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Notre Dame Athletics: The Inaugural Slappy Awards!

By J.P. Scott

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 01: Head coach Muffet McGraw of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish cuts down the net after her team defeated the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on April 1, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs 61-58. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 01: Head coach Muffet McGraw of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish cuts down the net after her team defeated the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on April 1, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs 61-58. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 21: Notre Dame Fighting Irish players celebrate after a 49-14 win against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium on October 21, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The writers here at Slap the Sign are proud to announce the first ever “Slappy Awards”, honoring the very best of Notre Dame athletics during the calendar year.

I like awards, you like awards, WE ALL LIKE AWARDS! We here at Slap The Sign are proud to present you with the first ever “Slappy Awards.” Our writers have chimed in with their thoughts as to who was the best of the best when it comes to Notre Dame athletics during the 2017-18 academic year.

We have seven categories: Best Team, Best Coach, Best Male Athlete, Best Female Athlete, Best Newcomer (Freshman, Redshirt Freshman or Transfer), Best Play and Best Game.

We hope you enjoy this fun little Summer exercise. We hope to make “the Slappies” an annual happening!

First up:

Best Team

Carlee North: This is easy. The Women’s basketball team. The girls team went through a rough season when it came to injuries and somehow, some way, they still ended up winning the national championship. Historic and unreal season.

Nathan Erbach:  Men’s Hockey. Everyone will want to go with women’s basketball here because of the National Championship, but Men’s Hockey was dominant from start to finish this past season. Yes, they wound up losing the National Championship, but there is no doubting how good they were all year long.

In their first season in the Big Ten, they were regular season and Big Ten tournament champs, all while finishing an amazing 28-10-2 overall. They even had a stretch of 16 consecutive wins, which in hockey is crazy. Women’s basketball left with rings, but Men’s hockey was the best Notre Dame team this season.

Jack Leniart: Women’s Basketball. If you had to describe this team with only one word, it would be resilient. Few teams have what it takes to overcome the bad injury luck Notre Dame faced this past season. They lost a total of four players to ACL injuries before 2017 ended. Most thought they would still make the NCAAW Tournament, but feared their ceiling was lower due to the lack of depth.

And we were all wrong.

This team came to play night in and night out. The Irish faced multiple double-digit deficits in the tournament and always found a way to fight back. They collectively believed that they could overcome any obstacle in their way, and, at the end of the season, they were left holding the trophy.

Sonny Martinez: Women’s Basketball. The Women’s basketball team won the National Title and finished with a 35-3 record. As a whole, the season was phenomenal, not just the final two games.

Connor McJunkin: Men’s Hockey. Even though they fell short of winning the National Championship, a 16-game winning streak and winning the regular season and tournament championship in their first season as a member of the Big Ten should not go unnoticed. It was an amazing year for the Irish on the ice.

J.P. Scott: Women’s Basketball. Between the injuries and the NCAA Tournament run, it’s tough to top them. The entire cast of characters — not just Arike — made the girls must-see TV all season.

And the Slappy goes to:

Women’s Basketball

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