"Somethings aren't surprises these days": College hoops world reacts to ex-Iowa star Caitlin Clark's second straight Big Ten Athlete of the Year honor
Former Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark was on Thursday named the 2023-24 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year. The Indiana Fever star won the award for the second consecutive year following her record-breaking performance in her senior season with the Hawkeyes.
Clark was unstoppable last season as she led the nation in 10 statistical categories. The guard averaged 31.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists, breaking Kelsey Plum's women's college basketball scoring record as well as Pete Maravich's five-decade-old NCAA scoring record.
The latest collegiate honor for Caitlin Clark, who is now in the WNBA, has resulted in a series of reactions among fans. Considering her performance in the previous college basketball season, the award comes as no surprise to many.
Where does Caitlin Clark stand in history after the latest honor?
Winning the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year once again has further elevated the status of Caitlin Clark in the history of the conference and collegiate basketball. It effectively places her among a host of great athletes who have graced the Big Ten.
Clark is the third student-athlete to receive the conference award in Iowa history. She follows in the footsteps of field hockey player Kristy Gleason, who won it in 1994, and fellow women’s basketball player Megan Gustafson, who earned the honor in 2019
Additionally, she is the ninth women’s basketball player to claim the award. The esteemed group of the previous eight winners includes Purdue’s Joy Holmes (1991), MaChelle Joseph (1992), Stephanie White (1999) and Katie Douglas (2001), Penn State’s Kelly Mazzante (2004), Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport (2007), Minnesota’s Rachel Banham (2016) and Iowa's Megan Gustafson (2019).
Furthermore, Caitlin Clark is only the third athlete history of the Big Ten to win the award on at least two occasions. She joins Wisconsin's Suzy Favor, who won it three times (1988, 1989 and 1990), and two-time winner Indiana's Lilly King, who won it in 2017 and 2018.
Who are Iowa's previous winners of Big Ten Athlete of the Year
Over time, a host of Iowa players has been crowned Big Ten Player of the Year in both men's and women’s sports. This marks the ninth time a Hawkeye has won the Big Ten Athlete of the Year award, and the fourth time in the past six seasons.
Iowa's previous winners include wrestlers Ed Banach (1983), Barry Davis (1985), and Brent Metcalf (2008); football player Chuck Long (1986); men’s basketball player Luka Garza (2021); and field hockey's Kristy Gleason (1994); and women's basketball's Megan Gustafson (2019).