The fourth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team is firing on all cylinders this season. Led by senior Caitlin Clark, the Hawkeyes are looking to book their second-consecutive trip to the NCAA women’s basketball national championship in April.
Last season, Clark and the Hawkeyes came up short against Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers in the title game. This season, head coach Lisa Bluder’s team is determined to finish their season with a national title. Unsurprisingly, Clark has been the Hawkeyes’ biggest star yet again. Not only is she averaging 32.4 points per game, but she also leads women’s college basketball in assists. In the Hawkeyes’ most recent game on February 25 against Illinois, Clark scored 24 points to go along with 15 rebounds. She notched her fifth triple-double of the season and the 16th of her career. At 24-4, Clark and Iowa are set to make noise come March.
The 22-year-old Caitlin Clark grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. Besides basketball, she also played other sports such as volleyball and soccer. As a teenager, her basketball skills rapidly developed. Her parents recognized her potential and she eventually played against girls who were quite a bit older. As she was just getting started, it was hard to envision what laid ahead in her basketball career. In 2020, she began her ascent as one of the best basketball players in the history of the University of Iowa.
As a freshman in 2020, Caitlin Clark started in every game for Iowa as they made it to the national championship before eventually losing to UConn. For her efforts, Clark was named co-WBCA Freshman of the Year alongside UConn’s Paige Bueckers. As her collegiate career has progressed, she has continued to receive accolade after accolade. However, her greatest achievement was yet to come.
Throughout the 2023-2024 season, Caitlin Clark has established herself as a prolific scorer. In the Hawkeyes’ 106-89 win over the Michigan Wolverines on February 15, Clark scored 49 points and became the NCAA women’s all-time scoring leader with 3,569 career points. She then followed that performance with a 24-point outing in an 86-69 loss against #14 Indiana on February 22. Despite the loss, Clark has a chance to be a star in the WNBA next season.
The historic career of Caitlin Clark as an Iowa Hawkeye is nearing its conclusion. With two games remaining, the Hawkeyes are in good shape to make another deep run in March. As for Clark, she has a terrific opportunity to make her mark on the WNBA when the draft begins on April 15.
Credit – AP
