“This is so cute”: Kate Martin reacts to Iowa HC Jan Jensen’s wife Julie hosting 'Homecoming' dinner ft. Caitlin Clark and Gabbie Marshall
Kate Martin, Caitlin Clark and Gabbie Marshall enjoyed a memorable experience as they returned to Iowa for the Hawkeyes' Homecoming. Their experience was being a part of a special dinner hosted by new coach Jan Jensen's wife, Julie Fitzpatrick, at their home.
The trio reunited with their former teammates and staff from the 2023-24 season to celebrate Jensen's daughter, Janie's 14th birthday. Their head coach Lisa Bluder, who retired this year after 25 glorious seasons at the helm of Iowa's women's basketball program, also attended the dinner.
The reunion at the dinner hosted by Fitzpatrick left Martin overjoyed, sharing a kind comment on her Instagram post, which featured several pictures.
"Awe this is so cute," rejoiced Martin.
Martin, Clark and Marshall thoroughly enjoyed themselves at Janie's birthday, with Fitzpatrick sharing a picture of her having fun with the talented trio. Janie also got a picture with Clark, and also shared a picture of Martin and Clark getting into the groove with their former teammates.
Kate Martin enjoyed a successful end to her Iowa Hawkeyes career
Kate Martin, Caitlin Clark and Gabbie Marshall formed one of the most feared backcourt trios in women's college basketball. While Clark often stole the show with her impressive displays, Martin enjoyed a strong finish to her college basketball career in the 2023-24 season.
In 39 starts, Martin averaged 13.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists, earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors. She was the 43rd Hawkeye to cross 1,000 career points, and became the first player in program history to record over 900 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 120 steals and 60 blocks in a career.
She followed Clark into the 2024 WNBA draft, while Marshall opted to retire from basketball to pursue her master's in occupational therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
While the Indiana Fever made Clark the top overall pick, Martin was picked up by the Las Vegas Aces in the second round of this year's draft. Although she looked promising, an injury to her Achilles tendon forced her to miss a fair chunk of her debut season in the WNBA.
After averaging just 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 34 appearances this season, Martin will be keen to bounce back for the Aces in 2025.