Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2019 55 2018-19 Female Athlete Of The Year: ARIKE OGUNBOWALE This is more of a lifetime achievement recognition — not that the women's college basket- ball immortal Ogunbowale didn't have a remarkable senior campaign as well. All she did was become the school's all-time scoring leader with 2,626 points, set a single- season scoring record in the program's 42-year history with a 21.8 average, dished out 147 assists (third on the team) and came just short of propelling the Irish to a second consecutive national championship, losing 82-81 to Baylor in the title game. A missed Ogunbowale free throw with 1.9 seconds left overshadowed the fact that her 31 points — the second most ever in a title game — helped rally Notre Dame from a 17-point deficit to a temporary 77-76 lead. Although devastated by the loss in her finale, context was maintained. "It just wasn't meant to be," she said. " It's going to be a hard pill to swallow. Things happen. I had a fun, great career here at Notre Dame, so I won't let that define the whole four years." The graduated Ogunbowale's sheer force of will and indefatigable approach to attacking with supreme confidence made her the game's most electrifying player when the ball was in her hands. In a star-studded lineup that ranked the most productive in scoring — men or women — in NCAA annals, she was the centerpiece. Underrated was despite her national celebrity status, which included competing on "Danc- ing With The Stars," she remained consistent at staying in the moment and never excluding teammates from the team glory. "She's taught me a lot of things about being fearless, about letting things go," said her head coach, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Muffet McGraw. "She's left her mark on the program that will last forever." Three other graduated seniors concluded phenomenal careers in different sports: softball's Cait Brooks, fencing's Amanda Sirico and track/cross country's Jessica Harris. The ACC Player of the Year, Brooks also was named to the All-America first team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association — the first in program history to garner those honors. The Burbank, Calif., native led the ACC in home runs (20, 11th in nation) and slugging percent- age (.857, 12th in nation), and ranked second in the league in batting average (.416, 31st in nation), RBI (57) and total bases (132, 26th in nation) while striking out a career-low 11 times. Sirico was the silver medalist in the epee this year, earning her third first-team All-America honors and getting named the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year a second time. Harris was honored as the ACC Women's Track Athlete of the Year. The cross country and track All-American placed third nationally in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. — Lou Somogyi ment, where both are now in double figures. The previous high was 1930, when Knute Rockne was in his 13th sea- son as the head coach of football and George Keogan entered his eighth in basketball. Both tragically died in office, Rockne in a plane crash on March 31, 1931, and Keogan with a massive heart attack shortly after a February 1943 practice while he was in his 20th season. Meanwhile, Muffet McGraw enters her 33rd season as the women's bas- ketball coach, men's lacrosse coach Kevin Corrigan also has reached his third decade at the school, softball coach Deanna Gumpf is in year 19 (and 23rd overall) and hockey coach Jeff Jackson is embarking on his 15th season after becoming the program's winningest coach this past winter en route to another top-10, national title- contending campaign. It's not a surprise when one con- siders that Swarbrick is now in year 12 as the director of athletics. That surpasses Rockne for second-longest tenure, which he held from 1920- 30. No one will eclipse Ed "Moose" Krause's 32-year run from 1949-81. 10. MELANCHOLY FAREWELLS Every year inevitably brings the sorrow of losing past Notre Dame icons. The May 4 death of 80-year-old Chuck Lennon, the school's associate vice president and executive direc- tor of the University of Notre Dame Alumni Association, was among the most noted this past year. Former All-Americans such as Don Schaefer (1955) and Greg Marx (1972), and starters for the 1966 na- tional champions such as end Tom Rhoads and tackle Bob Kuechenberg were among many others who left their imprint on Notre Dame. John MacLeod guided the Fight- ing Irish men's basketball program through turbulent times from 1991- 99, and 2011-14 defensive back Josh Atkinson was a tragic reminder that one can never know the hour when life in this world can cease. ✦ Ogunbowale was the centerpiece of a star-studded lineup that ranked as the most productive in scoring — men or women — in NCAA annals. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA Brian Kelly enters his 10th season at the helm this year, giving Notre Dame's coaches in the two most visible sports double-digit years in charge of the Irish (Mike Brey enters year 20) for the first time ever. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA