UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Jackie Young is now a member of an elite sorority. And she gained her ticket in dramatic fashion.
On Sunday afternoon, the former Notre Dame women’s basketball star and current Las Vegas Aces guard won her first WNBA title, downing the Connecticut Sun 78-71. The Aces won the series 3-1 en route to the first championship in program history. It is also the city of Las Vegas’ first major professional title.
Young was a critical piece in the win, notching 13 points, five rebounds, eight assists and two steals over 37 minutes played. She averaged 12.5 points over 10 postseason games dating back to Aug. 17.
In 2022, Young averaged 15.9 points per game during the regular season, which ranked 12th in the WNBA. A three-point specialist, Young shot 43.1 percent from behind the arc, good for third in the league. She averaged 34.1 minutes per contest on a stacked Las Vegas roster full of stars, including 2022 MVP A’ja Wilson.
The 6-foot Indiana native surely has something to celebrate on Sunday night, but the victory places her in even more elite company, at least when it comes to Notre Dame lore. For the first time since 2006, and just the second time in program history, a former Irish women’s basketball star has earned “triple crown” status — a WNBA title, an NCAA national championship and an Olympic gold medal. Young won the 2018 national title with the Irish and was a 2020 Olympic gold medalist in the 3×3 in Tokyo.
Young joins Ruth Riley as the only other Notre Dame women’s basketball player to earn the honor. Riley won a national championship at Notre Dame in 2001, an Olympic gold medal in 2004 and two WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock in 2003 and 2006.
Dating back to her college days, Young had a dominant 2018 NCAA Tournament, averaging more than 16 points per game and posting 32 in a Final Four victory over Connecticut. That mark remains tied for the fifth-most points in an NCAA Tournament game in program history. In Notre Dame’s 2018 victory over Mississippi State by a score of 61-58, she had six points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals.
In addition to the 2018 title, Young made a splash from the moment she stepped on campus in South Bend. She was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2017. She was a 2019 third-team All American and a 2019 Cheryl Miller Award Finalist, which is presented to the nation’s best small forward. She was the MVP of the ACC Tournament in 2019 as well.
Young was taken No. 1 overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft by the Aces and has continued to dominate at the next level.