June 15, 2000
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame track All-American Alison Klemmer (Troy, Mich.), men’s lacrosse captain Steve Fiamingo (Cincinnati, Ohio) and men’s golfer Jeff Connell (LaCrosse, Wis.) have been named to the GTE Academic All-America Spring At-Large Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Klemmer was a second-team honoree in the women’s division after eaning third-team recognition in 1999, while Fiamingo copped second-team honors and Connell garnered third-team accolades in the men’s program. The naming of the three brings Notre Dame’s number of Academic All-Americans for the 1999-2000 school year to nine, equaling the total of the 1995-96 campaign (the second most in school history).
Notre Dame ranks second all-time among Division I schools with 122 Academic All-American selections, with those recipients coming from 22 different sports. In the last two academic years alone, Notre Dame has totaled 16 Academic All-Americans from 13 different sports.
Throughout her career, Klemmer consistently ranked as the top distance runner for the Notre Dame women’s cross country and track and field teams. She became the school’s first-ever women’s distance All-American in the 10,000 meters in 1998 and then repeated her All-American status in 1999 with a seventh-pace finish. She also was a member of Irish women’s cross country team which participated at the 1999 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Klemmer graduated with a cumulative 3.81 grade point average from the College of Science with a degree in biology and was an eight-time Dean’s List honoree.
Fiamingo, a four-year starter for the Irish on defense in 2000, becomes the second men’s lacrosse player to earn Academic All-America honors in the program’s history. He led the Irish to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament as the Irish finished with a 10-4 record. He tallied his first two collegiate goals this season against Army and Loyola and was one of 11 goal scorers in Notre Dame’s 15-13 first round upset of No. 5 Greyhounds in the NCAA tournament first round. The Irish captain boasted the highest grade point average on the lacrosse team and was a member of the Dean’s List all eight semesters. A member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Fiamingo attended the European Leadership Conference for Arthur Andersen in the fall of 1999 and has served internships with Arthur Andersen and Price Waterhouse/Coopers in the last two summers. He graduated with a cumulative 3.74 grade point average from the College of Business with a degree in accounting.
Connell, the first Irish men’s golfer to earn Academic All-America honors, posted team-best finishes at the Treasure Coast Classic (5th, 223) and Marshall Invitational (11th, 220) in 1999-2000. His career stroke average of 75.85 ranks second in Notre Dame history among players with 50-plus rounds played. Connell had seven career top-20 finishes, including second at the 1999 Kentucky Invitational and third at the 1998 Butler Invitational. A Dean’s List student all eight semesters at Notre Dame, he was one of 32 student-athletes who participated in the Academic Honors faculty mentoring program. A member of the Golf Coaches Association Scholar Team, Connell received his degree in accounting from the College of Business and graduated with a 3.74 cumulative grade point average.