Rising senior guard Sonia Citron was drafted No. 3 overall by the Washington Mystics in the WNBA draft to headline a celebratory night for Irish women's basketball. Soon after, graduate forward Maddy Westbeld and graduate forward and transfer Liatu King were also drafted in the second and third rounds respectively. Graduate guard Olivia Miles was projected to be the No. 2 overall pick, but chose to transfer to TCU and utilize her final year of eligibility in college. Notre Dame finished the season 28-6, losing to TCU once in the regular season and were knocked out by the Horned Frogs in the Sweet 16 to conclude the season. Citron, Westbeld and King were three impactful starters throughout the 2024-25 campaign, and with three players selected in one draft, this marks the most players taken from Notre Dame since 2019.
Citron headlines the draft night for the Irish as the 11th player taken in the first round from South Bend. She joins the likes of Kayla McBride, Skylar Diggins, and Devereaux Peters as No. 3 overall picks to the WNBA. In the 2024-25 season, Citron was a reliable scorer for the Irish but most significantly, a lockdown defender throughout the season. Averaging 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Irish, she shot 48.4% from the field, 37% from 3-point range and led the team in free throw percentage at 89%.
Citron scored her season high against Virginia with 25 points. Her most impactful game was arguably against the Final Four Texas Longhorns where she recorded 18 points, seven rebounds and seven steals, shutting down Madison Booker, one of the most dangerous scoring threats in the country. Citron's wide-ranging skillset and defensive ability display her value beyond the box score numbers. Citron guarded the likes of Booker, Juju Watkins, first overall pick Paige Bueckers and No. 11 pick Hailey Van Lith throughout the season. A three-time All-ACC Selection, 2022 ACC Rookie of the Year and an All-America Honorable Mention in 2023 and 2025, the senior from Eastchester, New York is headed to the Washington Mystics.
Westbeld was selected in the second round at No. 16 overall by the nearby Chicago Sky. Pairing alongside runner up in Rookie of the Year Angel Reese in the 2024 WNBA season and recently selected Hailey Van Lith, Westbeld will have a chance to shine at forward in the WNBA. Westbeld average 14.4 points 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists between 2023 and 2024, but sustained a leg injury that held her out until well into the 2024-25 season. She still averaged 7.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in her fifth starting season and joined her sister Kat in 2023 as the only sisters to each score 1,000 points in blue and gold. A three-time All-ACC selection and 2021 ACC Rookie of the year, Westbeld was immensely productive scoring a career 1710 points to put her 13th in school history.
King became the third Irish player from this group to get drafted, going No. 28 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks. King transfered from Pittsburg to start 33 games for the Irish. Even listed at 6'0, King led the team in rebounds at 10.4 per game. Throughout her collegiate career, she averaged 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds. King displayed a strong defensive ability to guard multiple positions and an ability to finish difficult plays through contact in the paint.
While the draft and transfer portal leaves many questions and only four scholarship players on the roster, the moment is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments and futures of these three players. Irish fans hope that the next recruiting classes can provide the scoring, leadership and commitment to the Notre Dame team identity that these players so willingly displayed throughout their careers.
