Why Notre Dame Chooses Hard

For Tricia Bellia, Notre Dame’s faculty athletics representative to the NCAA and chair of the University’s Faculty Board on Athletics, college sports are not separate from the educational mission at Notre Dame—they’re a fundamental part of it. With firsthand experience as a former Division I student-athlete herself and as the mother of two others, Tricia inherently understands the challenges that come from balancing the demands of academics and athletics.

In this episode of For Good, Tricia reflects on her 16-year tenure advising University leadership on the student-athlete experience and advocating for Notre Dame’s distinctive model within the ACC and NCAA. She shares what makes Notre Dame’s commitment to student-athlete formation so unique—and why she believes it produces not just top competitors, but exceptional teammates, leaders, and citizens.

Join us as Tricia discusses how Notre Dame Athletics upholds its core principles and ensures its integrity while navigating the ever-changing competitive landscape—and why choosing hard is the most rewarding path.

New episodes of For Good: Stories from Notre Dame drop on select weekdays at giving.nd.edu/stories and the ND Loyal YouTube channel. You can also listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

A sincere thank you to the Notre Dame Family for making stories like these possible! It’s because of you that Notre Dame is such a powerful force for good in the world.