INDIANAPOLIS – Fifth-year Indiana Fever center Natalie Achonwa will join Irish greats Ruth Riley-Hunter, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Niele Ivey, Beth (Morgan) Cunningham and Kayla McBride when she becomes the sixth player to join Notre Dame’s prestigious Ring of Honor. The ceremony will take place before Notre Dame’s home opener versus Loyola Maryland Friday night, November 8, at Purcell Pavilion.
“Natalie was instrumental in taking our program from a Sweet 16 team to a perennial Final Four team. She took great pride in representing Notre Dame and continues to make us proud,” Notre Dame Head Coach Muffet McGraw said. “She was a great leader on and off the court, and one of the smartest players I’ve ever coached — just a highly intelligent player with great vision. She worked hard, was super competitive and always did the things that don’t show up on a stat sheet. We are thrilled to have Natalie as our next inductee into the Ring of Honor.”
This past season with the Fever, Achonwa played in 30 games with 18 starts. On June 23rd, she scored her 1,000th WNBA point. She boasted averages of 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while playing a vital role as team captain. She also shot a career-high 90.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Achonwa also was recently awarded the WNBA’s 2019 Community Assist Award for her community service efforts.
As a member of the Irish, Achonwa led teams that reached four consecutive Final Fours, including three NCAA title games. Achonwa accumulated an impressive 138-15 overall record (second most by a senior class) with a 60-4 mark in conference play, in addition to winning five combined regular season and conference tournament championships.
The Guelph, Ontario, native was a two-time All-American, three-time All-NCAA Regional nod and a two-time All-Conference selection (2013 Big East / 2014 ACC). Achonwa, who captained the Irish her senior year, now ranks 16th on the Irish all-time scoring list, amassing 1,546 points over her storied career.