Marquette will host reigning champion Notre Dame in 2018
The Golden Eagles will not have an easy non-conference schedule in 2018, hosting Notre Dame Dec. 22 at the Al McGuire Center.
The Fighting Irish are coming off a national championship after Milwaukee native Arike Ogunbowale hit her second consecutive buzzer-beater to edge Mississippi State.
Notre Dame was 35-3 in 2017-’18, which included a 91-86 overtime thriller against Marquette. Six Golden Eagles recorded double figures, but Marquette could not hold onto a 73-70 lead with 44 seconds left.
Ogunbowale, last year’s Final Four Most Outstanding Player, poses the biggest threat to Marquette after a program-record 791 total points in 2017-’18. She earned All-ACC First Team, All-ACC Tournament First Team, Wooden Award National Ballot, USBWA Second Team All-America and also WBCA All-America honors last season.
Marquette will return all five starters in 2018-’19: Danielle King, Natisha Hiedeman, Allazia Blockton, Erika Davenport and Amani Wilborn. Blockton was named BIG EAST Player of the Year last season.
Golden Eagles Alumni triumph in BIG EAST pod
After a 96-76 win over Seton Hall’s alumni team, Marquette’s alumni team will make its third consecutive trip to the Super 16.
Golden Eagles Alumni also eliminated the Johnnies 78-67 Saturday despite trailing for much of the first half. Jamil Wilson hit six threes in a row in just nine minutes after missing his first five threes.
The team will be looking for its third Elite Eight appearance July 28 in Atlanta but will not know the opponent until July 22.
Former men’s lacrosse players, Amplo will participate in MLL All-Star Game
Former men’s lacrosse midfielders Liam Byrnes and Jacob Richard will play in the Major League Lacrosse 2018 All-Star Game Thursday in Boston.
Both players graduated in 2016 and will play for Team USA against the MLL All-Stars. Marquette head coach Joe Amplo is an assistant coach on the team. Team USA will begin play July 12 at the 2018 FIL World Championships in Netanya, Israel.
Byrnes has been playing for the Atlanta Blaze since he was traded from the Florida Launch last season. He has posted a career-high 34 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers through nine games this season.
At Marquette, Byrnes was a 2016 BIG EAST Conference Defensive Player of the Year and USILA Second Team All-American. He is the only player in Marquette history with over 200 career ground balls and 100 caused turnovers.
Richard has been playing for the Charlotte Hounds alongside Marquette volunteer assistant coach and Team USA attacker Ryan Brown. Richard was a USILA Third Team All-American as a senior at Marquette.
