University of Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse

Corrigan has built Notre Dame into one of the premier men's lacrosse programs in the country. He boasts a 276-126 (.687) record during his impressive Notre Dame tenure, which currently is the second longest among active Division I men's lacrosse head coaches (behind only Bob Shillinglaw at Delaware). Inheriting a program that had never earned a berth in the NCAA Championship, Corrigan has made the Irish a staple in the postseason. He has led the Fighting Irish to Championship Weekend five times, including four appearances in the last seven seasons. Notre Dame finished as the national finalist in 2010 and 2014 and the Irish were national semifinalists in 2001, 2012 and 2015. Notre Dame has finished as NCAA quarterfinalists six times under Corrigan (1995, 2000, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016). Notre Dame has garnered 21 invitations to the NCAA Championship since 1990, including a current run of 11 straight trips, which is a program-best streak. Notre Dame and Maryland are the only two schools to appear in the NCAA Championship in each of the last 11 seasons. The Irish have made seven straight quarterfinal appearances and have received a national seed and a first-round home game eight times in the past nine years. Corrigan's Irish squads have won 18 regular-season conference titles, including tying for the 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, and garnered three conference tournament titles. His teams have also finished in the top-20 of the national rankings in 23 of the last 24 campaigns. Notre Dame has been adept at winning big games under Corrigan, registering 106 victories over nationally-ranked opponents, including 40 vs. top-10 foes. At least one Irish player has garnered All-America accolades in each of the last 24 years, with 41 individuals earning a total of 75 All-America honors. The Irish have had multiple All-America honorees in each of the last 12 seasons and a program record seven players received All-America citations in 2015. The Fighting Irish also have hauled in numerous amounts of all-conference hardware under Corrigan's direction. Notre Dame was a member of the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) from 1994-2009 and during that time, six Irish players were named the GWLL player of the year. Notre Dame student-athletes gained all-GWLL accolades on 94 occasions, an average of nearly six per season. Corrigan was named the GWLL coach of the year fives times, including in 2009, which was the final season for the conference. Notre Dame also won the only two GWLL tournaments ever held (2008 & 2009). In four seasons of BIG EAST Conference play Notre Dame garnered 23 all-league honors. David Earl became the first Irish player to capture a major postseason award from the conference as he was selected the midfielder of the year in 2011. Three such awards came Notre Dame's way in 2012 as John Kemp was named the conference's goalkeeper of the year, Kevin Randall took home the defensive player of the year award and Corrigan was tapped as the BIG EAST coach of the year for the first time. That upped his conference coach-of-the-year award tally to six. The Fighting Irish made a big splash in their inaugural ACC campaign in 2014 as they won the league tournament with wins over Maryland and Syracuse. Sophomore attackman Matt Kavanagh and senior defenseman Stephen O'Hara were named to the All-ACC Team, while Kavanagh also was named MVP of the ACC Championship and he concluded the season with single-season program records for points (75) and assists (33). The ACC title run ignited the team's march through the NCAA Championship. The Irish garnered the No. 6 seed and topped Harvard, 13-5, in the first round at Arlotta Stadium. Notre Dame used an unbelievable comeback to force overtime against Albany in the quarterfinals before topping the Great Danes, 14-13. The Irish then met Maryland for the third time in just over a month and defeated the Terrapins, 11-6, to reach the national title game for the second time in program history. It was a rematch of the 2010 national championship showdown between Notre Dame and Duke and despite a late surge by the Irish they fell 11-9 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Fighting Irish finished the 2014 campaign with a 12-6 record. Kavanagh, O'Hara and junior midfielder Jack Near copped All-America honors from the USILA in `14. O'Hara also was a USILA Scholar All-American, a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award and was one of six Notre Dame representatives on the All-ACC Academic Team. Moving to the BIG EAST was not the only significant change for the Fighting Irish in 2010 as the team began play in its state-of-the-art facility, Arlotta Stadium. Playing in a top-level league and in the multi-million dollar stadium will help Corrigan keep the Notre Dame program among the nation's best for years to come. Notre Dame finished a perfect 7-0 at Arlotta Stadium in 2015, marking the 10th time in school history the Irish went undefeated on their home turf.  In 2008, Notre Dame played host to an NCAA tournament game for the first time. The 2009 campaign featured the Irish posting the first undefeated regular season (13-0) in program history before extending their record to a school-best 15-0 in the GWLL tournament. Notre Dame reached its first NCAA title game in 2010 and followed that up by achieving the No. 1 national ranking during the 2011 regular season. The Fighting Irish returned to the top of the polls twice during the 2013 regular season before garnering the No. 2 seed for the NCAA Championship. That signified Notre Dame's highest seed ever for the tournament. The Irish earned the seed with an impressive resume that featured five wins over top-five teams and they boasted the nation's No. 1 RPI. Notre Dame topped Detroit, 9-7, in the first round of the '13 tournament to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the fourth straight season and for the eighth time under Corrigan. The season came to an end with a 12-11 setback to Duke at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Kavanagh combined for seven goals and three assists in the two NCAA tournament games and finished the season with 32 goals, which established a program record for a freshman. He was one of four Fighting Irish players to earn All-America accolades from the USILA in `13. Kemp copped All-America honors for the third straight season, while senior defenseman Matt Miller and junior midfielder Jim Marlatt both received their second citation. Notre Dame checked off another program-first in 2012 by winning the BIG EAST regular-season title. The Irish posted a perfect 6-0 league mark and went 13-3 overall. The Fighting Irish had the nation's top defense by allowing just 6.31 goals per game. That signified the fourth consecutive season that Notre Dame finished first or second nationally in team defense. The Irish also had the nation's top man-down defense in `12 (.892). Kemp and Randall were named to the 2012 USILA All-America First Team. Kemp's first-team nod earned him the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top goalie. He joined his older brother Joey, the 2008 recipient, as the only other Notre Dame player to cop the award. They are the only brother duo to receive the award, which has been presented since 1949. The Kemp duo is among five Notre Dame goalies that have received All-America honors under Corrigan's tutelage. Notre Dame garnered the No. 4 seed for the `12 NCAA Championship and captured a 13-7 home victory over Yale in the first round. The Irish knocked off fifth-seeded Virginia, 12-10, in the quarterfinals to advance to the national semifinals for the third time in school history. A 7-5 setback to Loyola, the eventual champion, ended Notre Dame's bid for its first national title. Corrigan has taken the Fighting Irish program to a level where they are in serious contention for the NCAA crown year in and year out. He has changed the mindset of how Notre Dame is viewed on the national landscape of college lacrosse. Corrigan and his staff have helped grow the sport of lacrosse in the state of Indiana and all over the Midwest by conducting clinics and showcasing a top-10 team that fans in the region are able to come and watch. Those efforts helped Indianapolis land the 2013 NCAA quarterfinals. The work that Corrigan has done in shaping Notre Dame into one of the top lacrosse programs in the country has not gone unnoticed. In 2009, he was honored with the Frenchy Julien Service Award from the USILA. The award is presented in honor of former Chief Referee, Joseph R. "Frenchy" Julien for outstanding and continuous service to the sport. Corrigan has continued the tradition of academic success for the Notre Dame men's lacrosse program. Since first competing on the varsity level in 1981, every Irish lacrosse senior has graduated. Three players since 1997 have gained Academic All-America honors, while 16 Notre Dame student-athletes have been named Scholar All-Americans by the USILA. In 2012, Randall was named a USILA Scholar All-American, a Senior CLASS Award finalist and he received the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award. In addition, sophomore Tyler Brenneman became the first Irish player to earn the Elite 89 Award, which is presented to the player with the highest grade-point average from all of the teams that advanced to the national semifinals. Miller was a finalist for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award along with being a USILA Scholar All-American. Many of the best players in Notre Dame history have played under Corrigan, as his graduates include each of the top five point scorers in the program's history, six of the top seven goal scorers and each of the top six players on the career assist list. Playing beyond the college level has been a reality for a number of Corrigan's student-athletes. Nearly 40 have been a member of a professional team in either Major League Lacrosse or the National Lacrosse League. Eight current or former Fighting Irish players have competed in major international competition and six of them have come away with gold medals. David Earl was the most recent to capture gold as he helped Canada win the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships. Current Fighting Irish sophomore Nick Koshansky competed with Russia at the tournament, while former Irish players Jim Morrison and Dan Scolaro coached Team Norway. Six of Corrigan's Irish players, including Kavanagh, have earned spots on a United States national team. Five of them have won gold, including defenseman D.J. Driscoll at the 2010 FIL World Championships. Kavanagh helped the U.S. capture the 2012 FIL Under-19 World Championship with a 10-8 victory over Canada, which featured fellow Irish junior Kyle Trolley. Kavanagh was named tournament MVP and the most outstanding attackman of the event. It certainly did not take Corrigan long to place Notre Dame on the national lacrosse map. After leading the Irish to a 7-6 record in his first season in 1989, Corrigan's 1990 squad made history by gaining the school's first-ever USILA national ranking (17th in the final poll) and earning Notre Dame's first invitation to the NCAA Championship. Notre Dame appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times in nine seasons from 1992-2001. The 1993 campaign saw the Irish make their third trip to the NCAAs and finish with a then program-record of 11 victories (11-3). Defenseman Mike Iorio became the first player in Irish history to be named an All-American, copping third-team honors. Corrigan wound up the season with an invitation to coach the North team in the North-South All-Star Game. His North squad took home a 28-16 victory. In 1994, Corrigan guided the Irish to their third straight conference title - and the first for the newly-formed GWLL - Notre Dame posted a 10-2 overall mark and clinched an NCAA bid. He also was selected GWLL coach of the year for the second time in three seasons. Corrigan helped Notre Dame reach new heights in 1995 by notching its first-ever NCAA tournament win in a come-from-behind 12-10 victory at Duke, which marked the first time a team from the West had won an NCAA game. Notre Dame's season culminated with an appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals, where the Irish lost to eventual national runner-up Maryland, 14-11. Iorio and Randy Colley, the `95 GWLL player of the year, both earned All-America honors. Iorio was a second-team honoree, as he became Notre Dame's first three-time All-American, while Colley earned honorable-mention accolades for the second consecutive year and finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer. His 273 points (173 G, 100 A) were 87 better than the previous Irish record. Notre Dame cracked the national top 10 for the first time ever in 1996, climbing to seventh in the USILA poll in mid-April. The 1997 campaign saw Notre Dame earn its first-ever victory over a top-five opponent as the Irish defeated #4 Hofstra, 10-9, at Moose Krause Stadium before earning the program's sixth straight NCAA Championship bid. Corrigan and the Irish upset fifth-ranked Loyola, 15-13, in the first round of the 2000 NCAA tournament to advance to the quarterfinals for the second time where they fell to fourth-ranked Johns Hopkins, 15-11. Notre Dame finished the season 10-4 and undefeated in the GWLL (5-0). In 2001, Notre Dame beat perennial powers Virginia (11-8) and Loyola (10-7) on the road as the Irish started the season 5-0. The only blemish on their regular-season schedule was an 11-10 overtime loss at Hofstra. After concluding the regular season with a 12-1 mark, Notre Dame was awarded the fifth seed in the 12-team championship field, marking the first NCAA seeding in Irish history. A 12-7 first-round victory over Bucknell and a triumph against fourth-seeded Johns Hopkins (13-9) sent the Fighting Irish to Championship Weekend for the first time in program history. Notre Dame's journey ended with a 12-5 loss to Syracuse in the semifinals in Piscataway, N.J. The Irish concluded the campaign with a 14-2 record and ranked fourth nationally. Five players earned USILA All-America honors in `01, with attackman Tom Glatzel becoming the school's first-ever first-team selection, as well as one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy, given to the nation's top player. Mike Adams also became the program's third CoSIDA Academic All-American, when he garnered first-team honors in the `01 men's spring at-large program. The accomplishments of the `01 team were even more impressive considering they came when the Irish program lacked any grant-in-aid scholarships. Shortly thereafter, it was announced by then athletics director Kevin White that all Notre Dame programs would begin a process of offering the maximum number of grants-in-aid allowed by the NCAA, making future trips to the final four by the Irish lacrosse team a greater possibility. Notre Dame's current run of 10 straight NCAA Championship appearances began in 2006 when the Irish appeared in the field for the first time since their trek to the semifinals in `01. The Fighting Irish fell to top-ranked, and eventual national champion, Virginia, 14-10 in the first round. The four-point margin was the closest outcome for the Cavaliers during their four-game run to the title and the second-closest margin over the course of their undefeated campaign. The 2007 season saw the Fighting Irish notch an 11-4 record, including a perfect 5-0 league mark to win their 10th GWLL title. Notre Dame made its second straight trip to the NCAA Championship and fell at eventual national champion Johns Hopkins, 11-10, in overtime. Corrigan was tapped as the GWLL coach of the year for the fourth time, while Kemp was named the `07 GWLL player of the year and Will Yeatman was selected as the league's newcomer of the year. Following a 12-6 win at Ohio State that clinched the `07 GWLL title for the Irish, Corrigan was named the US Lacrosse national coach of the week. A significant accomplishment for Corrigan and the Notre Dame program occurred in 2008 when the Irish earned the No. 6 seed for the NCAA Championship and were able to host an NCAA tournament game for the first time. The Fighting Irish made the most of their home-field advantage by topping Colgate 8-7 in overtime to advance to the quarterfinals for the fourth time. After falling to Syracuse, 11-9, Notre Dame concluded the season with a 14-3 mark and ranked fifth in the final USILA poll. Attackman Ryan Hoff tallied 40 goals as a sophomore and 41 during his junior campaign to become the second player in program history to notch back-to-back 40-goal seasons. Hoff concluded his career in `09 second on Notre Dame's all-time goals scored list with 134 tallies. The `09 campaign was a record-setting one for Corrigan and the Fighting Irish. Along with establishing program records for wins (15) and winning percentage (.938), Notre Dame ranked first among all NCAA Division I teams in goals-against average (6.19) and winning percentage. Goalie Scott Rodgers, the `09 GWLL player of the year, was first nationally in goals-against average (6.14) and save percentage (.663). After completing a 13-0 regular season, the Irish captured their second straight GWLL tournament title and received the No. 7 seed for the `09 NCAA Championship. The Irish hosted a postseason game for the second straight year, yet fell to Maryland, 7-3, in the first round. The Fighting Irish knocked off three straight top-10 foes en route to the 2010 national title game. The journey began at sixth-ranked Princeton in the first round. After downing the Tigers, 8-5, Notre Dame defeated No. 3 Maryland, 7-5, to advance to the national semifinals at M&T Bank Stadium. The sensational run continued as the Irish bested seventh-ranked Cornell, 12-7, to set up a clash with Duke in the final. Notre Dame opened the `10 season with an 11-7 win at #2 Duke, yet the Blue Devils prevailed in the second meeting by taking the back-and-forth contest 6-5 in overtime. Rodgers was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Championship, becoming just the fifth player to earn that honor from a team that did not win the title. Rodgers and the Notre Dame defense allowed just 23 goals (5.75 per game) in four tournament contests. For the season, the Irish ranked second nationally in team defense by surrendering just 7.53 goals per game. Notre Dame's 9-0 start in `11 helped the team earn the No. 1 national ranking in both the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and the USILA coaches' poll on April 18. The Irish would improve to 10-0 before suffering their first loss of the campaign. The Irish were seeded fourth for the `11 NCAA Championship and they knocked off Penn, 13-6, in the first round. The win over the Quakers propelled Corrigan and the Fighting Irish into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship for the sixth time in program history. Unfortunately, it would be deja vu as Duke avenged a 12-7 season-opening loss to the Irish by capturing a 7-5 quarterfinal victory. The Fighting Irish finished the season with an 11-3 mark and ranked second nationally in team defense with a 6.57 goals-against average. Corrigan not only has seen his teams excel on the field and in the classroom but also in the community. Another piece of hardware that the `08 Irish squad received was the Trophy Award at Notre Dame's seventh annual O.S.C.A.R.S. (Outstanding Student-Athletes Celebrating Achievements and Recognition Showcase). Established by the Office of Student Welfare and Development at Notre Dame, The Trophy Award annually recognizes an athletic team that has demonstrated its commitment and dedication to the community through unparalleled community service to Notre Dame and South Bend. The Irish have been very active in the South Bend area, including mentorship programs at various local schools. Corrigan has made the student-athlete experience special for the players that have competed for him at Notre Dame. The program has embarked on five foreign trips since `95. The treks have been to such countries as Ireland, England, Wales, Czech Republic, Japan and - most recently - Italy in the summer of 2014. Another special experience for the student-athletes is the annual networking trip to New York City. In the fall, Corrigan takes team members from the junior and senior classes to the Big Apple to explore networking opportunities with Notre Dame alumni. The group has visited such places as the New York Stock Exchange, BlackRock and NASDAQ. Corrigan also has taken similar trips to San Francisco and Chicago. The San Francisco trip occurred in the fall of 2010 as the Irish were on the West Coast to play Johns Hopkins. Corrigan likes to provide to his players the opportunity to compete in different areas of the United States. In recent seasons Notre Dame has played in California, Georgia, Texas, Florida and Minnesota. Corrigan was acknowledged for his contributions to the Irish lacrosse program when Notre Dame's Monogram Club awarded him an honorary monogram in 2000. An assistant at Virginia for two years, Corrigan became just the second head coach in Notre Dame's history on Aug. 23, 1988. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Corrigan assisted the Cavaliers during both the 1987 and `88 seasons under head coach Jim "Ace" Adams. During a three-year playing career at Virginia, Corrigan scored five goals and registered six assists. He played in 20 games as a midfielder. In his sophomore season in 1979, the Cavaliers reached the NCAA final before losing to Johns Hopkins in overtime. This is Corrigan's second stint as a head coach. He directed Randolph-Macon College (Va.), a Division III program, for two seasons, compiling a 10-15 record in 1985 and 1986. He previously served as an assistant at Randolph-Macon during the 1984 campaign. Corrigan also served as an assistant at Notre Dame during the 1983 season and at Western Albemarle (Va.) High School in 1982. He is the son of former Notre Dame athletic director Gene Corrigan, who retired in `97 as the commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The elder Corrigan played collegiate lacrosse at Duke and guided the Virginia and Washington & Lee lacrosse programs. He was inducted into the Lacrosse Hall of Fame in February of 1994. Kevin's brother Tim was a three-time monogram winner as a midfielder at Notre Dame from 1984-86. Two of Kevin's other brothers, David and Brian, also served as assistants under former Irish head lacrosse coach Rich O'Leary. Another brother, Eugene "Boo", was Notre Dame's associate athletics director for corporate relations and marketing from 2004-08. Boo now is the Director of Athletics at the United States Military Academy. When not coaching, Corrigan still remains active by participating in various lacrosse clinics and camps. He and his wife, Lis, reside in South Bend with their three children - Will, Sidney and Natale. Men's Lacrosse Home   Email this article   Printer-friendly format Position: Baumer Family Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Alma Mater: Virginia '82

Byrne returned to the Fighting Irish program, where he served as an assistant from 1989-91. Prior to his return to Notre Dame, he was the head coach at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. from 2003-06. The Fighting Irish have enjoyed tremendous success since Byrne rejoined the staff. Notre Dame has posted a 120-38 record (.759) and the Irish have earned an NCAA tournament berth all 10 seasons. Notre Dame received one of the eight national seeds and a first-round home game eight times in the last nine seasons. The Fighting Irish have advanced to Championship Weekend four times in the last seven seasons, including title-game appearances in 2010 and 2014. Byrne's work has not gone unnoticed as he was named the 2011 Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) National Assistant Coach of the Year for NCAA Division I. During Byrne's most recent stint on campus, Notre Dame captured three Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) regular-season titles and two GWLL tournament championships before the Fighting Irish moved to the BIG EAST in 2010 and won that league's regular-season crown in 2012. In their inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2014, the Fighting Irish captured the ACC tournament. The Irish went on to capture the ACC regular season title in 2015 and tied for the regular season championship in 2016. Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan along with Byrne and fellow assistant coach Brian Fisher received the GWLL coaching staff of the year award in 2007 and 2009 and the BIG EAST award in 2012. Since 2007, Notre Dame has produced 43 All-America and 51 all-conference selections along with having 30 student-athletes drafted into Major League Lacrosse (MLL). Ten of those draft picks have been close defensemen or long-stick midfielders. The Fighting Irish have reaped the benefits of Byrne's defensive knowledge. Over the last eight seasons under Byrne's direction, the Notre Dame defense has been one of the best in the nation. The Irish have finished in the top-five nationally in scoring defense seven times in the last 10 seasons. Notre Dame produced the nation's top defense in 2009 by allowing a program-record 6.19 goals per game. In 2012, the Fighting Irish boasted the NCAA's top overall defense (6.31 gpg) and man-down defense (.892). The Irish were second in team defense in `11 (6.57) and `10 (7.53), fourth in `07 (6.66) and fifth in `08 (7.04). Since the beginning of the `07 season (a span of 144 games), the Irish have limited opponents to seven goals or fewer 81 times and they have held foes to four goals or fewer on 18 occasions. In `08, Notre Dame played host to an NCAA tournament game for the first time in program history. The `09 campaign featured the Irish posting the first undefeated regular season (13-0) in program history before extending their record to a school-best 15-0 in the GWLL tournament. Notre Dame reached the NCAA title game for the first time in school history in `10 and followed that up by achieving the No. 1 national ranking during the `11 regular season. Notre Dame checked off another program-first in 2012 by winning the BIG EAST regular-season title for the first time. The Irish finished the season with a 13-3 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in league play. The incredible run continued into the 2013 campaign as the Fighting Irish garnered the No. 2 seed, a program best, for the NCAA Championship. The Irish opened the season with three straight wins over top-10 teams (Duke, Penn State, North Carolina) and took down five top-10 foes in all during the year. Those resume-building wins helped Notre Dame achieve the nation's No. 1 ranking twice during the season. The Irish also boasted the nation's top RPI heading into the NCAA tournament. The Fighting Irish didn't waste time making a big impression in the ACC as they won the league's tournament in their first season by posting wins over Maryland and Syracuse. Sophomore attackman Matt Kavanagh and senior defenseman Stephen O'Hara were named to the All-ACC Team, while Kavanagh also was named MVP of the ACC Championship and he concluded the season with single-season program records for points (75) and assists (33). The ACC title run ignited the team's march through the NCAA Championship. The Irish garnered the No. 6 seed and topped Harvard, 13-5, in the first round at Arlotta Stadium. Notre Dame used an unbelievable comeback to force overtime against Albany in the quarterfinals before topping the Great Danes, 14-13. The Irish then met Maryland for the third time in just over a month and defeated the Terrapins, 11-6, to reach the national title game for the second time in program history. It was a rematch of the 2010 national championship showdown between Notre Dame and Duke and despite a late surge by the Irish they fell 11-9 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Fighting Irish finished the 2014 campaign with a 12-6 record. Kavanagh, O'Hara and junior short-stick defensive midfielder Jack Near copped All-America honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) in `14. O'Hara also was a USILA Scholar All-American, a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award and was one of six Notre Dame representatives on the All-ACC Academic Team. The Irish carried momentum into the 2015 campaign, earning an ACC regular season title with a perfect 4-0 conference standing. Of note on the defensive side, junior Matt Landis was named the 2015 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Landis also received the William C. Schmeisser Award provided by the USILA, which is afforded to the nation's top player on defense. In all, a program-record seven student-athletes garnered USILA All-America recognition.  Notre Dame once again advanced to Championship Weeekend in 2015. After downing Towson (12-10) and Albany (14-10) to reach the NCAA semifinals, Notre Dame dropped an 11-10 overtime heartbreaker to Denver.  In 2013, the second-seeded Fighting Irish bested Detroit, 9-7, in the opening round of the NCAAs to advance to the quarterfinals. Notre Dame fell to eventual national champion Duke, 12-11, in the quarterfinals. Kavanagh combined for seven goals and three assists in the two NCAA tournament games and finished the season with 32 goals, which established a program record for a freshman. He was one of four Fighting Irish players to earn All-America accolades from the USILA in `13. Senior goalie John Kemp copped All-America honors for the third straight season, while senior defenseman Matt Miller and junior midfielder Jim Marlatt both received their second citation. Notre Dame garnered the No. 4 seed for the 2012 NCAA Championship and the tournament run began with a 13-7 home victory over Yale and then the Irish knocked off fifth-seeded Virginia, 12-10, in the quarterfinals to advance to the national semifinals for the third time in school history. A 7-5 setback to Loyola, the eventual champion, ended Notre Dame's bid for its first national title. Kemp and senior defenseman Kevin Randall earned first-team All-America honors from the USILA in `12. That duo also took home BIG EAST awards as Kemp was named the conference's goalkeeper of the year and Randall was tapped as the defensive player of the year. They were among six Irish student-athletes that copped all-BIG EAST accolades. Also in that group were Marlatt and Miller, who were honorable mention All-America honorees in `12. Randall also was a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, a USILA Scholar All-American and received the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award. Kemp's first team All-America citation earned him the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top goalie. He joined his older brother Joey, the 2008 recipient, as the only other Notre Dame player to cop the award. They are the only brother duo to receive the award, which has been presented since 1949. The No. 1 ranking was not the only program standard established during the `11 season. Notre Dame also produced a then program-record six USILA All-America honorees. Midfielder David Earl and defenseman Kevin Ridgway both were first-team selections, making it the first time Notre Dame ever had two first team All-Americans in the same season. Zach Brenneman (M), Sam Barnes (D), Andrew Irving (LSM) and John Kemp (G) rounded out the honorees. Earl, the league's midfielder of the year, headlined a group of six all-BIG EAST performers for the Fighting Irish. Barnes, Brenneman, Earl, Irving and Ridgway also were selected in the `11 MLL Draft. Notre Dame's 9-0 start in `11 helped the team earn the No. 1 national ranking in both the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and the USILA coaches' poll on April 18. The Irish would improve to 10-0 before suffering their first loss of the campaign. The Irish were seeded fourth for the `11 NCAA Championship and they played host to Penn in the first round. The 13-6 win over Penn set up a quarterfinal showdown with Duke. The Blue Devils avenged a 12-7 season-opening loss to the Irish with a 7-5 victory. The Irish finished the `11 campaign with an 11-3 mark and ranked eighth in the final Nike/Inside Lacrosse poll. Stout defense was a key reason why the Fighting Irish had unprecedented success in the `10 NCAA Championship. Notre Dame took down five top-10 foes during the `10 campaign, including three straight during the run to the national title game. After a 7-6 regular season, the Fighting Irish earned an at-large berth to the NCAAs and a trip to sixth-ranked Princeton in the first round. After downing the Tigers, 8-5, Notre Dame defeated No. 3 Maryland, 7-5, to advance to the national semifinals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The sensational run continued as the Irish bested seventh-ranked Cornell 12-7 to set up a showdown with Duke in the final. Notre Dame opened the `10 season with an 11-7 win at then No. 2 Duke, yet the Blue Devils prevailed in the second meeting by taking the back-and-forth contest 6-5 in overtime. Senior goalie Scott Rodgers was named the Most Outstanding Player of the `10 NCAA Championship, becoming just the fifth player to earn that honor from a team that did not win the title. Rodgers and the Notre Dame defense allowed just 23 goals (5.75 per game) during the four games of the tournament. For the season, Rodgers ranked first nationally in save percentage (.605) and was third in goals-against average (.7.56). Ridgway and Brenneman joined Rodgers on the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team and they were three of the five Fighting Irish players to earn both honorable mention All-America honors from the USILA and all-conference accolades during the first season of BIG EAST lacrosse. Earl and Grant Krebs (M) joined the trio by receiving both national and league recognition. The `09 Irish squad posted the first undefeated regular season in program history and finished with an overall record of 15-1. The win total and winning percentage (.938) from that campaign are program records. Notre Dame received the `09 GWLL coaching staff of the year award, making it the second time in three seasons that the Irish staff garnered the accolade. The Fighting Irish had five players receive All-America honors in `09. Among the All-America selections were Rodgers, who also was named the GWLL Player of the Year, and defensemen Barnes and Regis McDermott. Those three were among a group of eight Irish players that copped all-GWLL accolades during the season. The Long Island Lizards selected McDermott in the third round of the `09 MLL Draft. After completing a 13-0 regular season, the Irish captured their second consecutive GWLL tournament and received the No. 7 seed for the 2009 NCAA Championship, yet fell to Maryland, 7-3, in the first round. In `08, Notre Dame compiled a 14-3 record, including a 4-1 GWLL mark to tie for first. The sixth-seeded Fighting Irish made the most of their first-ever NCAA tournament home game by defeating Colgate 8-7 in overtime to advance to the quarterfinals, where they were topped by eventual national champion Syracuse, 11-9. Notre Dame concluded the season ranked fifth in the final USILA poll. The Irish defense came through when it counted most during the `08 campaign. In the title game of the inaugural GWLL tournament, Notre Dame, behind a stellar effort from senior goalie Joey Kemp, shut down #10 Ohio State in a 9-2 triumph to give the Irish the title. On the season, Notre Dame held its competition to six goals or fewer eight times. Four Irish players, including Kemp and defenseman Sean Dougherty, were tabbed as All-Americans in `08. Kemp became the first goalie in Irish history to be named a first-teamer and Dougherty was a third-team pick. Fellow defenseman Ross Zimmerman received first team all-GWLL honors as he helped the Irish to a three-way tie for the league's regular-season title. In all, six Irish players garnered all-league accolades in `08. Following the season, Dougherty, Kemp and Zimmerman all were drafted into the MLL. Another piece of hardware that the `08 Irish squad received was the Trophy Award at Notre Dame's seventh annual O.S.C.A.R.S. (Outstanding Student-Athletes Celebrating Achievements and Recognition Showcase). Established by the Office of Student Welfare and Development at Notre Dame, The Trophy Award annually recognizes an athletic team that has demonstrated its commitment and dedication to the community through unparalleled community service to Notre Dame and South Bend. The Irish have been very active in the South Bend area, including a mentorship programs at various schools in the area. In his first season back with the Irish in `07, Byrne helped guide a Notre Dame defensive unit that held opponents to a then program-record 6.66 goals per game, which ranked fourth nationally. The defense played a large role in the Irish posting an 11-4 record overall, including a perfect 5-0 conference mark to win its first outright GWLL title since 2001. The `07 season saw five Fighting Irish players earn All-America honors. Juniors Dougherty and Kemp were two of those honorees that helped to bolster the stingy Notre Dame defense. Kemp also was named the GWLL Player of the Year and was selected to the all-league first team along with Dougherty, while Zimmerman was tabbed as a second-team all-GWLL performer. The Irish coaching staff also was recognized as the GWLL's staff of the year. Byrne graduated cum laude from UMass Amherst in 1986 with a degree in economics. He was a two-year starter and a three-year letterman in addition to being an All-New England defenseman for the Minutemen in 1986. He was a starter in two NCAA tournament games, including the `86 quarterfinals versus Johns Hopkins. He earned his MBA from Notre Dame, where he also worked as defensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish. Byrne helped Notre Dame earn its first NCAA tournament berth during the 1990 campaign as the Irish posted a 9-7 record, including a perfect 3-0 mark in the MLA's Great Lakes Conference, which gave them the league title. Byrne was a four-time All-United States Club Lacrosse Association member with the Brine Lacrosse Club. He was also invited to tryout with the U.S. National Team on three occasions (1989, 1997, 2001), which placed him among the top-30 defensemen in the nation. Other playing accolades for Byrne include being named an All-Lake Placid Classic performer on 11 occasions and an All-Vail Shootout competitor nine times. One of his signature years as a player came in `97. That season he was named a Vail Shootout All-Star in the Elite Division along with copping Vail Shootout MVP honors in the Masters Division. Byrne also was named the Lake Placid Tournament Defensive MVP in the Elite Division and was chosen as the Masters Division MVP. Finally, he was invited to the National Team Selection Camp and was the USCLA/Empire League Player of the Year for the Syracuse Lacrosse Club. Byrne was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame - New England Chapter - in 1999 and was the 2001 New Hampshire High School Coach of the Year while at Souhegan High School. He was drafted by the New York Saints of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) in 1991 and played for them in 1992. Byrne also was drafted by the Rochester Knighthawks of the NLL as a defensive forward and went on to win a World Championship with them in 1997. He continued his professional career following a three-year retirement when the Boston Cannons of the MLL drafted him in 2000. Byrne played for the Cannons from 2000-02, while having the distinction of being the oldest active player in the league at that time. He played in the inaugural MLL Final Four in `01 and made another appearance there the following season. In addition to his duties at Saint Anselm, Byrne stayed active in the sporting world in several other ways. He served as managing director at Kiltegan Marketing Group, which is an integrated sports marketing services company with clients such as Reebok and the MLL. Byrne also has spent time as the director of marketing for Cybex International and Brine, a major manufacturer of lacrosse equipment. He also owns the Premier Players Lacrosse Camps and is the founder of the Texas Top-99. Byrne is a native of Levittown, N.Y., where he was an All-Long Island Catholic League lacrosse player at Chaminade High School before his graduation in 1982. He and his wife, Dr. Tracy Byrne, a practicing OB/GYN and a 1990 graduate of Notre Dame, are the parents of three children, Rory, Pierre and Brandon. Pierre is a sophomore on the Notre Dame men's lacrosse team, while Rory is in her sophomore campaign with the Fighting Irish women's lacrosse squad. Men's Lacrosse Home   Email this article   Printer-friendly format Position: Assistant Coach Alma Mater: Massachusetts-Amherst '86

Karweck compiled six years of college coaching experience. During his first three seasons back at Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish have compiled a 35-14 record, earned three NCAA tournament bids, including a title-game appearance in 2014, captured the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship in their first campaign in the stout league, and reclaimed the ACC title in 2015. The ACC title run ignited the team's march through the 2014 NCAA Championship. The Irish garnered the No. 6 seed and topped Harvard, 13-5, in the first round at Arlotta Stadium. Notre Dame used an unbelievable comeback to force overtime against Albany in the quarterfinals before topping the Great Danes, 14-13. The Irish then met Maryland for the third time in just over a month and defeated the Terrapins, 11-6, to reach the national title game for the second time in program history. Unfortunately, the Irish suffered an 11-9 setback to Duke in the championship-game showdown at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to finish with a 12-6 record. Then sophomore attackman Matt Kavanagh, senior defenseman Stephen O'Hara and junior short-stick defensive midfielder Jack Near copped All-America honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) in `14. O'Hara also was a USILA Scholar All-American, a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award and was one of six Notre Dame representatives on the All-ACC Academic Team. Kavanagh and O'Hara were named to the All-ACC Team, while Kavanagh also was named MVP of the ACC Championship and he concluded the season with single-season program records for points (75) and assists (33). Over the past three years, the Notre Dame program has produced 14 All-America honorees and 12 all-conference selections. The Fighting Irish also have had 10 players drafted into Major League Lacrosse. In 2013, the Irish posted an 11-5 record, which included five wins over top-10 teams. That impressive resume helped the Fighting Irish garner the No. 1 national ranking twice during the regular season and ultimately get the No. 2 seed for the NCAA Championship, which marked the best seed in program history. The Irish topped Detroit, 9-7, in the first round before falling to eventual national champion Duke, 12-11, in the quarterfinals. Notre Dame opened the 2013 campaign with a 13-5 win at No. 4 Duke and followed that up with a 10-9 overtime triumph at No. 8 Penn State and a 10-9 triple-overtime victory against No. 9 North Carolina. The Irish added two more top-10 wins - a 13-12 overtime result at fifth-ranked Denver and a 9-4 victory over eighth-ranked Ohio State - en route to reaching the top spot in the national polls for just the second time in school history. Kavanagh combined for seven goals and three assists in the two NCAA tournament games and finished the season with 32 goals, which established a program record for a freshman. He was one of four Fighting Irish players to earn All-America accolades from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) in 2013. Senior goalie John Kemp copped All-America honors for the third straight season, while senior defenseman Matt Miller and junior midfielder Jim Marlatt both received their second citation. Karweck came to Notre Dame from Merrimack College, where he spent one season as an assistant coach/offensive coordinator at the NCAA Division II school located in North Andover, Mass. The Warriors posted a 13-3 record in `12 and reached the title game of the Northeast-10 Conference tournament. The Warriors, who were ranked fifth nationally during the season, produced three All-Americans, including the player of the year. Karweck also taught an exercise science lab during the fall semester at Merrimack. Prior to his stint at Merrimack, Karweck was an assistant coach at the University of Detroit-Mercy for one season. He was the offensive coordinator for the Titans during the 2011 campaign and helped the second-year program to a 6-10 mark after it went 3-12 in its first season of NCAA Division I play. Detroit also earned its first-ever berth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament and advanced to the title game. Karweck was the head coach of Indiana University's club lacrosse program from 2007-10. The squad competed in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA). He led Indiana to 25 wins in three seasons and was named the 2009 Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year. While at Indiana, he earned a Master of Science degree in kinesiology and owned and ran Overtime Lacrosse, a summer camp program. Karweck earned four monograms (2003-06) and tallied 60 goals and 30 assists in 52 games during his playing career at Notre Dame. He received first team all-Great Western Lacrosse League honors as a senior after copping second-team accolades during his junior campaign. He graduated with a degree in psychology from Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters. After graduating from Notre Dame, Karweck competed professionally in England for one season with the Sheffield Steelers in the English Lacrosse Premiership. The Steelers captured the 2006 Bath Eights Tournament Championship. While in England, he also served as a men's lacrosse coach at Sheffield University, and taught lacrosse in the surrounding area for the English Lacrosse Association. He returned to the United States and played two seasons for the Chicago Machine in Major League Lacrosse. Karweck, a native of Penn Yan, N.Y., attended Penn Yan Academy. He led the team to the Section V Class C High School title all four seasons, as well as the state title in 2001. His wife, Dr. Andrea Karweck, is a 2005 graduate of Notre Dame. Men's Lacrosse Home   Email this article   Printer-friendly format Position: Assistant Coach Alma Mater: Notre Dame '06