When Notre Dame All-Americans Kasey Choma and Madison Ahern aren’t making connections all over the field at Arlotta, they’re sitting in the same classrooms at the Mendoza College of Business.
Choma and Ahern, both senior business majors, have spent most of their time in South Bend together, and it’s paying dividends — maybe never more so than in their Business Problem Solving class in the Fall 2021.
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, they listened as business representatives explained the issues they faced. Then, in groups, students came up with a plan to solve those problems — all while representatives from consulting firms like McKinsey, Ernst & Young and Deloitte watch on.
Choma and Ahern both passed with flying colors, but it wasn’t without pressure. As each presented their solutions, they knew where to look for encouragement.
“We’d always look at each other to calm us down,” Ahern said.
“I’d look up at Madison and see her, and she would nod like, ‘You’re doing good,’” Choma said.
The bond they’ve developed over four years at Notre Dame is more powerful than most in college lacrosse. Together, the No. 1 and 2 recruits in the Class of 2019 have helped each other both on and off the field.
Choma, the fiery competitor with a knack for clutch goals, and Ahern, the calm, pragmatic and analytical mind who can find an open teammate in a sea of defenders, are aware of their opposite personalities. In the heat of a game (or business presentation), they’ve learned to become each other’s rock.
“There’s definitely an amazing bond that we’ve got out on the field, just wanting each other to succeed,” Choma said. “To be able to have someone you can look to to reassure you, that just gives me so much confidence.”
The goal was clear early — they wanted to bring Notre Dame women’s lacrosse to new heights. The Irish face Boston College on Thursday in the NCAA quarterfinals with a chance to do just that.
“Because this is not the traditional path, Notre Dame as a lacrosse program, that just makes this run even sweeter,” Ahern said. “We’ve said all week that we’re the only team left in the tournament without a [seeding] number next to us. We just have to beat everyone on the road along the way to get where we want.”
The bond between Ahern and Choma spans an entire decade — back to when Ahern, the Massachusetts native, met Choma, the Long Island product, at a Brine National Showcase in Summer 2012.
Choma was suiting up to play with some of the best sixth graders in the country when she caught a glimpse of Ahern playing catch with her father.
“She was throwing behind-the-backs and Twizzlers,” Choma remembered. “I was like, ‘Wow, she’s really good.’ We ended up playing on the same team, and we had so much fun.”
From the fields of Long Island to the campus of Notre Dame, Ahern and Choma crossed paths plenty. With both trying out for the U.S. U19 team, they were well acquainted by the time they arrived in South Bend.
They were part of a recruiting class that was the best in program history — signaling a new era for Notre Dame.
“We wanted to take Notre Dame to the Final Four,” Ahern said. “We both wanted the more challenging path, instead of going to a more storied program. We wanted to make an impact in the culture and leadership, finally taking the step to the next level.”
Playing time was hard to come by as freshmen in 2020, but Ahern carved out a role as a feeder at X, and Choma settled into her spot as a cutter off the 8-meter. From there, the chemistry began to grow with each passing goal.
