By Kennedy Kearns, Year 12
Caitlin Clark Beats all-time Division 1 Scoring Record, making a name for herself and for women’s sports!
Caitlin Clark has changed the game of basketball for the better. She has brought so much attention to women’s sports and has made history many times. Clark grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and is now a senior at Iowa University. Clark has led the Hawkeyes to their first NCAA National Championship and is expected to do the same again this year. She also has been named Athlete of the Week on multiple occasions, Sporting News Athlete of the Year, Collegiate Women’s Athlete of the Year, and more. She even has several sponsorship deals with companies such as Nike, State Farm, and Gatorade. On February 16, 2024, Caitlin broke the women’s all-time scoring record set by Kelsey Plum, of 3,527 points, and this past Sunday, March 3rd, Clark surpassed Pete Maravich for Division 1 all-time points scored – Clark now holds the record at 3,685 career points. Not only that, but Clark has been recognized by other great athletes such as Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Steph Curry, Lebron James, George Kittle, and more. Patrick Mahomes even mentioned Clark in his interview after winning the Super Bowl!
Caitlin Clark is undeniably one of the best women’s basketball players to ever live. Clark has not only done all these things for herself, but also has grown the following of women’s sports. Clark has brought so much attention to women’s basketball making Carver Arena sell out every home game of the season. At the beginning of the 23-24 season, Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes played on the Iowa football field bringing in 55,646 people to watch the women’s basketball team play. However, Clark’s impact goes beyond Iowa, as when Clark goes and plays at other schools, she breaks their attendance records, as happened in Wisconsin, Nebraska, and at Iowa State and Northwestern. People are traveling from all over to watch Caitlin play, and the energy she brings to the stadium is unmatched. Even on television, over 3.9 million people watched the Iowa v. Ohio State game, which was previously unmatched. Before Clark, women’s basketball games did not even appear on television, but now Iowa Women’s Basketball has appeared on both NBC and ESPN.
So, what do the cards hold for Clark and for women’s sports? Clark has announced her entry to the WNBA women’s draft, where she will hopefully achieve a first-round pick to Indiana Fever. Clark’s following will continue after her college career, as she has already made a significant name for herself. For women’s sports, hopefully, the following will only continue to grow. There is increasing attendance not only for basketball, but also for other sports – this is already being seen with Nebraska Volleyball, which is gaining a huge following, and achieved a 92,003 people in attendance to one of their games in the 2023 season.
All in all, Clark’s impact is unmatched, and has made people realize that women’s sports can be as exciting or even more exciting than men’s. Clark has brought a level of equality to men’s and women’s sports, especially in the BIG 10 conference. Clark has inspired many younger girls to play basketball and has even brought more attention to women’s high school basketball and future recruits. Clark’s legacy will continue, as the Hawkeyes enter their post-season, where they are expected to see more attendance and basketball records broken.
