After receiving a pass from teammate Kylie Feuerbach, Caitlin Clark stepped to the side, reached up, fired the ball and SCORED, making history. 

This shot, during the fourth quarter of the 2024 Big 10 tournament opening game against Penn State on March 8, broke NBA player Steph Curry’s single-season record for 3-pointers. 

The crowd roared with excitement, Clark stuck her tongue out, held out her arms in her signature move, and ran across the court, exuding her exhilaration regarding the history-breaking play she just made. 

I jumped from my couch, overcome with ecstasy, knowing that Clark just set a precedent that will never be forgotten. The chips I had been snacking on spilled all over the floor, and my scream echoed throughout my house. 

Clark has been all the hype recently, and she has changed the lives of many female athletes. Her skill, determination and ability to have fun on the court make her astonishing to watch.  

Having grown up in West Des Moines, Iowa, Clark started playing basketball at the age of 5, and she has been pursuing a career in basketball since she was in third grade. 

Clark joined Iowa’s basketball program in the 2021-2022 season, and started every single game that year, averaging 26.6 points per game. Having completed her senior season at Iowa, she was drafted as the overall No. 1 pick in the WNBA by the Indiana Fever.  

While this was highly celebrated, controversy has risen regarding her pay for the next four years. As a WNBA rookie, she will earn roughly $338,000 for the next four seasons that she is signed with the Fever. In the NBA, last year’s first round pick was Victor Wembanyama, and he went to the San Antonio Spurs with a four year, $55 million contract. 

Many fans were shocked and outraged with the salary Clark has been given, knowing the impact she has had on the sport, but nonetheless, her success is being celebrated worldwide. 

While Clark will without a doubt make a lot of money from endorsements, it is the fact that the pay is significantly worse for female athletes competing in the WNBA versus the male players in the NBA that triggers fans and sprouts quarrels. Wembanyama’s contract is approximately 163 times as much as Clark’s, which is outrageous given her skill level and impact on the sport as a whole. 

It is bittersweet to see Clark leave the world of college basketball and her teammates in Iowa, with whom she experienced all the highs and lows of her college career. As a fan, there is joy that comes with watching her play with important teammates who have also impacted the league. Specifically, Kate Martin, who plans on playing for the Las Vegas Aces, has played with Clark for four years now, and their relationship is something special. 

The collegiate league won’t be nearly the same without her in it, but I think it’s clear that she will continue making history no matter what team or league she plays for. 

Clark helped bring the Iowa Hawkeyes to the final four for the second year in a row, following their loss to LSU in the 2023 championship game. This loss was devastating for Iowa, but they rebounded for the 2023-24 season, surpassing their 31-7 record from last year with a 34-5 record in 2023-24.

Clark broke an abundance of records, and with the massive contributions from her teammates and head coach Lisa Bluder, the Hawkeyes were fully determined to win it all this year.  

Clark holds many records, but some that stand out are those from the 2024 season. She is the highest scoring player in Division 1 college basketball history for both men and women, she surpassed NBA player Steph Curry for the most 3-pointers in a single season and Clark also became the all-time women’s Division 1 points leader, surpassing Kelsey Plum’s previous record of 3,527 points set in 2017. 

Senior basketball player and post for the Lady Bison, Veronica Schwartz, explained how she felt watching Clark break the record for highest scoring shooter in NCAA Division 1 basketball, amongst all players, both men and women. 

“It was incredible to see Clark break a record like that, and to know that she’s better than so many male basketball players– it is inspiring as a female athlete,” she said. “It’s just exciting to watch her play and see how she has changed the game for so many people.” 

For female athletes, watching Clark make history in the name of women’s basketball is a phenomenal experience. It is inspiring to witness her dedication to the sport and her determination to play her best.

On April 1, Iowa came back with revenge, fighting hard to beat last year’s national champion LSU. Clark had an outstanding performance this game, with 41 points and 12 assists, nothing short of perfection. Iowa finished-off LSU 94-87, qualifying for the final four  and heading over to Cleveland, where these games would be played. 

After defeating the LSU Tigers, Iowa had a tough battle against U Conn to determine who would continue playing and who would be done for the 2024 season. Clark and her teammates battled until the last second, and ultimately won, securing a spot in the championship game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. 

Against the Huskies, Clark had a total of 21 points, seven assists, and nine rebounds. The star of U Conn, Paige Buekers, was a tough opponent and the game came down to the very last second, literally, with a final score of 69-71, Iowa. 

The competition between Buekers and Clark is intense, as they both play with almost superhuman skills. Having been teammates in the past on Team USA, this game was highly anticipated and the fans were split between who to root for. The controversy around Buekers is that she could be better than Clark, but is often injured. Depending on who you ask, the answer varies, but in my opinion, no one is as good as Caitlin Clark. 

So the Hawkeyes were headed to the final game, which would be played on April 7 against the Gamecocks, a very tough opponent with an undefeated record.  

Nerves were high for both teams. The Gamecocks were down in the first quarter, but took the lead by three at halftime, and Iowa knew they needed to fight hard in order to win the game. Clark had 21 points in the first 20 minutes of the game but only three of those were in the second quarter. 

The Gamecocks continued with their lead in the second half and ultimately won the game, ending Clark’s collegiate basketball career. 

Clark finished the game against South Carolina with 30 points. While she was sad about the loss, she described the pride she feels for herself, her teammates, the program and Coach Bluder. She will miss playing for Iowa, but has left a legacy like no other. 

“She cares for the sport, and the passion she has is easily seen throughout her performance every game,” Schwartz said.

As a female athlete, watching Clark has made me excited for the future of women’s sports. She plays with joy, passion and elation, creating a prodigious impact on the young women who watch her.

Her hard work, ethics and extreme competitiveness have given me a new idea of what it looks like to compete with intensity. Clark has changed the mindset I have when I step onto the softball field before every game. 

Schwartz commented on her impact on the world of female sports as a whole.

“Clark has significantly changed how women’s basketball is viewed, and she brought so much attention to the sport, but even more than that, she has helped bring awareness to the importance of female athletes and women’s sports altogether,” she said. 

Schwartz also commented on the impact Clark is having on the game.

“The attendance rates have gone up for women’s basketball games, and tickets are more expensive now,” she said. “I also think that people will watch the WNBA more now because of how Clark changed the sport in society’s eyes.”