NOTRE DAME -- Will Yeatman missed out on what might've been the biggest semester of his college life. He wasn't there for spring practice to take over the starting tight end spot he'd earned the previous fall.

He also wasn't there for the greatest victory in Notre Dame lacrosse history, a thrilling overtime win in the NCAA tournament. It hurt.

"It's not easy telling both of your teams you won't be able to participate in any events all spring," Yeatman admits. "That was by far the hardest thing."

Far away from the one place he wanted to be, Yeatman was faced with two options.

"When you have that much time off, you can do two things. You can sit on your butt all day, or you can take it as a positive. I have more time to get better!"

"Get better" is what Yeatman tried to do. "I was lifting, running, hooting lacrosse, catching passes ... I'm in great shape."

Great shape physically, and now that he's back, Will Yeatman is in great spirits too!

"I'm very happy. It's great to be back with all my teammates. It's just great to be here and be part of the team again."

Following the loss of starting tight end Mike Ragone to a knee injury that ended his season, Yeatman now will be counted on to be a big part.

"I certainly set myself back by missing all spring, but I have a lot of experience. I think I'm a pretty good tight end. We'll see what happens."