NDP Volleyball

CONGRATULATIONS to Notre Dame Prep senior Nicole McDowell on being named to the 2026 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Best and Brightest First Team! This prestigious recognition celebrates senior student-athletes who excel both in the classroom and on the court. To be eligible for the Best and Brightest Award, senior student-athletes must have earned at least a 3.5 unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale during their junior year and play in 50% of their varsity team’s sets during their senior season. As one of just two seniors on this year’s varsity volleyball team, McDowell has earned this outstanding distinction in her final year of high school athletics. We are proud of Nicole for representing Notre Dame Prep with excellence, dedication and academic achievement. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor! #NotreDamePrep #NDPVolleyball #AVCA #BestAndBrightest #StudentAthlete #Volleyball #AcademicExcellence

HOMECOMING WEEK wouldn’t be complete without our annual upper school powderpuff game! Today’s matchup featured our freshmen and seniors in pink jerseys taking on our sophomores and juniors in white. Both teams brought plenty of energy, determination and school spirit to the field in a fun, hard-fought battle. In the end, the white jerseys came away with an 18-12 victory! Congratulations to both teams for a great game and for bringing the competitive spirit to Homecoming Week! And check out the great photo album on our Facebook page. #HOCO2026 #Powderpuff #NDPIrish #SchoolSpirit #HomecomingWeek2026

What if a high school strength and conditioning program was about much more than getting stronger? At Notre Dame Preparatory School, it is. Under Strength and Conditioning Coach Christian Polega, NDP’s program is built around a deliberate four-year progression designed to help student-athletes move well, build strength, develop speed and power, stay healthy and ultimately thrive. Freshmen begin by establishing a foundation of movement, mobility and stability. As they progress through high school, training becomes increasingly focused on strength, speed and performance—with each student-athlete’s development, sport, experience and individual needs taken into account. But the program’s ultimate goal goes far beyond what happens in the weight room. It is about teaching students how to set goals, accept coaching, track progress, respond to adversity, practice discipline and commit to a process that takes time. And it is about developing young people spiritually, mentally and physically as they grow closer to God and become the best versions of themselves. As Coach Polega puts it, the work of becoming a stronger athlete is connected to the work of becoming a stronger person. Our latest deep-dive takes a closer look at what makes NDP’s strength and conditioning program distinctive — from its four-year developmental approach and individualized training to its emphasis on preparation, injury prevention, accountability and whole-person development. Read the full story at ndprep.org/strength-preparat… to learn more about how NDP is redefining what can happen in a high school weight room. #NotreDamePrep #NDP #StrengthAndConditioning #StudentAthletes #AthleticDevelopment #WholePersonDevelopment

GIRLS SWIMMING: Today at the Oakland County Girls Swim and Dive Championship at Waterford Kettering High School, the Irish got the first state cut of the season in 200-medley with a time of 1:58.43, dropping four seconds from previous fastest time. Seniors Amy Suroweic, Berkleigh Kennedy, Maya Hajjar and Alexis Abraham.

A FIRST FOR MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL COACHING! Notre Dame Prep’s Gary Sharpe will make history on Nov. 8 in Midland, Michigan, when he receives the Michigan High School Coaches Association’s first-ever 60-year service award at the 2026 MHSCA Annual Years of Service Awards and Coach of the Year Banquet. It’s a remarkable milestone for a coach whose career has spanned six decades and included conference, district and regional championships in basketball and football, as well as a lasting impact on generations of student-athletes. A 2023 MHSCA Hall of Fame inductee, Sharpe has been part of the Notre Dame Prep community since 2013. Today, he continues coaching freshman basketball at NDP and serves as an upper school substitute teacher. Congratulations, Coach Sharpe, on 60 extraordinary years of coaching, leadership and service. We’re proud to call you part of the NDP family. #GoIrish #GoGary #NDPFamily #60Years #CoachingLegacy #GOAT

Notre Dame Prep once again welcomed high school coaches from across Southeast Michigan today as the MHSAA's Coaches Advancement Program (CAP) returned to campus for a full day of professional development in the school's library. The training featured both CAP Level 1 and CAP Level 3 courses, providing new and veteran coaches with continuing education through one of the nation's most respected high school coaching development programs. CAP coursework is required for many newly hired varsity coaches in Michigan and is designed to strengthen leadership, sportsmanship and educational athletics. Leading today's sessions was NDP Associate Athletic Director Aaron Crouse, who has served as an MHSAA CAP instructor for years. His continued role as a presenter — and Notre Dame Prep's longstanding tradition of hosting these sessions — reflects the confidence the MHSAA places in both Aaron's expertise and the school's commitment to educational excellence on and off the playing field. #NotreDamePrep #NDPIrish #MHSAA #CoachesAdvancementProgram #EducationalAthletics #CoachEducation #HighSchoolSports #Leadership #MichiganAthletics