We begin our celebration of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lacrosse seniors with a chat with goalie Jack Zullo!

World events kept us from the chance to follow this team on its journey to a national championship, so ND-Atl 2.0 will instead use the time he would have spent writing previews and recaps to catch up with as many of the Irish seniors as he can to introduce them in new ways to their fans.

Jack Zullo

#19 Jack Zullo is a goalkeeper for the Fighting Irish.  Jack is from Rockville Centre, NY, on Long Island.  He graduating from Chaminade H.S., which is also the high school alma mater of Coach Ryan Wellner and former coach Gerry Byrne, as well as many teammates and incoming recruits.

On the field, Jack is known for his great play in the 2019 season, where he had four starting opportunities and finished with a .518 save percentage and a goals against average under 10.  He is a strong shot stopper. His wins included ones over Syracuse and Marquette, and we’ll remember his fantastic 13 save performance against Duke.

Our Chat

Jack was kind to take the time to answer our questions about a lot of things we think will be interesting to our followers, including stuff about what it’s like to be a Notre Dame student and not be on campus:

1.  Most kids have gone to online learning, in middle school and high school, how has the change been for you and your teammates [Notre Dame has just shifted to online learning for the semester]?

The change to online has definitely been a strange adjustment.  As disappointed and sad that we all are that we won’t be attending class together anymore it has at least been a nice return to normalcy starting up this week.

2. What is it like to be away for your teammates? Are you able to stay in touch with them?

It’s been tough being away from the guys as these are friends for life. I’ve hung out and played with everyday for the last 4 years. Lucky for me/us we all live right next to each and with each other. We were able to spend some extra time together and plan on doing something special for graduation when the time frame permits us. We’ve talked just about everyday and look forward to seeing all the fellas again as soon as possible.

3. What are your plans for the summer?

As of know my plans for the summer are TBD as I continue my job search and seeing what’s in store for me next.

4. It was very exciting to see you play last season, what was your favorite game experience?

I think my favorite game experience was definitely Syracuse.  Any time you beat Syracuse is a good thing but it was even more special that it was my first real game experience and I was able to help my team come out with a W.

5. Is there a teammate you like to use to help you warm-up?

The last few years my warm up guy has been Connor Morin.  He’s a great player and shooter so I know I’ll get a solid warmup in but we’re also good friends off the field which makes the start of practice a little more entertaining.

6. As a fellow goalie, is there a teammate that has given you more bruises that others?

Wheaton Jackoboice.  Wheaton definitely doesn’t have the hardest shot on the team but for some reason whenever I am able to make a save on him it just seems to hit me in the worst possible spot.

7. What is your favorite goalie tip that we can pass on to youth players?

I think my favorite goalie tip I’ve learned over the years as there is not technically a “right way” to play goalie.  Obviously technique and form are crucial but everyone holds their stick or stands a bit different so all of that essentially doesn’t matter as long as you’re making saves.  Play however makes you comfortable and puts you in the best possible position to make saves.

8. As a Chaminade alumni, how exciting is it to have so many fellow Flyers on the team and as coaches?

As a Chaminade alumni I love having a ton of Chaminade teammates, future recruits, and coaches as we all understand how challenging Chaminade was but also appreciate everything it has done for us.  It’s really cool to see guys who were freshman and sophomores with me at Chaminade here with me again at ND.  Love all of those guys and can’t wait to see what the current and future Chaminade guys bring to the table.

9. What is your favorite part about Notre Dame?

My favorite part about Notre Dame is the people and friends that I’ve made.  Our senior class in particular is extremely close with 14/15 guys from our original class (sorry Pat and Charlie) living right next door to each other on E. Washington Street.  These guys will no doubt be friends for life and I’m not sure I would have survived the education and athletic rigors of Notre Dame without these guys at my side every step of the way.

Thank you, Jack, for speaking with us!

#GoIrish