The YEAR in Notre Dame Athletics: Part II

As the school year draws to an end, we bring you the results of Irish track & field's NCAA efforts and the second of our two-part review of the year in Notre Dame athletics.

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Track & Field: This past week, the Irish sent 14 student-athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championship in Eugene, OR, which ran from June 5^th-8^th. Notre Dame earned 3 top-10 finishes at the tournament from Rebecca Tracy (4^th) and Jeremy Rae (5^th) in the women's and men's 1500m, and Alexa Aragon (8^th), in the women's 3000m steeplechase. Tracy crossed the finish line 1.17 seconds behind the women's champion (Natalja Piliusina of Oklahoma State) and Rae, less than 1 second behind the men's champion (Mac Fleet of Oregon).

Irish athlete Carly Loeffel came in 15^th in the women's heptathlon, Michelle Brown came in 14^th in the women's 400m, and Jade Barber claimed 11^th in the women's 100mH. Additional top-25 finishes came for the Irish in the men's and women's 4x400m, the men's 400m, and the women's 400m, 400mH, and 1500m. Thirteen Notre Dame track & field athletes were honored as All-Americans after competing in the NCAA Outdoor Championship. A job well done and season well run by all.

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THE YEAR IN NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS, PART II: ONWARD TO VICTORY

With no athletic competition left untried in this academic year, we bring you the final results for all Notre Dame sports for 2012-2013. In part I, we acknowledged the sports that began play during the fall semester. Here in part II, we recap the year for those sports that began play during the spring semester.

Fencing: Ranked no. 1 at the end of the regular season. Runner up at the NCAA Championship. Lee Kiefer named national champion in women's foil. Courtney Hurley named national champion in women's epee. Qualified the maximum of 12 fencers for the championship. Claimed Midwest Fencing Conference Championships team crown. Sabreur Alex Coccia elected student council president.

Men's Lacrosse: 11-5 record. Ranked no. 2 at the end of the season and no. 1 at one point. Played in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. Fell to Duke, who went on to win the National Championship. Played in the Big East tournament semifinals. Fell to Syracuse, who went on to win the Big East Championship.

Women's Lacrosse: 12-5 record. Played in the 1^st round of the NCAA tournament. Ranked as high as no. 5/6 during the season. Finished the season ranked no. 9/10. Matched record for best start to the season in school history (10-0).

Track & Field: Earned 3 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championship. Earned 4 top-8 finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championship. Women claimed both Big East Outdoor and Indoor Championships. Men earned runner-up finish for both Big East Outdoor and Indoor Championships. 13 Irish athletes received All-American honors.

Rowing: Won 10^th consecutive Big East Championship. Earned 13^th-place finish at the NCAA tournament. Ended the season ranked no. 12.

Women's Tennis: Claimed 6^th consecutive Big East Title. Competed in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Britney Sanders competed in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championship. Ranked no. 24 at the end of the season. Ranked as high as no. 16 during the season.

Men's Tennis: Claimed Big East Title. Competed in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Greg Andrews competed in the round of 32 at the NCAA Singles Championship. Ranked as high as no. 22 during the season. Finished the season ranked no. 32.

Softball: 43-15 record. Played in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Played to the 10^th inning in the Big East championship. Pitcher Laura Winter, the 3^rd Irish pitcher with over 300 strikeouts in a season, named Big East Player of the Year.

Baseball: 34-24 record. Played in the Big East title game. Ended the season with an RPI of no. 32 with 8 wins over teams ranked in the RPI top 50. Ranked as high as no. 10 during the season.

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It's been a great year for Notre Dame athletics and a good journey for all of us who have followed Irish student athletes across the full range of sports. For now, One Foot Down's "The Week in Notre Dame Athletics" joins those athletes on a summer hiatus.

We'll be back in fighting form when the games begin again in August. Until then, go Irish.