Lauren Fowlkes Class: Sophomore Hometown: Lee's Summit, MO High School: St. Teresa's Height: 5-10 Position: Defender/Midfielder Birthdate: 07/06/1988 Club Team: KC Dynamos

Multi-faceted midfielder who combines size (5-10) with tremendous playmaking and strong leadership skills ... could fill big role on 2007 team, as her varied talents encompass some of the unique traits possessed by both departed midfielders (Jen Buczkowski and Jill Krivacek) ... boasts excellent field vision and the special ability to make others around her better ... a creative and composed player with great touch on the ball ... highly technical player with a deep knowledge of the game's nuances ... imposing presence who is strong in the air ... has rare combination of being able to take over a game individually while maintaining her leadership role as an ultimate team player ... has experienced high levels of success with ODP and club teams (her K.C. Dynamos squad won the 2001 national title) while also training on the national-team level with the under-17 program ... showed the ability to play multiple positions earlier in her career and may be shifted around with the 2007 Irish, pending the health status and positional roles for several teammates ... six of her former teammates play for BIG EAST teams: UConn's Annie Yi and Louisville's Kate Cunningham (both with ODP Region II), Gina DeMaio of Rutgers (Adidas all-star team) and Marquette players Katie Kelly (K.C. Dynamos), Mackenzie Ayer (KCFC Alliance Pumas) and Caitlin Harris (Pumas and Region II) ... could face several other former teammates in 2007, including seven who also were members of U.S. Under-17 National Team: UNC's Tobin Heath, Ali Hawkins, Rachel Givan and Nikki Washington, Penn State's Melissa Hayes, Santa Clara's Jane Alukonis, and Stanford teammates Kelley O'Hara and Kristin Shannard (also played with SCU's Lindsay Johnson on Adidas all-star team) ... joins Notre Dame women's soccer program that has included three previous players from Missouri (all St. Louis natives and Visitation HS products): defender Heather Murphy ('89), forward Mimi Suba ('88-'90; captain in '90) and forward Michelle McCarthy ('92-'95; second-leading scorer for '95 NCAA champs) ... will wear Buczkowski's old number-nine jersey ... others who have worn number nine include midfielder Tiffany Thompson ('91-'94) and forward Monica Gerardo ('95-'98), who led the 1995 NCAA champs in scoring.

NATIONAL TEAM NOTES: Tabbed for 2005 NSCAA youth All-America honors while serving as top center back and team captain for 2005 Adidas Under-17 all-star team that toured Scotland, Germany and Holland ... helped that team post 1-0 win over Scotland's Under-18 National Team and tie the full Dutch National Team (1-1) ... member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team in 2004 ... attended 2002 Nike National Camp, in Deerfield, Mass.

ODP/CLUB HIGHLIGHTS: Member of ODP Region II team from 2002-06 (1988 birthday group) ... played center back with '87s Region II team at Houston Showcase, in 1-1 tie with Canada's U-18 team ... attended 2004 ODP National Camp (Seattle) and competed in Germany, Holland and Austria with Region II (2004) ... three-year participant ('02-'04) at Boca Raton Interregional, helping Region II win the tournament in 2003 ('04 captain) ... . attended 2003 ESP National Camp with Region II, scoring team's only goal in the camp, versus Region I (1-0) ... five-year member of Missouri state ODP team (2001-05) ... has played several years with the Kansas-based KC Metro Dynamos '89s club (she was slowed in 2006 by a knee injury) ... won under-14 national title in 2001, with KC Dynamos '87s while playing up two age groups ... scored game-winning goal in 2001 national-title game (1-0 vs. Chantilly Inter Milan, from Virginia), as Dynamos became first soccer club from Kansas to win a national championship ... helped Dynamos win two Region II titles (2001, over team from Chicago, and '06) while reaching the regional final three other times (2000, '02 and '03) and claiming seven state titles (1999-2003, '06 and '07) ... the Dynamos opened the 2007 Region II Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, with a 3-3 tie versus a Carmel Cyclones team that included current Notre Dame sophomore defender Rachel VanderGenutgen (the Dynamos then posted a 4-0 win over Louisville SA but dropped an 8-2 game to Cincinnati United) ... her two-state club resume has included playing with the KCFC Alliance Pumas '88s (2004 Kansas state champs) and the JB Marine Soccer Club '88s (2005 Missouri state champs).

PREP & PERSONAL: Received 2007 Parade high school All-America honors following senior season at St. Teresa's Academy ... named 2007 Gatorade state player of the year for Missouri ... led St. Teresa's to conference and state titles in her sophomore and junior seasons ('05, '06) ... served as 2007 team captain ... member of 2006 squad that knocked off nation's top-ranked team (St. Joseph's) in state semifinals (3-0) before beating Fort Zumwaly in 4-0 final ... helped beat Incarnate Word Academy (2-1) in 2005 state-title game to cap undefeated season for nationally-ranked team ... scored game-winning goal in overtime of 2005 state quarterfinals ... named first team all-district and second team all-state in each of her first three seasons (then first team all-state in 2007) ... an all-conference performer all four seasons, (all-city as a sophomore) ... named to the 2007 Brine Classic all-tournament team and an all-tournament pick at 2007 Missouri-Kansas Challenge ... played varsity basketball as a sophomore ... an honors student (4.6 GPA) and member of the National Honor Society and student government ... received 2006 Presidential Service Award ... born July 6, 1988, in Kansas City, Mo. ... daughter of Brian and Jeanne Fowlkes ... full name is Lauren Ann Fowlkes ... enrolled in the First Year of Studies.