Illustration by Sean Rogers
As a native of Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa and its No. 4 ranked women’s basketball team, it only felt right to celebrate #22 Caitlin Clark this week. On Thursday, Feb. 15, Clark broke the record for NCAA division I women’s all-time leading scorer with over 3500 points. It only took Clark two minutes and 12 seconds into the game to shoot from more than 10 feet behind the three-point line and break the record. After her shot, she danced around the court and soaked up the loud applause and cheers from a sold out Carver Hawkeye Arena.
However, this is just one of the records Clark has broken during her career. She also holds the Big Ten’s record for all-time assist leader with over 1,000 career assists. Clark is a talented player, but she is also deeply dedicated to her team. She’s not afraid to pass the ball or to pass on praise to her teammates and coaches when they win a game or she’s being interviewed. She is always the hardest on herself when a mistake is made.
Clark has opened the door for the proliferation of women’s college sports and for brands to reach a younger audience. She has translated her fame into several successful business deals, including, but not limited to, partnering with Nike, Gatorade, and State Farm. This season, every home Iowa game is sold out, as well as many of the away games, and ticket prices have skyrocketed. The upcoming playoff tournament in Minneapolis sold out ahead of time for the first time in women’s college basketball history. At the beginning of the season, on Oct. 15, the Hawks played an outdoor game at Iowa’s Kinnick football stadium in order to break the record for largest attendance at a single game with 55,646 people.
Caitlin Clark is a confident, unapologetic, competitive player who has captured the attention and hearts of many college women’s basketball fans, and beyond. She has been compared to greats like Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant for her intensity and dedication to the game. Whether Clark goes pro in the WNBA this year or waits until the next, she has enormous potential and has undoubtedly changed the game of college women’s basketball for the better.
