#44 Alena Christiansen 2008-09 Women's Basketball Roster

OVERVIEW: Added to roster as a walk-on player midway through last season … talented perimeter scorer who has become invaluable contributor to team, both on and off the court … tireless worker who constantly pushes her teammates with her effort in practice … adds further depth to Irish backcourt.

JUNIOR SEASON (2008-09): Appeared in six games, averaging 0.5 points, 0.2 rebounds and 0.3 steals per game … suited up for first time on Dec. 20 vs. Loyola-Chicago (less than 24 hours after being added to the roster) and instantly became fan favorite; played final five minutes, posting first career statistics (one point on 1-4 FT, one rebound, one steal) … made BIG EAST debut at DePaul, playing final 1:07 … scored two points vs. Georgetown, knocking down both of her free throw attempts in final minute … came on for final 1:13 of win over Cincinnati and last 13 seconds against Syracuse … made BIG EAST Championship debut in second-round win over St. John[apos]s, coming on in final minute to record a steal and shot attempt.

ALSO AT NOTRE DAME: Spent parts of her freshman and sophomore years as member of Notre Dame women[apos]s basketball program[apos]s ‘Sixth Man Team,’ a group of players (both male and female) that regularly practice against the Irish and often serve as opponent scout team … participated in Notre Dame[apos]s renowned Bookstore Basketball tournament in 2007 and 2008 … led her Bookstore team (named ‘Supreme Court’) to semifinal round in [apos]07 and finals in [apos]08, where they fell to eventual champion Anthony Travel, whose lineup included current Irish assistant coach Angie Potthoff-Barber and Sara Liebscher, a former Notre Dame women[apos]s basketball player from 1987-91 and currently the University[apos]s director of athletics advancement … also earned the Sportsmanship Award following the [apos]08 tournament.

HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year starter and two-year captain at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from 2002-06 … two-time all-state selection (first team in 2005, second team in 2006) … three-time all-Broward County honoree (2004-06) … named one of top 20 players in state by School Sports in 2005 … averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a senior in 2005-06, leading the Redskins to the Florida Class 3A regional semifinal … also took Broward County Athletic Association (BCAA) three-point shooting title in 2006 … BCAA and Big 8 All-Star Team selection … averaged 16.0 points and 3.0 steals per game as a junior, pacing CGHS to 3A regional final … ranked among top 15 scorers in Broward County each of final two seasons … lead team in scoring each of final three seasons … one of handful of players in school history to score at least 1,000 career points … received Division I scholarship offer to play basketball at Colgate University, but elected to accept admission to Notre Dame (which has been her ‘dream school’ since eighth grade) … National Honor Society.

PERSONAL DATA: Born Jan. 14, 1988, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. … youngest of three children … first name pronounced uh-LAY-nuh … daughter of Lynne and Mike Christiansen … family has long lineage at Notre Dame and/or nearby Saint Mary[apos]s College, with nine different relatives having graduated from one of the two schools … brother, Eric, is a 2006 ND graduate, while mother, Lynne, matriculated from SMC in 1972 … grandfather Frank Mastriana was a 1939 ND graduate … uncle Ron Mastriana (ND [apos]70), aunts Ruth Mastriana (SMC [apos]81) and Denise DeBartolo York (SMC [apos]72), great-uncle Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. (ND [apos]37), and cousins Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. (ND [apos]68 – also her godfather) and Jed York (ND [apos]03) also graduated from the universities … the DeBartolo family and the DeBartolo Corporation have been generous contributors to Notre Dame for many years, including funding for several buildings on campus (DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, DeBartolo Hall and DeBartolo Quad) … the DeBartolo family also owned the NHL[apos]s Pittsburgh Penguins when they won Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992, and have owned the NFL[apos]s San Francisco 49ers since 1977, helping the franchise to a league-record five Super Bowl titles (Denise DeBartolo York and her husband, John, a 1971 ND graduate, are the franchise[apos]s co-chairs, while Jed York is team president) … eighth Florida resident to join the Irish and the first since Le[apos]Tania Severe (Pembroke Pines/Fort Lauderdale HS) graduated in 2004 … enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, where she is a marketing major with a 3.487 cumulative grade-point average … dean[apos]s list honoree in spring 2009 with 3.75 semester GPA … some other Notre Dame players who wore No. 44 include Heidi Bunek, Tootie Jones and Meaghan Leahy.

Christiansen[apos]s Career Statistics

Christiansen in the BIG EAST Conference