IN PICS: Iowa’s Lucy Olsen, Hannah Stuelke, and South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson and more participate in Belk’s charity sale
Female collegiate basketball players Lucy Olsen, Hannah Stuelke, Bree Hall, and Tessa Johnson were recently seen participating in Belk’s fall charity sale this weekend.
Ahead of their Ally Tipoff matchup on Sunday at Spectrum Center, Iowa and South Carolina teams attended the semi-annual event in a local Belk store in Charlotte, North Carolina. They tried on some outfits, browsing the latest fall fashion and supporting a cause.
Iowa and South Carolina Instagram accounts shared photos of their student-athletes shopping, modeling and bonding during the charity sale.
"The Ally Tipoff knows how to give a warm welcome," Iowa captioned its post.
"So @cltsports really knows how to treat a team," the Gamecocks wrote.
Each player had their own poster placed in the store alongside several gifts as a gesture of appreciation for their participation.
Belk, a Charlotte-based chain of private department stores, has been organizing charity sales for almost two decades. The sole purpose of these events is to help local nonprofits through an engaging retail experience.
Lucy Olsen and Hannah Stuelke, who were dominant in Iowa's season opener against Northern Illinois, took the opportunity to show off their style.
"Yeah, I don't have a suitcase, I got a nice suitcase," Olsen said happily.
"So, perfume, a water bottle when I get thirsty," Stuelke smiled, going through the gifts she received.
The Hawkeyes will face Virginia Tech in the Ally Tipoff while the Gamecocks will take on NC State.
Lucy Olsen and Hannah Stuelke are new faces of Iowa women's team
With the departure of last season's starters: Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall, senior transfer Lucy Olsen and junior forward Hannah Stuelke have stepped in as the driving forces behind Iowa this season.
In a 91-73 win on the opening day, Olsen scored 19 points on 9-for-17 shooting, and had seven assists and four rebounds, while Stuelke contributed 11 points and six rebounds.
"I'm excited. I was a little bit nervous at first, but I'm like, 'I can do it,'" Hannah talked about taking the leadership role at Iowa (via NBC Sports).
"I'm just excited to get out there, get on the court, talk to all the new girls. They're a lot of fun. They're easy to lead. They make it easy on me."
Hannah Stuelke started in 32 games last season as a sophomore playing alongside Caitlin Clark posting 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds. With the new coach and several new players, Hannah believes her experience will be crucial to the team's success.