Milwaukee native Arike Ogunbowale adds ESPY to her trophy case after thrilling buzzer beater
JR Radcliffe
Divine Savior Holy Angels graduate Arike Ogunbowale added yet another notable plaudit to her trophy case when her championship-sealing buzzer beater was awarded "Best Play" at the 2018 ESPY Awards on Wednesday.
Ogunbowale led her Notre Dame women's basketball team to the national championship when she beat the buzzer not once, but twice, in one of the most thrilling Final Fours imaginable. Her first buzzer beater helped Notre Dame top powerhouse Connecticut in the national semifinal, 91-89, and her second broke a tie with Mississippi State for the national title and a 61-58 win.
In the months since, she has appeared on Ellen, met hero Kobe Bryant and appeared on Dancing With the Stars.
She wasn't the only Wisconsin connection to win an ESPY at the annual showcase produced and broadcast by ESPN. The U.S. women's hockey team, which features several Wisconsin connections, was honored for "Best Game" after their overtime win against Canada for the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
Former Badger Jake Wood accepts service award
Former University of Wisconsin football player Jake Wood accepted the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
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Wood finished his Wisconsin career in 2004 and enlisted in the Marines. After his tour of duty was complete, he put together a relief team in 2010 following a massive earthquake in Haiti.
That was the birth of Team Rubicon, which he co-founded with fellow Marine William McNulty. The organization today is a nonprofit dedicated to transitioning veterans from military service to disaster relief and response.