Hall of Fame
Donna Ledwin was inducted into the 10th Hall of Fame class in 2000 after serving as Director of Athletics from 1989-1998.
When she was hired at Notre Dame, Ledwin moved into a brand new building, the MBK Sports and Activities Complex. In Ledwin’s eyes, a brand new building and a brand new staff meant a lot of potential.
During Ledwin’s watch, Notre Dame’s teams became very competitive, achieving regional and national rankings, and had individual student-athletes selected to regional and national honors including All-American recognition and NCAA Woman of the Year nominations.
Ledwin provided tremendous leadership and mentoring during her tenure. She was a driving force behind the renovation of Alumnae Field and a founder of the Atlantic Women’s Colleges Conference, developing conference policies and procedures. The AWCC’s Scholar-Athlete award was named in her honor.
Ledwin established the Mary Laverty Funke Award for spirit, dedication, and scholarship—qualities she valued greatly and ones she felt should be recognized along with athletic excellence. She also established the Hall of Fame in 1990.
A member of several NCAA committees during her tenure, including the Management Council, Women’s Lacrosse Committee, Membership Committee, and the Committee on Sponsorship and Ethical Conduct, Ledwin has been honored as the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) Administrator of the Year in 1998.
