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For the last two years, Notre Dame has been the standard in Division I lacrosse.
The two-time defending national champion Irish start their quest for a third straight ring when they host Cleveland State on Wednesday, Feb. 12. For the last eight months, the Fighting Irish have been trying to figure out how you replace almost two dozen seniors that are now gone.
Ultimately, it’s a team job. Many of the guys on the current roster learned how to lead from a young age around some of the best players while on their respective NLF teams. Guys like the All-American trio of senior attackman Chris Kavanagh, senior SSDM Ben Ramsey and sophomore defenseman Shawn Lyght all find themselves in a bigger leadership role.
Kavanagh Steps Out of the Shadow
Questions for the former Taft (Conn.) and Long Island Express star about writing his own story following in his brothers’ footsteps have gotten tiresome for Kavanagh. Kavanagh feels as if he’s written plenty of his own chapters at this point, particularly after he earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors on Memorial Day.
“I think I’ve written my own story for the last three years, but doing it with your brother is pretty special,” Kavanagh said. “Not a lot of people can say they’ve won two championships with their brother. People always ask me about writing my own story and I think I’ve written a good story about myself.
“But, a lot of the success has happened with my brother, so it’ll always be part of my story.”
The Target Gets Bigger
Now, the only thing left for Kavanagh to do on his own is help lead the program to Gillette Stadium in May.
“A big focal point for this senior group is, ‘how can we put the team in the best position to win?’ We’re taking it one day at a time,” he added. “Obviously, we’re going to have a big target on our back after two straight.”
Kavanagh credits where he’s at now and the leadership skills he’ll have to continue applying largely to the early opportunities he had with the LI Express.
“It provided us with the best opportunity to play against the best kids in the country,” he said. “When I was a sophomore or a freshman, it kind of puts kids in the right places, brings the best teams together from all areas and I definitely think it sets you up for future success.”
Ramsey’s Influence Elevates Irish
In Ramsey’s case, growing up in California where lacrosse is still on the rise, it’s hard to really know just where you stand against truly elite talent until you get into it at the club and then college level. A West Coast Starz and ADVNC alum who shined at Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.), Ramsey has consistently found a way to carve out a monumental impact with the Irish.
“Being able to be a West Coast player and get exposure to the best lacrosse in some of those NLF tournaments was amazing,” said Ramsey. “My dad played club for Maryland and had a stick in my hand since I can remember. Tom Barnds who played for Princeton back in the day and guys like Chris Rotelli, Doug Appleton, they were Northern Cali pioneers of sorts and guys I would thank a ton as far as my love for the game.”
Now, Ramsey is a two-time defending national champion. He’s a crucial part of the core looking to maintain the standard set in South Bend.
“As much as possible, we just want to be present and focus on getting better every day,” Ramsey said. “If we do that, then things will come.”
Lyght Came on Quick for Freshman Defenseman
For Lyght, coming from a hotbed of lacrosse always provided challenges against some of the best players in the country. Still, there’s always that ‘welcome to the show’ kind of moment for every kid at the Division I level. The Leading Edge and Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) product handled his assimilation well. He started every game and collected All-America honors as a true freshman.
“I would say NLF helped me a ton,” Lyght acknowledged. “Just from playing with the best kids every weekend, playing with the best kids at practice and then playing for Leading Edge, it’s treated like a college program. The practices, the demand of it, what we were learning was all at the college level almost. So, I feel like that helped with my adjustment and getting acclimated as quickly as I could.
“I guess I didn’t really realize (that I belonged at the Division I level as a freshman) until about halfway through the season, having Pat (Kavanagh) and Chris there at practice every day and some other guys who don’t really get the recognition. Then, I was guarding the top guys in the country and finding some success with it. I’d say middle of the season is when I fully found my way and knew I belonged.”
“We’re Not Defending Champions”
Everyone will talk about the Fighting Irish trying to threepeat this spring. Notre Dame simply can’t look at it that way.
“Having as many seniors and fifth years graduate as we did, I think it just feels different in the sense that we have a completely new team. (Notre Dame head coach) Coach (Kevin Corrigan) always says, ‘we’re not defending champions,” Ramsey said.
“It’s just about sticking to what we believe in, how our coach prepares us and trying to do our best to form a good culture in the locker room, especially after 20 guys left,” Kavanagh added.
The recipe’s working for the Irish. No need to deviate from it.
