On Sunday, March 3, 22-year old University of Iowa basketball player Caitlyn Clark broke the men’s scoring record, making her the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) all-time scorer.
Clark started playing for Iowa in 2020, immediately making a name for herself. In her first year, she was titled the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year for Iowa’s women’s basketball. Clark then went on to earn the 2021 Dawn Staley Award, won three gold Olympic medals, won the 2023 Naismith Trophy, won the Honda Sport Award for Basketball, was named the 2023 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, and now, broke the NCAA scoring record for both men and women.
On February 15th, in a game against Michigan, Clark broke the women’s scoring record. She advanced past record-setter Kelsey Plum’s 3,527 career points.
Having broken the women’s NCAA career scoring record, Clark went above and beyond to break the Men’s record: Pete Maravich’s record of 3,667 career points. She started Sunday’s game 18 points away from her goal. Many expected Clark to break the record during this game since she was so close and it was the last game of the season. Due to this prediction, tickets went for $571 on average, which was recorded to be 1,065 percent more expensive than other games this season, according to The Athletic.
Many big names attended the game, such as Travis Scott, Maya Moore, Nolan Ryan, and Kevin Miles AKA ‘Jake from State Farm.’
During the second quarter, Clark got the chance to throw two free throws. After making both shots, Clark broke the record. Ultimately, she ended the game scoring 35 points for the winning team.
In a press conference after the game, Clark spoke on breaking the record: “I think that gave us a lot of momentum going into half [time], and we kind of just carried that [in the rest of the game].”
Clark’s career has been undeniably impressive, especially for a college student. By breaking both records, she continues to excite the nation and advance in her passion. Another big step for Clark is the WNBA. Just days before making history, Clark declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft, as she graduates from the Iowa Hawkeyes after this season.
