Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Founded	1981 (varsity)
University	University of Notre Dame
Conference	Big East Conference
Location	Notre Dame, Indiana
Coach	Kevin Corrigan (since 1988)
Stadium	Arlotta Stadium (capacity: 2,000)
Nickname	Fighting Irish
Colors	Gold and Navy Blue
NCAA Tournament Runner-Up
2010
NCAA Tournament Final Fours
2001, 2010
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
1995, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2011
NCAA Tournament Appearances
1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Conference Tournament Champions
2008, 2009 (GWLL)
Conference Regular Season Champions
1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse team represents the University of Notre Dame in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college lacrosse. Notre Dame currently competes as a member of the Big East Conference and plays its home games at Arlotta Stadium or occasionally indoor Loftus Sports Center in Notre Dame, Indiana.

History

Notre Dame men's lacrosse was a club sport until it became a varsity program in the 1981 season. Current Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick was a midfielder on Notre Dame's club lacrosse team during his undergraduate years (1972-'76)^[1] before the team acquired varsity status. From 1981 to 1993, Notre Dame competed in the Midwest Lacrosse Association. From 1994 to 2009, it was then a member of the Great Western Lacrosse League. In 2010, it became a member of the newly-established Big East men's lacrosse conference.^[2] From 1981 to 1988, the program was led by head coach Rich O'Leary who established a career record of 64-42 (.604),^[3] after which Kevin Corrigan took over as head coach beginning in 1989. Within ten years as a varsity program, the Fighting Irish made its first appearance in the NCAA championship tournament in 1990 and since then has regularly appeared there. In 2001, the fifth-seeded Irish reached the semifinal round (Final Four) for the first time after defeating Bucknell 12-7 and fourth-seeded Johns Hopkins 13-9 in earlier rounds, and finished the season with a 14-2 record and a #4 ranking in the nation.

More recently, Notre Dame has made the NCAA tournament in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. In 2009, the Irish went undefeated in the regular season, reached #2 in national polls, and finished with an overall record of 15-1, with five players receiving All-America honors. In the fall of 2009, Notre Dame opened a new lacrosse-specific outdoor stadium, Arlotta Stadium, with 2,000 seats, an artificial turf field, locker rooms, restrooms, and concession areas.^[4] In 2010, the Irish began play in the new Big East men's lacrosse conference and went 7-6 in the regular season before advancing to the NCAA tournament as an unseeded selection, where it upset higher seeds Princeton, Maryland, and Cornell before being defeated by fifth-seeded Duke, 6-5 in overtime of the championship game. In 2011, Notre Dame went 10-2 in the regular season, reaching #1 in national polls,^[5] and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament before losing to Duke, 7-5.

In the history of the program, Notre Dame has produced numerous All-Americans: Mike Iorio (1993, 1994, 1995); Randy Colley (1994, 1995); Todd Rassas (1996, 1997, 1998); Alex Cade (1996); Jimmy Keenan (1996, 1997, 1998); Chris Dusseau (1999); Tom Glatzel (2000, 2001); David Ulrich (2000, 2001); Kirk Howell (2001); Steve Bishko (2001); Mike Adams (2001); AJ Wright (2002); Pat Walsh (2003, 2004, 2005); DJ Driscoll (2005, 2006); Joey Kemp (2006, 2007, 2008); Brian Hubschmann (2007); Sean Dougherty (2007, 2008); Michael Podgajny (2007, 2008); Will Yeatman (2007); Ryan Hoff (2008, 2009); Regis McDermott (2009); Sam Barnes (2009); Grant Krebs (2009, 2010); Scott Rodgers (2009, 2010); Zach Brenneman (2010, 2011); David Earl (2010, 2011); Kevin Ridgway (2010, 2011); Sam Barnes (2011), Andrew Irving (2011), and John Kemp (2011).

In addition, several Notre Dame players have been Tewaaraton Trophy nominees: Tom Glatzel (2001), David Ulrich (2001), Pat Walsh (2004, 2005), Joey Kemp (2008), Scott Rodgers (2009, 2010), Grant Krebs (2010), David Earl (2011), and Kevin Ridgway (2011).

Under current coach Kevin Corrigan, the Irish have an overall record of 206-103 (.667) through the 2010 season.^[6] The program has a 100% graduation rate since it was started in 1981.^[7] Corrigan has been selected as the GWLL Coach of the Year fives times, including in 2009, which was the conference's final season before the establishment of the Big East men's lacrosse conference.

At the beginning of its games, the Irish team is traditionally led onto the playing field by a teammate playing the bagpipes, a tradition that began in the late 1990s by Sean Meehan and has since been passed down to other players including Chad DeBolt, Daniel Hickey, Regis McDermott, and Colt Power.

External links

• Notre Dame men's lacrosse official website
• Big East men's lacrosse website

References

1. ^ John B. Swarbrick Jr., Athletics Director, ND.edu
2. ^ BIG EAST Announces the Formation of Men’s Lacrosse League for 2010 Season, BigEast.org, June 11, 2008.
3. ^ Rich O'Leary, Longtime Notre Dame Athletics Staff Member, Passes Away At Age 62, UND.com, July 17, 2009.
4. ^ Arlotta Family Lacrosse Stadium, UND.com
5. ^ Notre Dame Is The New No. 1, UND.com
6. ^ Head Coach Kevin Corrigan's bio, UND.com.
7. ^ Head Coach Kevin Corrigan's bio, UND.com.