ND Women’s Basketball
Arike Ogunbowale named ACC female athlete of the year
Observer Sports Staff | Thursday, July 5, 2018
Notre Dame senior guard Arike Ogunbowale was named the 29th recipient of the Mary Garber Award on Thursday, recognizing her as the top female athlete in the ACC.
The accolade is one of many on the season for Ogunbowale, adding to an already-illustrious campaign that saw her named First Team All-ACC, a Naismith Trophy semifinalist and the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, among others.
The All-American averaged 20.8 points per game over the season, good for an Irish record, leading the team in points scored with 791, but will be remembered best for her stunning play in the NCAA tournament. The Milwaukee native led a Notre Dame team riddled with injuries all the way to the Final Four, and capped off the incredible run with back-to-back buzzer beaters on the biggest stage, first against rival UConn and then against Mississippi State to help the program capture its second-ever title.
She also averaged 24.2 points per game in the NCAA tournament, the most-ever by a Notre Dame player, beating out Ruth Riley’s 2001 record of 23.2. This mark was also good for the fifth-best on the all-time leaderboard by any player. Ogunbowale also notched 5.4 rebounds per game and 55 steals on the season.
Ogunbowale’s shot that beat the Bulldogs in the national championship game is currently in the running for Best Play category as the No. 1 seed for the 2018 ESPY Awards, set to occur July 18. Voting can be done at ESPN.com
