Irish earn No. 1 ranking for first time in school history
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer
In the middle of October, Ruth Riley happened to walk near Grace Hall and noticed the eight-foot high No. 1 sign illuminated on top of the building.
"We passed it when it was up for the soccer team," Riley said. "I remember thinking in that back of my mind how cool it would be if we could have it up for us."
Now it is.
For the first time in the 24-year history of the Notre Dame women's basketball program, the Irish are ranked No. 1.
In both the Associated Press and ESPN coaches' polls released Monday, Notre Dame jumped from No. 3 to claim the top spot following wins over Connecticut and Seton Hall last week.
Connecticut dropped to No. 2 and Tennessee moved down to No. 3. The Irish received 40 of a possible 41 first place votes in the Associated Press poll, and 33 of a possible 40 first place votes in the ESPN coaches poll.
"We're just so excited about the No. 1 ranking," said Irish head coach Muffet McGraw. "We've just made a major step forward in our program.
Notre Dame, the nation's only remaining unbeaten team, ended Connecticut's 30-week hold on the top slot by beating the Huskies 92-76 last Monday.
Connecticut's drop in the rankings marks the first time since 1999 that the Huskies have not been ranked No. 1. It is also the first time in seven years that two schools from the same conference held the first and second positions in the same poll.
"Everybody has a shot to come out and be a great team," said senior Neile Ivey. "I think we proved that. Nobody thought we'd be as good as we are."
"We've thought of ourselves as No. 1 for a long time, but nobody outside Notre Dame really recognized that," senior Kelley Seimon said.
Although the team's focus remains on winning the national championship, Riley admitted that it feels good to receive national recognition.
"A lot of the focus is on how you end the season," she said. "But because this is a first for the University, it makes it special."
Even though the ranking is a first, the Irish have felt they belonged at the top all season.
"People are going to start noticing that Notre Dame is a powerhouse team," said junior Ericka Haney. "We've been in the top three all year, and all we'd hear would be Connecticut and Tennessee. We kind of thought, `What about us?'"
Although the ranking thrills them, the Irish know they still have a long way to go.
"We're going to have a lot of confidence," Ivey said. "But we have to realize that we have to give 110 percent in every practice. If we don't, we're not going to be No. 1."
"The big question now is how we are going to react," said McGraw. "Are we going to be nervous or tentative, or are we going to keep playing with the same confidence we have had the entire season?"
Notre Dame's first game as the No. 1 team will be Wednesday when they travel to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, January 23, 2001
