...team and at their peak reached the Final Four. A year or two ago they were the last team in off the bubble and I can't remember the last time they made the Sweet 16. Notre Dame used to be seen as in the next tier down after the small group of teams that dominate the sport. Now they're a tier or two lower than that. They've taken a significant step back while programs like Michigan and Ohio State have made a major leap forward (sound familiar?).
We're letting a legendary (by ND tennis standards) coach hang on too long and the steady decline might end up undoing a lot of the work he did in building the program.
.... tennis programs the past few years. ND should do better than that.
I don't think ND has a realistic chance of ever being a consistent power in rowing.
But the men's team should still be better than it is.
... and a once perennial Top 10 team nationally, is now barely in the Top 10 in the ACC.
... in the same region (e.g. Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana) recruit very well. Perhaps Wisconsin is a bridge too far because their XC has been so good for so long that they are recruiting broadly on top of good local talent. But I don't know why we can't recruit with the others.