On August 4, 2017, following an intense week of camp at the United States Olympic Training Center, 12 young women from colleges and universities across the country were selected for the 2017 USA Basketball Women’s U23 National Team. One of those 12 talented young women was none other than DSHA graduate and Notre Dame Rising Junior Arike Ogunbowale.
As one of 21 Fighting Irish players to ever be selected for Team USA or Team Canada, and as the member of the U23 team with the most international gold medals, Ogunbowale hoped for another success in Tokyo. The team excelled. Dominating all of their competition, The USA U23 women won the tournament with a 3-0 record after earning a 103-71 win over host team Japan.
The DSHA community was thrilled to hear about Arike’s success. “I am so very proud of Arike and all she has accomplished. I believe she is one of the most talented athletes we have ever had go through DSHA and is an incredibly talented basketball player,” said DSHA Athletic Director Peggy Seegers-Braun.
As a DSHA student, Ogunbowale cemented herself in Divine Savior Holy Angels history as the top record holder for scoring, rebounds, and assists. While at DSHA, she lead her team to a 2015 State Championship and set a state tournament record with 55 points in the state semifinals. And this was just the start of Ogunbowale's trailblazing basketball career.
Throughout her career on the DSHA team, she strived and succeeded in making an impact on the team and utilized her leadership and athletic experience at DSHA to secure a spot on Notre Dame’s Women’s Basketball team. DSHA challenged her on and off the court by motivating her to become a well-rounded student and leader.
Ogunbowale benefitted from the all-girls environment at DSHA and contributed some of her leadership skills to the young women who guided her as an underclassmen. “I was blessed to be on varsity as a freshman in high school. During my first two years I had the opportunity to learn from the leaders on our team. As an upperclassman, I could easily perform that role and carry it with me to college as well,” she said. “The athletics could come second, and, just like at DSHA, I could still play for one of the best women’s basketball programs in the country.”
Comments: