Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 OCT. 23, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS BY LOU SOMOGYI H ead coach Muffet McGraw's fu- ture cupboard at point guard was replenished with the verbal pledge the last weekend of September from 5-8 Jordan Nixon of The Bronx in New York City. Ranked as the nation's No. 16 over- all recruit by Prospects Nation in the class of 2018 — and No. 59 according to ESPN HoopGurlz — Nixon took her official visit to Notre Dame for the football opener against Temple Sept. 2. In addition to the Fighting Irish, the five schools the Mary Louis Academy product had narrowed her choices to were Ohio State, UCLA, Virginia and Georgia. "Jordan was the best player in the state last season," Mary Louis Acad- emy head coach JoAnn Arbitello- Pinnock told espnW, "and she's defi- nitely the best player this year." That evaluation is notable because Nixon's teammate last season was current Notre Dame 6-2 freshman Danielle Patterson, who was selected as a McDonald's All-American. The duo led Mary Louis to the 2017 bor- ough, city and state titles. According to Arbitello-Pinnock, Nixon as a transfer often deferred to the older Patterson, yet still averaged 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 8.0 as- sists per game. This summer, Nixon's game blossomed more when she led her iEXCEL AAU team to national titles in three different tournaments: Nike Chicago, Basketball on the Bayou in New Orleans and the Nike Tournament of Champions in Atlanta. A top student at her renowned school, Nixon has indicated she as- pires to be a veterinarian. Landing Nixon in next year's class was crucial because of at least two reasons. First, Notre Dame's top two point guards this season — Stanford grad- uate transfer and two-time All-Pac-12 selection Lili Thompson and senior Mychal Johnson — are both in their final season of eligibility (although junior Marina Mabrey might provide some assistance there as well). Much like then-freshman Lind- say Allen succeeding graduated All- American Skylar Diggins in 2013, a freshman might be needed to help right away at the point on what should be a loaded and veteran 2018-19 team. Second, Notre Dame's original com- mitment at point guard for the 2018 class, Jenna Brown, changed her mind this summer and opted for Stanford. Meanwhile, the 2019 class is off to an excellent start with the commit- ment from the nation's No. 1-ranked point guard, Anaya Peoples. Nixon appears to be the final piece to McGraw's four-woman class in 2018, which should be finalized Nov. 8-15 during the early signing period. The Irish had been recruiting the nation's No. 1 guard prospect in Arkansas' Christyn Williams, who had tenta- tively set up an official visit to Notre Dame for Sept. 30. However, she has since then cancelled while cutting her final five down to UConn, South Caro- lina, Tennessee, Texas and UCLA. In addition to Nixon, the Irish class includes: • 5-10 guard Katlyn Gilbert from Indianapolis, ranked No. 14 by Pros- pects Nation and No. 27 by ESPN HoopGurlz. She is classified as more of a combo guard, but can help at point if needed. • 6-3 forward Danielle Cosgrove from New York, ranked No. 67 by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 92 by Prospects Nation. • 5-10 guard Abby Prohaska from Ohio. She is considered primarily a two guard and is ranked No. 74 by Prospects Nation and No. 80 by ESPN HoopGurlz. ✦ HOCKEY The No. 8 Fighting Irish opened the year with an exhibition matchup against the U.S. National Team Development Program and netted two goals in the third period to get a 4-3 win. Sophomore forward Cam Morrison finished with a goal and an assist, while senior forward Jake Evans had a pair of assists. The Irish open the regular season by hosting Alabama Huntsville Oct. 6-7. MEN'S SOCCER (7-2-1, 2-1-1 ACC) After two straight losses and a tie, No. 9 Notre Dame picked up a 2-1 overtime win over Northwestern Oct. 3. After falling behind 1-0 late in the second half, junior defender Felicien Dumas netted an equalizer in the 80th minute to send the match to extra time. In the 98th minute, senior Jon Gallagher scored to clinch the win. The Irish were slated to play at Clemson Oct. 6 before returning home for a non-confer- ence battle versus Michigan Oct. 10. WOMEN'S SOCCER (6-4-2, 2-2-0 ACC) The Irish surrendered a goal in the 88th minute of a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of No. 20 Wake Forest Sept. 29. The Irish had been 6-0-1 versus the Demon Deacons prior to the late heartbreaker. Notre Dame was at No. 13 Virginia Oct. 5 before returning home to take on Syracuse Oct. 8. VOLLEYBALL (11-4, 1-3 ACC) After a 3-1 loss to Miami Sept. 29, Notre Dame picked up its first ACC victory of the season with a 3-2 triumph over No. 21 Florida State Oct. 1. Sophomore Jemma Yeadon led the way for the Irish, finishing with a career- high 24 kills, while adding 16 digs, five blocks and an ace. Yeadon's 24 kills are a season-high among any Irish player. Notre Dame played at Virginia Oct. 6 and at Virginia Tech Oct. 8. — David McKinney Prospects Nation ranks Nixon as the No. 16 senior in the country. PHOTO COURTESY USA BASKETBALL Women's Basketball Lands Point Guard Jordan Nixon Irish Roundup