Charismatic, but my team would tell you that I’m harmlessly mischievous because I love playing pranks on people.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not studying or playing lacrosse? I spend most of my free time with my friends and roommates just joking around.
What is the best book you’ve read recently? The best book I’ve read recently was “Game Change” by John Heilemann & Mark Halperin.
What is an interesting fact about yourself. I really love old movies, and my favorite actor is Jimmy Stewart. My roommate and teammate Jackie Doherty has a collection of them that I always watch.
What is the best advice that you have ever been given and who gave it to you? My dad wrote me a letter once that said, “Give everything your best. Don’t falter. Don’t put off. Don’t think it doesn’t matter. It does.”
What will you miss most about Notre Dame after you graduate? I will miss the people most. There is no other University with the caliber of people that we have here.
What will you try to pass on to next year’s seniors? Lead by example. Decide what you want your legacy to be as an individual and as a class, and work towards that every single day.
How do you think you’ve grown as a person since coming to Notre Dame? Being at Notre Dame has taught me how to be a good person and how to surround myself with the right kind of people. Notre Dame is an environment that nurtures and enhances the best qualities within you. It has taught me to find purpose in everything that I do. That is why you won’t find a more loyal set of people than Notre Dame graduates. They give back to this University because they won’t ever forget what it gave to them.