UTEP assistant soccer coach Kate Ward's eventful summer picked up another milestone.
Two months after serving as captain and winning a gold medal for Team USA at the Deaflympics in Brazil, Ward is one of four finalists for an ESPY for Best Athlete with a Disability, Women's Sports.
She joins a trio of athletes who competed in the Paralympic Games in cyclist Oksana Masters, swimmer Jessica Long and snowboarder Brenna Huckaby.
Ward has been with Team USA since 2009 when she was 15 and the team has never lost. This year at the Deaflympics in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, the USA defeated Poland in a penalty shootout on May 15 to take the gold medal.