The Workshop
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Personal Briefing

🌅Personal Briefing - Thursday, April 16, 2026

Good morning. Three Red Rocks compete for individual NCAA titles in Fort Worth tonight, ND women's lacrosse closes the regular season this afternoon, and the Ohio State Spring Game is Saturday. Here's what's new.

🏃Training

🏃Today's Plan

🏃 Today (Thursday): 10-min easy run · 10-min abs · 5-min stretch Z2 balance is at 43% (target ≥80%) - easy effort today to bring it back up.

Best window: Lunch - 40°F, partly cloudy , wind 16 mph

📊This Week

Fri: rest · rest · stretch if you feel like it - full rest - recharge before Saturday's long run Sat: 20-min easy run · optional 5-min abs · 8-min stretch - long run day - 20 min easy

This week: 2 runs · 2.1 mi · 16 min Zone check: 43% easy - ⚠️ below target. Your easy days are still too fast, RT. Slow down to 9:30+/mi on easy days.

Recent runs:

  • Wed 04-08 · 1.1 mi · 9 min · 8:17/mi (Z3)
  • Thu 04-09 · 1.1 mi · 9 min · 8:16/mi (Z3)
  • Sat 04-11 · 2.3 mi · 21 min · 9:06/mi (easy)
  • Mon 04-13 · 1.1 mi · 9 min · 8:09/mi (Z3)
  • Tue 04-14 · 1 mi · 7 min · 6:59/mi (Z5)

✓ 6 family walk(s) this week - keep it up, those matter too.

☘️Notre Dame Sports

🥍Lacrosse

Women's regular-season finale is today. The Irish (10-5, 5-4 ACC) host Louisville this afternoon at 5:00 PM ET - their last chance to build momentum before the ACC Tournament after the 4OT heartbreaker at Syracuse. WNDU's preview notes the team is looking to "bounce back" on Arlotta Stadium's natural grass.

On the men's side, No. 1 Notre Dame heads to Duke on Saturday. ESPN currently lists Duke at No. 15 (some preseason polls had them as high as No. 8); the two programs share one of the more heated rivalries in the ACC, so expect a physical game. Streaming on ESPNU, noon ET.

Upcoming:

  • Women's: vs. Louisville - Today (Thu, April 16), 5:00 PM ET (home)
  • Men's: at Duke - Sat, April 18, 12:00 PM ET (ESPNU)
  • Men's: vs. Syracuse - Sat, April 25, 12:00 PM ET (home, ACCNX)

Last Results:

  • M: W 10-5 vs. #1 North Carolina (April 11) - now ranked No. 1
  • W: L 9-10 (4OT) at #3 Syracuse (April 11)

🏀Women's Basketball

The Audi Crooks saga continues. Four days until the portal closes (April 20) and still no decision from the 6-3 Iowa State center. An On3 report this week splashed cold water on the speculation, saying there's "no truth to Irish interest in Audi Crooks" - but Crooks' social activity (following ND WBB, Niele Ivey, Hidalgo, and Bransford on Instagram) keeps the buzz alive. Sports Illustrated still frames Notre Dame as a realistic threat. Crooks averaged 25.8 PPG last year, second only to Mikayla Blakes. The stalemate between public speculation and insider denials will resolve this week one way or the other.

Reminder: Hannah Hidalgo is back for her senior year. Cassandre Prosper went 19th overall to the Washington Mystics.

Last Result: Elite Eight - UConn 70, Notre Dame 52 (March 29)

🏈Football

A nice under-the-radar nugget from Bill Connelly at ESPN: Notre Dame tops college football in returning production for 2026 - 67% on offense, 77% on defense. That's the largest combined returning mark in the country, and it's the kind of stat that gets you ranked higher than people think come August. ESPN's latest way-too-early top 25 has the Irish at No. 4 behind Ohio State, Oregon, and Georgia (a slight drop from an earlier Indiana/Texas-heavy version of the poll).

Aneyas Williams - the RB who averaged 9.3 yards per carry last year - is the heir apparent in the backfield now that the room has turned over. CJ Carr remains the Heisman frontrunner at QB, and Jaden Greathouse is back from the hamstring injury that cost him late last season.

Upcoming: Blue-Gold Game - Sat, April 25, 2:00 PM ET (Peacock) Season Opener: Sept. 6 at Wisconsin (Shamrock Series, Lambeau Field, NBC)

📋Around the Program

  • Baseball (17-15): ACC gauntlet continues this weekend at Florida State - Fri 6 PM ET, Sat/Sun 1 PM ET. One of seven 2025 NCAA Tournament teams on the Irish schedule.
  • Men's Tennis: No. 3 seed at the ACC Tournament in Cary, NC. Double-bye to the quarterfinals on Friday - first 20-win season since 2014.

🔴Utah Utes

🤸Gymnastics

Tonight's the night. NCAA individual championship competition tips in Fort Worth at Dickies Arena - Session II at 7:00 PM MT on ESPN2. Three Red Rocks are representing the program after the team streak ended in Corvallis:

  • Avery Neff (all-around) - No. 3 nationally, WCGA Region 2 Gymnast of the Year, 8x All-American. Rotates with UCLA.
  • Ana Padurariu (beam) - Big 12 Specialist of the Year, 25-of-27 hit routines this season.
  • Ella Zirbes (floor) - Career-high 9.95, 6x All-American. Rotates with Minnesota.

If they advance, individual finals are tomorrow night - but event titles are actually decided at the end of Session II itself, so tonight is the whole thing for beam and floor specialists. Team finals (without Utah) are Saturday, April 18 at 4:00 PM ET on ABC.

🏈Football

No spring game this year - it's the 22 For U Fan Day instead. Saturday, April 18, 4:30-6:00 PM at Spence Eccles Field House. Free admission, full team autographs, kids' zone with drills coached by the staff, live Scalley interview, coat drive. If you've never done one of these, it's a more intimate format than a spring game and better for kids.

On the field, Scalley's spring assessment has been upbeat - he's called the O-line the most-improved unit: "a brand-new crew having to work together, having to communicate together with a new offensive line coach… I'm very pleased with the progress." Creed Whittemore continues to lead the slot receiver competition. Nate Johnson (former QB, now full-time WR) is still making plays.

Upcoming: 22 For U Fan Day - Sat, April 18, 4:30-6:00 PM, Spence Eccles Field House Season Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Idaho (home)

📋Around the Program

  • Lacrosse (8-3, 3-0 ASUN): A big moment this week off the field - Ryan Stines and Nikko DiPonio became the first two Utes ever selected in the PLL Draft. Stines went 9th overall to the Utah Archers (perfect landing spot - he stays home), DiPonio went 24th to the New York Atlas. Stines' 44-game point streak (at least one point every game since May 2023) is still alive. He's the all-time program points leader (217+). Next: vs. Queens at home, Sat April 18, noon.
  • Men's Basketball: Portal rebuild ongoing under Alex Jensen - 10 players out, focus on PGs, interior defense, and perimeter shooting. Zati Loubaki (top JUCO transfer) is the headline addition so far.

🌰Ohio State Buckeyes

🏈Football

Spring Game - Saturday, noon ET, Ohio Stadium, BTN. $13 GA, free parking. Eleven Warriors called it the first "real look" at a 2026 team that finally has dedicated coordinators at every level (offense, defense, special teams) plus position coaches - structural depth the program actually lacked before. The biggest on-field storyline is Julian Sayin at QB1, whom Eleven Warriors singled out for "championship-level decision-making," specifically pointing to his fourth-quarter TD to Jeremiah Smith against Michigan.

Watch list for Saturday is locked in: Chris Henry Jr. - five-star freshman WR, just shed his black stripe, pairs with Jeremiah Smith for a nightmare outside tandem. Earl Little Jr. (S, FSU transfer - No. 3 safety in the portal). Mason Williams & Hunter Welcing at TE for Arthur Smith's scheme. Zion Grady & Qua Russaw competing on the edge.

Injury updates: RB Legend Bey is out (hamstring). RB Anthony "Turbo" Rogers is now doubtful. Bo Jackson (torn labrum) won't participate - but has gained 10-12 lbs and is expected back in July. Sayin and Jeremiah Smith are in. Devin Sanchez is the cornerback most cited as a spring breakout - after a shaky freshman year, coaches expect him to be among college football's top CBs as a sophomore.

NFL Draft (April 23-25, Pittsburgh): Still tracking four potential top-10 picks - Reese, Downs, Tate, Styles. Would match/break Alabama's record. Getting closer every day.

Upcoming: Spring Game - Sat, April 18, 12:00 PM ET, Ohio Stadium (BTN) Season Opener: Sept. 5 vs. Ball State (home)

📋Around the Program

  • Women's Lacrosse (No. 25): Close the regular season Saturday at No. 1 Maryland. Big Ten Tournament opens April 22.
  • Men's Lacrosse (9-3): Host Michigan Friday to close the regular season.

🏔️Treasure Valley

🍽️Food & Drink

  • The Boise Post - the rooftop restaurant at the new dual-branded AC/Element by Westin will anchor the hotel's 16th floor. Shared-style plates with local sensibility, outdoor decks, central bar, sweeping views. A notable new entry in the downtown food scene this spring.
  • Last week's openings are still fresh - Cadence Kitchen (Julian Ramirez's neighborhood sandwich spot at 5169 N. Glenwood), the sixth Paddles Up Poke at Ten Mile/Franklin in Meridian, and Yardarm is back for the season in Garden City.

🎉Events & Things to Do

  • Today (Thu 4/16): Idaho Outdoor Recreation Show opens at Expo Idaho (runs through Saturday, 10am-8pm). Candlelight: Vivaldi's Four Seasons, 5:30pm. Zoo Boise Paint & Pinot, 6pm.
  • Fri 4/17: Behemoth at Knitting Factory, 7pm. Grease opens at Morrison Center (runs through Sun). Race to Robie Creek packet pickup - actually that was Wed 4/15 at the Basque Center; miss it and you're out of luck.
  • Sat 4/18 - Robie Day: Race to Robie Creek half-marathon, noon start - 48th running, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Route 66, "The Toughest Race in the Northwest." Sold out in minutes, waitlist full. 8.5 mi uphill to Aldape Summit (4,700 ft), 4.6 mi downhill into the canyon. Good day to cheer or stay off Rocky Canyon Road. Also Sat: Athletic Club Boise vs. Westchester SC at 7pm (Expo Idaho Stadium, KTVB/ESPN+); Taste of Caldwell Wine Festival 5-8pm; Women's Adventure Film Tour at the Egyptian, 5pm; Farmers Market 9am-1pm (Shoreline).
  • Sun 4/19: Grease matinee (final). Movement is Medicine at Albertsons Stadium (free, RSVP recommended).
  • Tue-Sun 4/21-4/26: Les Misérables - Morrison Center, Broadway in Boise.

📰Local Headlines

  • Boise River flows ramping up. The Army Corps of Engineers increased Lucky Peak releases from ~1,000 cfs to 1,500 cfs today, managing space in Lucky Peak and Arrowrock before both reservoirs hit capacity this weekend. Greenbelt users should expect higher, faster water - no close-up river access at the usual sandbars.
  • Foothills still muddy. Trail closures from last week's rain are still in effect - Old Pen Trail and lower Ridge Crest are off limits. Use the Greenbelt.
  • Lake Hazel Road extension. Boise applied for a $7M federal grant to complete 95% of design work on a six-mile extension from Orchard out to I-84 near Memory Lane - big south-of-airport infrastructure project if it lands.
  • Bank robbery. BPD is still looking for a suspect from Tuesday's afternoon robbery at Vista/Overland.

🔗Worth Reading

Generated on Thursday, April 16, 2026

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