She's rewritten the NCAA record books. She's not just the biggest star in women's college basketball, she's the biggest star in all of college sports. And now she's taking her prodigious talents to the next level.
Iowa's Caitlin Clark is heading to the WNBA Draft. Despite one more season of eligibility, Clark has decided to leave for the pros.
Announcing it on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday afternoon, Clark said while there is still work to do this season, she's excited for what comes next.
"It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me during my time at Iowa - my teammates, who made my last four years the best; my coaches, trainers, and staff who always let me be me; Hawkeye fans who filled Carver every night; and everyone who came out to support us across the country, especially the young kids."
She continues, "Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without my family and friends who have been by my side through it all. Because of all of you, my dreams came true."
Wednesday night at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Clark added another career record on her astounding resume: the most points by any major college women’s player to ever take the court.
Iowa’s superstar guard scored 33 points to lead the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes to a 108-60 romp of Minnesota, pushing her past Lynette Woodard on the all-time list with 3,650 points. Earlier this month, Clark passed Kelsey Plum (3,527) as the all-time NCAA women’s scoring leader.
“I’m just really thankful and grateful to have those players who have come before me. Yeah, it’s super special. Obviously she’s one of the best all-time,” Clark said. “It just still shows the room that we have to improve, and where women’s sports is going is a really great place.”
Pete Maravich (3,667) is the all-time major college leader for either gender, just 17 points ahead of Clark, and she will certainly pass him when they host Ohio State Sunday.
After that, it's back to Minneapolis for the Big Ten Women's Tournament at Target Center. As a hat tip to Clark's popularity, that tournament has become the first ever sellout in Big Ten Women's tournament history.
The next time she hits Minneapolis, it will be against the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA.