The University of Notre Dame Athletics Communications office, a part of Fighting Irish Media (FIM), has finalized its staff for the 2022-23 school year. The award-winning unit has added four former collegiate student-athletes to the team and continues to work with over 700 student-athletes and service hundreds of media members each year.
Under the leadership of University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick, FIM earned Hashtag Sports’ Best in Sports Communication Strategy award in 2022 for its work during the football coaching transition in late 2021. Additionally, the team was named finalists in the “crisis communications” category from PRovoke Media during their yearly Sabre Awards honoring the best in public relations (PR).
In the near future, FIM’s departmental leads will be finalized and unveiled after a restructuring process over the past academic year.
The following are members of the communications team dedicated to educating, elevating and empowering our student-athletes, coaches and staff on a daily basis in relations to PR, media relations, brand building, marketing and more.
Aaron Horvath
Advisor to the Director of Athletics
Senior Associate Athletics Director – Media, Brand and Communications
- Communications contact for Director of Athletics
A native of northern Indiana, Horvath is entering his eighth year in South Bend, holding five different positions during his tenure. A 2011 graduate of Indiana University, he went on to receive his M.B.A. in 2015. Horvath resides in South Bend with his wife, Lauren, and dog, Doug(las).
Katy Lonergan
Associate Athletics Director – Strategic and Football Communications
Email: klonerg2@nd.edu
- Primary Football Communications and Strategy
- Athletic Department Strategic Communications
A native of Kansas City, Lonergan is in her third year with Fighting Irish Media after previous stops at the University of Kansas (KU) and Ole Miss. Lonergan holds a bachelor’s degree from KU and is a dog mom to Archie, the Golden Receiver, and Eli, the Wide Retriever.
Alan Wasielewski
Assistant Athletics Director – Team Communications
Email: awasiele@nd.edu
- Athletic Communications Team Leader
- Football Media Operations
A native of South Bend, Indiana, Wasielewski is in his 22nd year with the Notre Dame Athletics Department and has spent time in both the athletic communication and video production branches of Fighting Irish Media. A Notre Dame graduate, Wasielewski spent time in the Navy prior to attending Our Lady’s University.
Josh Bates
Associate Athletics Communications Director
Email: jbates2@nd.edu
- Men’s Basketball
- Women’s Soccer
- Awards Liaison
A St. Louis native, Bates is entering his sixth year at Notre Dame. He earned both his bachelor’s (2011) and master’s degrees (2014) from the University of Illinois. He has worked at Illinois and Tulane prior to Notre Dame.
Robby Hamman
Associate Athletics Communications Director
Email: rhamman@nd.edu
- Men’s Soccer
- Men’s Lacrosse
- Women’s Lacrosse
- Student Worker Program
An Indiana native, Hamman is entering his seventh season with Fighting Irish Media after stops at Penn State, Oklahoma University, Mercer and Defiance College. A former collegiate student-athlete at Bethel University, Hamman obtained his M.B.A. in 2013.
Katharine Harvath
Associate Athletics Communications Director
Email: kharvath@nd.edu
- Hockey
- Rowing
Harvath, who was previously an intern in the Athletic Communications Office from 2017-2019, returns to Notre Dame for the 2022-23 season following stints at Vanderbilt and Northern Michigan. Harvath earned her bachelor’s degree (2018) from Bowling Green State University and was also a member of the figure skating program.
Nicole Kirk
Assistant Athletics Communications Director
Email: nleighty@nd.edu
- Men’s and Women’s Cross Country
- Men’s and Women’s Track & Field
- Men’s and Women’s Fencing
- Women’s Golf
- Warren Golf Course
- Notre Dame Football Game Day Program
Nicole Kirk is a native of Maryland and is in her second year with Fighting Irish Media after working at the University of Northern Colorado. A former college field hockey student-athlete, Kirk earned her bachelor’s (2018) and master’s degrees (2020) from Frostburg State.
Ashton Pollard
Associate Athletics Communications Director
Email: apollar2@nd.edu
- Women’s Basketball
- Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving
One of the newest additions to the athletics communication staff, Pollard, originally from Richmond, Virginia, joined the Fighting Irish Media team in September of 2022 after covering Notre Dame football and baseball as a journalist. A former swimming student-athlete at the University of Pennsylvania, Pollard went on to receive her masters degree from Medill at Northwestern University in 2020.
Alyson Prigge
Associate Athletics Communications Director
Email: aprigge@nd.edu
- Volleyball
- Baseball
- Men’s Golf
Born and raised in Northwest Ohio, Prigge joined Fighting Irish Media in August of this year after covering Grand Valley State athletics in Grand Rapids, MI. She is a 2020 graduate of Goshen College where she was a member of the women’s basketball team.
Dan Wacker
Associate Athletics Communications Director
Email: dwacker@nd.edu
- Secondary Football Contact
- Football Credentials
- Softball
- Men’s Tennis, Women’s Tennis
Wacker is entering his second season with Fighting Irish Media, working with the football, men’s and women’s tennis and softball programs. A Wisconsin native, Wacker came to Notre Dame after previous stops at the University of Richmond, UNC Greensboro and Indiana State.