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Notre Dame Adds Two New Sports for 2006-2007By Kristy Booher Notre Dame College announced its plan to offer two new sports beginning with the 2006-07 academic year, including men’s wrestling and women’s swimming and diving. The two new offerings will give Notre Dame’s athletic program a total of 17 varsity teams, each affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The additions will compete within the winter sports season along with men’s and women’s basketball. “The decision to add wrestling and swimming and diving was a very logical one for the College,” said Notre Dame’s Director of Athletics Sue Hlavacek. According to the 2004-05 National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), wrestling was the sixth most popular boys sport in the country with 243,009 male participants. Swimming and diving was the eighth most popular girls program with 148,254 female participants. With these additions, Notre Dame now offers five of the top six most popular boys programs and seven of the top eight most popular girls programs. “Both of the sports we’re adding are very popular in Ohio,” said Hlavacek,“especially in the northeast. Notre Dame is looking to offer those talented student-athletes a way to continue their participation at the collegiate level, while at the same time offering them an opportunity to receive a quality education.” In the sport of wrestling, Ohio has 249 high schools that participate in the sport, according to figures tallied by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), while the sport of girls swimming and diving has 398 high schools participating. Scholarships are available to student-athletes interested in participating in any of Notre Dame’s athletic programs. Students interested in either program should call Sue Hlavacek, Athletic Director, at 216.373.5306 or complete an on-line questionnaire found on the Notre Dame Athletics website at http://www.NotreDameCollege.edu/Athletics/
Humility Leads to National Success for Men’s Soccer
Great teams are comprised of great players who allow their skill and talent to speak for them. The Notre Dame College men’s soccer team is in this category, allowing their efforts on the field and their silence everywhere else to speak volumes about their success this season. Humility is a familiar trait for the Falcons, who from humble beginnings only five seasons ago, have grown the program into a national competitor. The team earned its third American Mideast Conference (AMC) North Division championship this past season, while continuously ranking among the nation’s top 25 teams in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national Men’s Soccer Poll. Notre Dame College’s final national ranking at No. 18 led the team to its first appearance in the National Championship which was held in Daytona Beach, Florida in November. “Seeing ‘little’ Notre Dame College up there with the established athletic elite of the NAIA was very gratifying,” said fifth-year head coach and AMC North Division Coach of the Year Michael “Mac” McBride. “However, getting to the national tournament was almost beyond comprehension. Twenty teams get to go to the tournament and 190 teams don’t. I think that might give some perspective as to the enormity of the achievement.” When just making it to the tournament would be satisfying enough for some young teams, Notre Dame College took the achievement one step further by defeating its first opponent, Simon Fraser University from British Columbia, Canada by a score of 2-1 in overtime. “To get to the national tournament was brilliant,” said two-time NAIA All-American Honorable Mention forward senior Chris Loughlin. “To win a game when no one outside of ourselves gave us a chance was fantastic and definitely my favorite memory of the season.”
The Falcons lost in the quarterfinals 1-0 to Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) to finish in the elite eight. The team was also selected as the recipient of the Nels Dahlquist Memorial Team Sportsmanship Award – an honor selected by the Tournament Games Committee and referees based on sportsmanship, character and integrity. “You always go into a season hoping your team will do well,” said AMC North Division Player of the Year sophomore midfielder Nick Jordan. “A lot of our success stemmed not only from having outstanding players, but from having Mac as our coach. He puts so much passion into the game and our team. You would think he actually wants to be on the field himself, which is something I don’t see from many coaches.” “The team had a phenomenal year and obviously Mac played a major role,” said Loughlin. When told about the impact he had on the team’s success, McBride shrugged off the compliments, “I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a very special group of young men since the program began. The 2005 season was a culmination of the collective efforts of everyone who has ever been involved with NDC men’s soccer and I have been given a lifetime of memories.” The men’s soccer team is the first team from Notre Dame College to appear in a national tournament and Jordan, the team’s captain, has plans for a return trip, “To come off of a year achieving so much only means you can expect nothing but pure excitement next year. With new opponents, our team will work hard to make just as big of an impact in 2006.” Kristy Booher is the Sports Information Director for Notre Dame College.
Women’s Basketball on National QuestBy Kristy Booher
If you’ve ever been outside of Cleveland, Ohio and worn an item of clothing that said Notre Dame college, you’ve probably run into someone, somewhere who yells out, “Go Irish!” mistaking our college in South Euclid for the University of Notre Dame in South Bend. Even if the shirt says “Falcons” or the colors are royal blue and gold, it never fails. That could all be ready to change with the recent success of the Notre Dame College women’s basketball team on the national level. The Falcons made the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women’s Basketball National Poll when it was first released this season in December, 2005. They debuted at No. 37 after tallying a seven-game winning streak that spanned from November 20 through December 3, 2005. Since then, the Falcons launched another winning streak, propelling the team even higher in the rankings. Notre Dame College moved as high as the 20th spot, which is no small feat considering there are 158 teams eligible for the ranking. “It’s a wonderful honor for the College to have our peer group of national raters choose us as one of the top teams in the country,” said fifth-year head coach Dick Deasy. “The pressure of sustaining the ranking throughout the season was emotionally draining and made games more difficult for our team. Players were aware of the circumstances and had to learn how to handle the notoriety.” Along the way to national recognition, the Falcons defeated each of its six opponents from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The team also won the American Mideast Conference North Division title giving them the opportunity to compete for the AMC Championship for the first time in program history. Additionally, senior Kristi Wendolowski became the seventh player in Notre Dame College women’s history to be inducted into the 1,000 Point Club after scoring more than 1,000 points in her four-year career as a Falcon. “Our team is very deserving of its national ranking,” said Wendolowski. “Our hard work, determination and team unity really paid off this season and I’m very proud of each and every one of my teammates and coaches.” The women concluded the regular season with an overall record of 25-5and will be heading to the NAIA 15th Annual Women’s Basketball Championship in Sioux City, Iowa March 8-14. Women’s basketball is the second nationally ranked sports team at Notre Dame College to compete at the national level; the first being the men's soccer team who competed in the fall of 2005. With Notre Dame College’s success reaching across the nation this year, maybe next time you proudly display the blue and gold, someone will yell out, “Go Falcons!” Kristy Booher is the Sports Information Director for Notre Dame College.
Fifth Annual
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The Player Fee includes:
• Greens fee and cart
• Refreshments on the course
• Gift Bag
• Continental Breakfast
• Buffet luncheon
Participants can enter contests and
door prize drawings during the event.
– Proceeds from the scramble will go to the Athletic Department
to assist with the growing needs of the student-athletes.
– A portion of the Player Fee is tax deductible.
– Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the event.
For more information, contact:
Susan Hlavacek, Director of Athletics
Phone: 216.373.5306
Email: shlavacek@ndc.edu
Fax: 216.373.5400
Watch http://www.NotreDameCollege.edu/athletics/
for future updates on the Falcon Golf Outing
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Thank you to the sponsors
of our 2005 event!
Falcon Sponsors
Ernst & Young LLP
Paladin Protective Systems, Inc.
Gold Sponsors
Jim & Sally Garfield
Hospice of the Western Reserve
Sieman’s Building Technologies, Inc.
Total ID Solutions
Trend Dynamics
Blue Sponsors
Fitness Brokers Co.
Hummer Paving
Just Add Water
Kesslers Team Sports
Normandy Catering
Qua Buick
Roberts Roofing
Russell Flooring Co.
University Suburban Health Center
Talon Sponsors
John & Stella Hetzer
M&M Restoration
Spiral Studio – Sandra Wolk Graubard
Patrons
Lynn Dezelon
Strategic College Funding Solutions
Marilyn & Ed Zahurak
Special Donors of Items
Used During the Outing
Caribou Coffee
Coca-Cola
Dale Kerver- Kesslers Team Sports
Panera Bread
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