Print Edition of The Observer for Tuesday, September 5, 2017

By DANIEL O’BOYLE

s cene Writer

“coolverine,” the first track on mogwai’s latest album, “every country’s sun,” has a lame pun for a title. It’s built around a fairly simple musical theme, essentially just eight notes. It starts quiet, builds up, lets you down just a little and then turns into something grand and all-encompassing — all within a little over six minutes. It’s more serious about the “rock” part of the post-rock genre than the work of mogwai’s peers, with slowly-building distorted guitars and and an aggressive drum beat providing edge, all while remaining first-and-foremost an atmospheric work. It’s a song that could make anything you do sound cool.

In short, it’s a mogwai song.

“Party in the dark,” the very next track on the album, is not.

mogwai — formed in Glasgow, scotland, in 1995 — more or less perfected their sound in 1997, with the release of post-rock masterpiece “mogwai Young Team,” a work with a very legitimate case to be considered the greatest album the genre has produced, creating beautiful sonic landscapes while holding onto the energy that only youth can provide (frontman stuart braithwaite was barely 21 years old when the album was recorded). From there, the band released another seven albums before “every country’s sun.” They strayed from their known course on occasion, flirting with synths on 2014’s “rave Tapes,”

wavering on the exact extent to which they incorporate vocals, both sung and spoken-word. but by and large, mogwai, as post-rock bands often do, has stuck to a formula: Quiet-to-loud progressions built around minimal motifs all captured in a timeframe barely longer than the average pop song.

“Party in the dark” breaks with all of that. It’s the closest thing to an out-and-out pop song mogwai has ever released. no, it doesn’t have a Jack Antonoff signature hand-clap pre-chorus or max martin’s polished reverb. It’s not something that you’ll hear on top 40 radio. but there’s a riff, regular verses and even a chorus. A good one, too. In a year that perhaps lacked great straightforward rock songs, the atmospheric dream-pop of “Party in the dark,” is a worthwhile contribution. but it doesn’t feel like it belongs next to “coolverine.” It’s certainly interesting to hear both the classic version of the band and something new back-to-back, but in a genre where albums are expected to appear as cohesive wholes, the inconsistency is striking.

Luckily for listeners, mogwai quickly make a choice on how “every country’s sun,” should sound, and it’s an expected one: A slightly more modern-sounding version of their trademark style, using some more electronic effects than their early work, while remaining grounded in traditional rock instrumentation. mogwai may have a formula, but it works and they know how to keep each album distinctive enough to separate itself from the rest. each track following “Party in the dark,” sounds like it was written to score the most important moments in life.

If “crossing the road material,” is meant to be listened to in the situation the name implies, get ready for the most inspirational journey from one side of the street to the other you’ve ever experienced. but on tracks like “aka 47”and “1000 foot face,” mogwai know how to hold back, which does nothing but reinforce the effect of the songs where they don’t. The album ends about as triumphantly as you’d expect, with a buzzing synth over a combination of clean and distorted guitars closing out the title track. some bands evolve greatly over the years. mogwai have mostly made incremental changes over the last 20. but if they keep sounding this good, why mess with the formula?

Contact Daniel O’Boyle at doboyle1@nd.edu

“Every Country’s Sun” Mogwai

Label: Temporary Residence Limited

Tracks: “Coolverine,” “Crossing the Road Material,” “Don’t Believe the Fife”

If you like: Explosions in the Sky, Pink Floyd, Godspeed You! Black Emperor

By GRACE WEISSEND

s cene Writer

From the album art to the tracks themselves, The script is simply trying too hard on their latest effort. The Irish band’s fifth studio album, “Freedom child,” is ridden with cliches, piano overlays and intense drumming. The fourteen tracks feel almost never ending due to the lack of differentiation among them. Past The script albums have had at least one massive hit — the band scored big with single “breakeven” in 2008, and “hall of Fame” from 2012’s “#3” played at nearly every major awards show and sports game for a full calendar year. There isn’t a single song on “Freedom child,” however, that stands out as a hit people will latch on to.

credit must be given where credit is due, and The script certainly tries to blur genre lines on “Freedom child.” They try out a strange electro reggae style on “no man is an Island,” and attempt an edm-crossover tune on “Wonders.” To be completely frank, it just doesn’t work. The script seems to be pandering to a chainsmokersloving populace, aiming for songs that bop but lack any real substance. one of the highlights of “Freedom child” is the stripped-down “make Up,” which sounds a lot more like the old The script than the rest of the album does. It’s a more stripped down sound, and the acoustics

and vocals have a genuinely beautiful tone. The sound is marred, however, by laughably shallow lyrics — “no you don’t need make up / to cover your face, love / you’re beautiful now / within and without / be good to yourself / you’re doing me proud.” You can practically hear the female population rolling their eyes in the background.

It is nearly impossible to get past such ridiculously cliched lyrics throughout “Freedom child.” Just a perusal through the tracklist is enough to make one’s head start spinning with irritation — tracks like “divided states of America” and “Written in the scars” alert you that The script is reaching on this album before you press play on a single tune. “Written in the scars” makes up for the play-on-words hilarity with a decent sound — the chorus in particular is a satisfying electro-rock blend. The songs on “Freedom child” are very formulaic; it’s difficult to take the album seriously as a cohesive, finished project and not merely a work in progress. The first single off the album, “rain,” is currently The script’s most popular song on spotify and is genuinely pretty good. The lyrics aren’t quite as annoying as on the other tracks, and the acoustic chorus is a welcome difference from the rest of the album’s flirtation with electro music. It almost feels like an inappropriate tease for a first single, however, as the rest of the album doesn’t hold up in comparison to “rain’s” originality or quality.

The title track on “Freedom child,” which concludes the album, is a particularly maddening Pandora’s box of cliches. It feels like The script is trying to get a repeat of the success they had with “hall of Fame” on this track; the lyrics are inspirational in nature and broad enough to be applicable in many a ceremonial occasion. It is unlikely The script will find similar success with this tune, however, as it lacks the emotional gusto of a “hall of Fame” or even a “breakeven.” With no real breakout song and an album that altogether disappoints, it’s unlikely that The script will be adding this record to their hall of fame.

Contact Grace Weissend at gweissen@nd.edu

“Freedom Child” The Script

Label: Columbia Records

Tracks: “Rain”

If you like: The Fray, OneRepublic

Taking advantage of office hours

during one of my classes last week, my professor briefly mentioned that there was a meeting that might interfere with his office hours, so he wanted to poll the room and see if anyone was planning on being there.

no one raised their hands.

We then spontaneously ushered into a conversation about the role of office hours at notre dame, and why there seems to be a stigma surrounding the idea of talking to one’s professors outside of class. my professor asked what the reasoning was behind the lack of interest, and while some talked of bad experiences and time constraints, really no one gave a good answer.

That’s because there isn’t a good one.

The reality is that the majority of students view office hours as a resource of necessity. Get a bad grade on a test? office hours. can’t figure out the homework? office hours. need a letter of recommendation? You guessed it. It may be twisted, but it’s a reality that exists. students at notre dame do have a lot on their plate, and for many, school is simply a piece to the puzzle. There’s always talk of building relationships with professors or pursuing academic interests outside of the classroom, and while I certainly think it adds a whole new dimension to scholarly work, for the students that don’t see the “scholarly” part of the equation, there really isn’t a need to pursue it. but my professor brought up a great point. For the vast majority of professors, students are a huge priority. If one comes with a question or concern, they’d be happy to take time to answer them — it’s why they are mandated to set aside time for this situation. For students however, just because they are optional doesn’t mean that they should be ignored. regardless of it pertaining to class or not, students should be utilizing one of the best resources available to them in a college setting to help answer questions that interest or trouble them. Learning is a lifelong pursuit, and for four short years, a college student has an incredible opportunity to learn a whole lot just by talking to the experts. While only a fraction of the undergraduate body will end up earning doctorates in fields of academia, the lessons we learn and fields of interest we pursue now still have intrinsic and inherent value.

now, I’ve definitely fallen into the same trend as many of my peers have done. In the times I have gone to office hours over the past three years, only a handful have been to explore questions outside of lecture, and they’ve always been class-related. moving forwards, however, I hope to change that outlook. Instead of viewing office hours as a resource to help my grade, I hope to utilize such a tremendous opportunity to not only learn about interesting things, but also to get to better know the incredibly smart and dedicated faculty at notre dame.

one of my biggest takeaways from my time at notre dame so far has been the incredible amount of intelligence and drive that people here possess. I’ve been thoroughly impressed by many of my fellow classmates and friends who manage to balance their schoolwork and social life with career and extracurricular aspirations, but sometimes it’s okay to slow down a little and enjoy the ride. Life isn’t always about looking ahead to the next deadline or exam, sometimes it’s not only good to pursue things that aren’t necessary, it’s also important. For me, a college student, appreciating office hours is one of the first steps.

Contact Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu

The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Return to Babylon

o ne of the oldest existing c hristian communities in the world is that of the c haldean c atholics, with roots that trace back to the apostles. The early e astern r ite communities in Iraq and Iran split into distinct factions in the 5th century, when the c hurch of the e ast embraced n estorianism, a heresy that declared c hrist to be man, and God the son to be his divine counterpart, but not two aspects of a single being. The n estorian c hurch expanded into c hina, the steppes of m ongol Asia and the m alabar c oast of India until the 14th century, when the m ongol leader Timur largely destroyed the n estorian c hurch east of Iraq. The c haldean church leaders recanted the n estorian heresy and officially united with the r oman c atholic c hurch in 1551; since that time, members of the church have been referred to as c haldeans.

The c haldeans have preserved the ancient e ast s yrian liturgy, which they celebrate in s yriac, an important branch of s emitic language known as Aramaic. At the time of Alexander the Great, Aramaic was the official language from Asia m inor to Persia, from Armenia to the Arabian Peninsula; c haldeans claim the s yriac dialect they use is similar to that spoken by c hrist and the Apostles. The c haldeans lived in relative peace under the o ttoman e mpire, but its collapse at the turn of the last century, and the dislocations resulting from World War I, led to ongoing assertions of nationalism, violent efforts at ethnic cleansing, and a diaspora that spread c haldeans across the globe.

The c haldeans — like other c hristian groups — have been targeted for persecution by Islamic s tate (I s ) and other jihadist groups. Last year, then-U s secretary of state John Kerry said a genocide was occurring against c haldeans in Iraq, though international courts have not officially given the violence there that designation. c haldeans are now being swept up in immigration raids across the U s and targeted for deportation by the Trump administration. U s Immigration and c ustoms e nforcement (I ce ) officers recently seized more than 200 Iraqi nationals who have been the subject of deportation orders following criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.

The families of arrested persons have complained that the planned deportations amount to a death sentence for the deportees, many of whom have spent decades in the U s and speak little or no Arabic. The m inority humanitarian Foundation, a nonprofit organization which provides aid to Iraqi minorities, plans to file a lawsuit with the American c ivil Liberties Union to stop the deportation of c haldeans to Iraq.

An I ce spokesperson claimed an “overwhelming majority” of those arrested were convicted for crimes including “homicide,

rape, aggravated assault, kidnapping, burglary, drug trafficking, robbery, sex assault, weapons violations and other offenses,” and that the deportation operation “was specifically conducted to address the very real public safety threat represented by the criminal aliens arrested”.

In contrast, c haldean family members and others in the community disputed that pretense, and noted many of the charges were handed down decades ago, and those convicted had served their sentences for the crimes. Iraq had previously not cooperated with U s deportation efforts, but the two countries negotiated a new policy in m arch after Trump issued a travel ban for citizens of seven m uslim-majority countries, including Iraq. The initial ban was revised after it was struck down in a federal court; the new ban, also currently being challenged, no longer includes Iraq and removes a preference for religious minorities, including c hristians, from these countries.

Trump’s executive order for the revised ban said the rules for Iraq had changed because “the Iraqi government has expressly undertaken steps to enhance travel documentation, information sharing, and the return of Iraqi nationals subject to final orders of removal.” Whether inadvertently or not, the revised travel ban opened the door for c haldeans to be “returned” to Iraq, even in instances where Iraq had not actively sought their return. e ven worse, these c haldeans were being sent to a country that was hostile, and perhaps even fatal, to this c hristian minority. “ s hame on d onald Trump,” a c haldean spokesman said. “ h e campaigned on helping c hristians, helping the underserved, on fighting I s I s when actually his actions are emboldening I s I s .”

The c haldean community in the U s mostly supported Trump in the presidential election. In large part, that support was based on a belief that Trump would keep his promise to protect persecuted c hristian minorities in the m iddle e ast. In c haldean communities that were dislocated and decimated by a series of leaders promising peace and protection, the term “seyfo” has become more common. s eyfo, both in Arabic and s yriac, means “sword,” but more pointedly is vernacular for “genocide.” What side of history will our leaders — and by extension, will we — be on in protecting our c haldean brethren? The paranoid response to politically expedient rhetoric is indeed a double-edged sword, and we must take care that is not brandished in support of the “seyfo” c haldeans justly fear.

Ray Ramirez is an attorney practicing, yet never perfecting, law in Texas while waiting patiently for a MacArthur Genius Grant. You may contact him at patrayram@sbcglobal.net

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

screw the rankings, morrissey is great

There is new life in m orrissey m anor. The past two years in m anor history — since our 90th anniversary — has seen echoes awakened and spirits lifted. When Zack Imfeld was appointed the new rector, youth and a sense of welcoming entered the m anor. For once in my four years, I saw in others — and experienced personally — a sense of anticipation to return to the dorm in August.

In a previous letter to the editor entitled “ s crew it, we’re ranking the halls,” my dorm was ranked as the last of all n otre d ame male dorms and third from last overall. I cannot defend our facilities, even the University recognizes m orrissey needs a major facelift and is scheduled to be renovated beginning next year. I also will not re-rank the dorms here. e ach dorm is unique and special to its residents, and ranking them is reductive. I simply hope to expose the larger n otre d ame community to everything great about m orrissey m anor and the men within. m y past four years in the m anor have seen two rectors and great things under both. The first

two years saw m orrissey crowned as back-toback interhall football champions, truly taking the b lack and Gold to victory. We celebrated 90 years of being in community with n otre d ame and received an alumni donation to renovate the c hapel of the Little Flower, under the protection of s aint Andrew and s aint Therese of Lisieux. m orrissey has always had a thriving religious community, and the new chapel only increased the spirituality of the dorm. The implementation of s ’ m orrissey m ass (every Wednesday night a 10 p.m. followed by s’mores — come through) has opened up this vibrant religious experience in the best chapel on campus to all students.

m ore recently, m orrissey has seen its own community open up and flourish as residents more and more keep doors open and engage with neighbors of all classes. Gone are all-first-year sections, replaced by inclusive and intermingled sections. s eniors are staying in m orrissey and have bought into the new culture of the m anor. s ignature events are being added in an effort to bring in a larger campus community to our part

of n otre d ame, including the upcoming m ichigan s tate game watch — an outdoor event that will feature free food trucks and a screen the size of a semi-truck ( s ept. 23 at 7 p.m., s outh Quad). Yaz’s restaurant has the best prices on campus too — $1 on all food items and $2 for milkshakes of many flavors. Another of the great new events is frequent grill-outs on brand-new grills bought for the dorm and used to feed any and all passersby. Quality grills manned by quality chefs means quality food. It’s no question why people are saying m orrissey now has the best meat on campus. m orrissey has arrived. Yes we’re young in our revival and still finding our way in the larger dorm community, but m orrissey is a great n otre d ame dorm. b y no means is it “the worst” nor does it “suck.” I’d invite anyone who disagrees to come by the m anor and join us in community any day of the week.

Julio Salazar senior sept. 4

An inconvenient hurricane

hurricane harvey is a national tragedy. b y sunday the death toll from the storm had risen to 50 and one million people have been displaced. s omewhere around 100,000 homes have been affected, of which 40,000 are completely destroyed. The c onsumerist reports that 80 percent of homeowners facing the damage do not have flood insurance, and there are no clear answers as to how the $190 billion in damages will be paid. harvey is a national tragedy, and it’s wrong to politicize a tragedy – right?

not in this case. In this case, politicizing a tragedy is the only way to stop future tragedies from happening.

e xtreme weather cannot be prevented — the next hurricane to hit the United states (possibly Irma, currently brewing in the southern Atlantic) will hit the U. s. regardless of how we politicize harvey. but it is important that we use the lessons from harvey to prepare for its successor. And with all extreme weather, that preparation absolutely must include changing our approach to global climate change.

It used to be very difficult to say whether if and how specific weather events were impacted by global climate change. It is now getting easier. When it comes to hurricanes there is a clear connection: hurricanes draw their destructive energy from heat in ocean waters, and as ocean temperatures rise, there is more heat to be drawn. Further, a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor — about 7 percent

more for every additional degree c elsius — which equates to increased potential for rainfall during a storm. because the atmosphere is not heating equally atmospheric wind currents are changing as well. For example, some science suggests that the jet stream is slowing down. These changing wind patterns may help explain why severe storms are moving in ways that are contrary to our current models — like s andy, which travelled in a straight-shot towards new Jersey when it should have curved backwards towards the Atlantic.

When it comes to hurricane harvey, these factors seemed to have created a perfect storm. harvey intensified rapidly on Wednesday and Thursday as it travelled over the Gulf of mexico, which just experienced one of is warmest winters on record; it dumped nearly record-breaking amounts of rain on its houston victims, a city which also just experienced nearly record-breaking summer heat; it lingered above houston instead of moving inland because there were very little atmospheric wind currents to drive it. The warmer waters, warmer air, and loss of wind current can be explained, at least in part, by global climate change.

It is inaccurate to say that hurricane harvey was caused by global climate change. but it is irresponsible not to consider the man-made factors that increased its destructive power, and it is unethical not to try to remediate these factors to prevent future devastation.

And it when it comes to remediating climate change issues, it is necessary to get political. As an individual I can recycle, but I cannot singlehandedly

stop chemical runoff from entering my country’s lakes and rivers, nor can I put an immediate stop to the deforestation that threatens wildlife or instantly end the fracking that threatens people. stopping this environmental destruction requires the use of politics. c hemical run-off is controlled by policies that force industry standards of environmentalism; deforestation is prevented by creating national parks and reserves; fracking is an ongoing problem that will not end until our lawmakers make it illegal. It is true that each individual must do their part to combat global climate change and that these efforts do add up. It is naive to think that this will be enough.

If we want to control global climate change, we will have to get political. We will need large-scale solutions for a large-scale problem, and large-scale change necessitates government intervention. We cannot create change if we do not get our lawmakers on board.

It might feel wrong to politicize a tragedy. It might seem insensitive, it might feel like taking advantage of someone else’s misfortune. It doesn’t matter. This tragedy must be politicized — otherwise, we are going to keep seeing more tragedies just like it.

Sarah Cate is a senior at Notre Dame studying biology and English. As such, she enjoys writing essays about Salinger and studying viruses in her research lab. Her favorite books are very much like her science experiments — long, complicated and ultimately inconclusive. She can be reached sbaker6@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

messi free agency shapes soccer

Daniel O’Boyle sports Writer

r emember “the d ecision”? Who can forget.

h ow about Kevin d urant’s “next chapter”? That was pretty wild too.

What if we could see something like that in the world’s biggest sport? What if it happened to a player playing for a team that expects nobody to ever want to leave? What if it happened to the best player of all time in his sport?

A lot happened this summer in the world of soccer. There was no World c up or e uropean c hampionship, but instead soccer fans saw some of the most shocking transfers of all time, highlighted by b razilian superstar n eymar’s move from b arcelona to Paris s aintGermain, a record-breaking deal that used sponsorship deals from the Qatari government, who own the French club, in order to legally skirt “Financial Fair Play” regulations.

n eymar’s move set off a chain reaction in world soccer, most notably inflating the prices of just about every other player in the world. b ut there’s one related story that may have received some traction, but has been kept relatively quiet considering how earthshattering it could prove to be: Lionel m essi still has not agreed on a new contract with b arcelona. h is current deal expires in less than a year.

There has been no free agent in soccer close to this caliber. Legendary players have changed club before, some have even left some of the biggest and best teams in the world, such as when c ristiano r onaldo left m anchester United for r eal m adrid in 2009. b ut if m essi’s contract expires, b arcelona will get nothing in return. That’s rare for elite players, and it could happen to the greatest of them all.

m essi has been inarguably a top-two player in the world for almost an entire decade, certainly the best

in the world for at least five years and perhaps non-stop since 2009, and yet he’s still only 30 years old. h e’s scored over 500 goals for b arcelona, approaching the all-time record for any topflight e uropean club, yet goals only show a tiny portion of what he can do. The list of soccer legends who consider him the best of all time is long, and will only get longer.

m ore importantly, he already plays for one of the two biggest clubs in the world, and has since his professional debut in 2004. h e’s been part of b arcelona’s system since 2001. And players rarely leave b arcelona if the club doesn’t want them to. n eymar did, perhaps to escape m essi’s shadow. It’s hard to believe a club as big as b arcelona could lose two superstars of m essi and n eymar’s caliber in back-toback seasons.

If m essi does become a free agent, it’s entirely speculation as to where he’ll go.

m anchester c ity has been a popular suggested location, and certainly has the money to afford him, while other Premier League clubs would likely also attempt to lure him to e ngland. There is of course a very strong possibility that he simply returns to b arcelona, but the fact that the possibility of m essi leaving b arcelona for free exists at all should be one of the most important stories in soccer. b arcelona club president Josep m aria b artomeu has proven unpopular in recent months after b arcelona failed to win La Liga or progress past the quarterfinals of the c hampions League last season. b ut as long as b arcelona has m essi, everything on the field could be fine. If m essi walks, the entire soccer landscape changes.

The countdown is on. c ircle June 30, 2018, on your calendars, just in case.

Contact Daniel O’Boyle at doboyle1@nd.edu

The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Kentucky c ross c ountry s tate c hampion was one of eight freshmen to make their n otre d ame debuts at the c rusader o pen. n uguse was followed by sophomore r yan s chweizer, who finished with a time of 18:14.5. Freshman v incent Zona crossed the finish line in third with a time of 18:16.3, with sophomore Tyler Keslin right behind him in a time of 18:16.7, while graduate student transfer c onor s heryak took fifth with a time of 18:17.8. Together, the Irish took the top five spots in the men’s meet, and thus recorded a perfect score at the c rusader o pen for the second consecutive year.

In addition to the top five spots, n otre d ame senior Kevin Pulliam took the sixth spot with a time of 18:20.7, while graduate student transfer b radley Wattleworth finished in 10th place with a time of 18:31.9. Freshman Andrew Alexander, who finished eighth for n otre d ame, finished the meet with a time of 18:36.1.

The women’s team was led by freshman Anna s ophia Keller, who finished

second overall with a time of 17:14.2 — trailing only Indiana University Fort Wayne’s e mma r afuse, who won by a significant margin, finishing with a time of 16:44.6. Irish senior Kaitlin Frei finished third overall with a time of 17:37.4, while freshman c laudia m agnussen finished sixth overall with a time of 17:56.5. Junior e mily Franz took the 14th spot at the meet with a time of 18:45.9, while sophomore m adison

r onzone barely trailed Franz and earned the 15th position in the meet with a time of 18:58.8. To cap it off, freshman b rooke Trossen finished just a second behind r onzone for 16th place in a final time of 18:59.6. As a whole, n otre d ame finished second behind Purdue’s women’s team. c oming up next for the Irish is the n ational c atholic Invitational on s eptember 15th at b urke Golf c ourse.

once successful program that had slowly declined over the years.

There weren’t any surprises. mcLaughlin was fully aware of the struggling team he was inheriting, but was willing to take the risk, even if it meant a blemish on his coaching resume.

In his first campaign, the Irish finished 7-25, proving that it would be a while before the Irish would be ready to compete for a national championship. The 2015 season was only the second season in his thirty-year coaching career that a mcLaughlin team finished below .500, and the first time in thirteen seasons he had failed to qualify for a postseason tournament. even at one of the team’s low points, the Irish began to show signs of improvement, as they garnered one more win than the previous season, when notre dame finished with an even worse 6-23 record. It was a start.

Last year showed even more

promise. Under mcLaughlin, the Irish finished with a 2210 record overall, finishing sixth in the Acc standings with a 13-7 record, and tallying their first winning season in four years. The team was aided by mcLaughlin’s first recruiting class that featured Under Armour All-American Jemma Yeadon, who led the Irish in kills last season, and Under Armour All-American honorable mention Lauren Woodard. The 2016 season started strong, but faltered at the end, in part, due to a key injury to junior setter c aroline holt, who mcLaughlin has called the “quarterback” of his team.

heading into his third year, mcLaughlin and company are off to the second best start in team history. e arly in the season the Irish are now mimicking the success of pass mcLaughlin teams as they head into their third tournament with a 6-0 record, having only dropped three total sets on the season. Learning from last year’s mistakes, mcLaughlin is taking precaution earlier to ensure that his players are getting enough

rest by mixing up the starting lineup to allow his younger players to gain some wellneeded playing experience, while preventing unnecessary injury to the veterans.

Although the Irish are off to a fast start, a true test to their progression as a team will come when they face no. 24 ranked ohio state on saturday in the c ostal carolina c lassic.

mcLaughlin has also shifted his focus from just winning one game at a time to now eyeing to win the Acc championship this season, and since the Irish are currently tied for first in the division, it’s a very plausible goal.

The Irish may not be the national title contenders mcLaughlin is used to coaching, but they have continually progressed over the last few seasons, proving that mcLaughlin was smart to take a risk on the program at the height of his coaching career.

Contact Mia Berry at mberry1@nd.edu

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

finished in third place overall with a time of 18:16.03, while a ndrew a lexander took eighth place on the team. additionally, several sophomores turned in noteworthy performances. ryan schweizer placed second overall with a time of 18:14.5, while fellow sophomore Tyler Keslin finished fourth overall with a time of 18:16.7. The top four finishers of the men’s race at the crusader open were notre dame underclassmen, and that has to be exciting prospect to build off for the irish coaching staff. now, i realize the inherent flaw of predicting how the season will unfold based on one performance from an individual in what is largely considered an exhibition meet. associate head coach matt sparks noted the uncertainty of the men’s team on aug. 30, saying that there are “a lot of unanswered questions.” however, since sparks also commented that the crusader open would be a good indicator, these results could be indicative of future success, and therefore can serve as a basis of extrapolation. Let’s look at who could be in the top seven for the men. Taking the top seven of last year’s final meet — the Great Lakes regionals — as the

baseline, the irish men will have to replace graduates chris marco and Jacob dumford. senior captains brent Kennedy and Kevin Pulliam should lock down two spots, while junior a nthony Williams should be near the top after a strong performance last season. here’s where the real extrapolation kicks in. because he finished fourth at the Great Lakes regional last year, sophomore Tyler Keslin would be predicted to finish fourth on the team this year behind the previously named individuals. however, since he also finished fourth this year at the crusader open behind three fellow underclassmen, that means that assistant coach sean carlson and the irish could have three new underclassmen — nuguse, Zona and schweizer — in the top seven, which would indicate a much improved irish squad from last season, and one that could eclipse the preseason prediction of seventh place within the Great Lakes region. now, to the women’s team. Led by defending acc champion and junior a nna rohrer, the irish return six of the seven individuals who took home second place at the Great Lakes regional last year. danielle a ragon will be missed, but her absence allows the opportunity for youth to shine. a ragon’s spot in the top

seven will most likely be filled by freshman a nna sophia Keller, an 11-time high school state champion who took home second place at the crusader open in a time of 17:14.2. Twice named the Gatorade illinois runner of the Year, Keller appears ready to contribute in a big way to the women’s team, as sparks said on aug. 30, that he expects the freshman to “step in and be a part of the top seven.”

Therefore, with the rest of the women’s top seven proven, yet eager to improve, the no. 8 irish should be able to compete with defending regional champion michigan for the Great Lakes regional championship, especially since the Wolverines lost top runner and senior erin Finn from last season’s squad.

a ll in all, the youth of both the men’s and women’s teams generates both uncertainty and excitement for their potential and ceiling. Whether the underclassmen will actually end up being the tipping point for both team’s to eclipse their expectations will remain to be seen, but at least one thing is certain: the future of both teams appears bright.

Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Volleyball

Woodard. The irish won in straight sets, 25-21, 25-19 and 2517. Junior libero ryann deJarld finished the contest with 22 digs and 6 assists. Woodard recorded 8 kills, 11 digs and 2 assists. in the third and final game of the tournament, the irish swept secondary host Toledo (2-4), winning the games 25-19, 25-19 and 25-17. Yeadon finished the match with a near double-double with 10 kills and 9 digs. holt had another solid performance, leading the team with 30 assists. rebecca nunge was named the bGsu/Toledo invitational mv P for her performance over the weekend, as the junior outside hitter posted 29 kills on 63 attempts while only making two errors for a hitting percentage of .429 throughout

the invitational, while also recording nine blocks. Yeadon and senior defensive specialist natalie Johnson also earned a llTournament team honors for the irish.

nunge was named acc coPlayer of the Week on monday, her first career conference honor. nunge shares the honor with miami senior setter haley Templeton, who tallied 128 assists over her squad’s three matches this weekend. in addition to having the best start since the program began the 2005 season 7-0, with their 6-0 record, the irish remain tied for first overall in the acc standings with miami.

The irish hope to stay perfect when they travel to conway, south carolina, for the coastal carolina classic, where they will compete against costal carolina, Florida international and no. 24 ohio state.

Irish maintain perfect season after road trip

Notre Dame sweeps BGSU/Toledo Invitational

Observer Sports Staff

notre dame remained unbeaten after sweeping the competition at the bgsu/Toledo Invitational.

In a doubleheader Friday night, the Irish (6-0) started the tournament off strong with a 3-1 victory over virginia commonwealth university, winning the first two sets 25-12, 23-25, before dropping the third 25-14. The Irish rallied in the fourth set to take the game, 25-22, handing them the match over the rams (3-2). both senior outside hitter sydney Kuhn and sophomore outside hitter Jemma Yeadon recorded double-doubles in the match. Kuhn finished with 17 kills and 13 digs, while Yeadon finished with 12 kills and 14 digs. senior setter caroline holt finished with 43 assists to go along with 6 digs.

To conclude the doubleheader, the Irish swept host bowling green (1-3) with a lineup that largely featured underclassmen, included setter monroe olsen and outside hitter hannah Thompson, both freshmen, and sophomore outside hitter lauren

Nd cross couNtry

McLaughlin made the right decision to move to ND

Jim m c l aughlin’s risk to coach n otre d ame is finally paying off.

c oming off arguably his best season professionally in 2014 — a 31-3 record with Washington capped off by a r ound of 16 appearance in the nc AA tournament — expectations were very high for m c l aughlin.

After all, the Irish head coach is the only coach to win a national volleyball title with both men’s and women’s teams, winning one on the men’s side of the sport with usc in 1990 and the other with Washington’s women in 2005. When m c l aughlin made the move back to n otre d ame in 2015 — he had spent one season as assistant coach for the Irish in 1996 — it seemed as if the program had found a coach that could resurrect a

Notre Dame’s fresh faces start season strong

Men begin season with a win, women place second

Observer Sports Staff

n otre d ame kicked off its regular season at the c rusader o pen in valparaiso, Indiana, on Friday. While both the men’s and women’s teams held back most of their top-ranked runners, they still found success, as the men’s team finished first overall in its competition, while the women’s team finished second overall.

h eld at s unset h ill Farm c ounty Park, the c rusader o pen included Purdue university, valparaiso university, Indiana university Fort Wayne and, for the women’s side of the competition, Western m ichigan university. The n o. 8-ranked women’s team competed in a 5K race, while the men’s team competed in a 6K.

o n the men’s side, freshman Yared n uguse finished in first place and won the meet with a time of 18:09.3 in the 6K. The

Youth will help Irish achieve new heights in coming season

In many sports, but perhaps most of all in running, youth is highly coveted.

The excitement, energy and potential that new runners bring can give a team a huge boost, and notre dame is hoping for a similar effect this season. While both the men’s and women’s teams are expected to maintain or exceed last season’s results, it could very well be the underclassmen that propel them to new heights.

First and foremost, this year the youth movement can be most clearly observed on the men’s side. The Irish had eight freshmen make their notre dame debuts at Friday’s crusader open in valparaiso, Indiana, and quite a few turned in impressive performances. Yared nuguse earned first place and won the meet with a time 18:09.03. vincent Zona