All You Need To Know About Caitlin Clark's Career So Far

College basketball superstar Caitlin Clark secured her position in NCAA history March 3, becoming the all-time leading scorer in a 35-point performance during her final home game for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Clark is the most visible player as the postseason nears, and has her team among the leading contenders to win the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Keep reading to learn more about Caitlin Clark and her career highlights so far.

Who is Caitlin Clark?

Caitlin Clark was born in West Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 22, 2002, and has two brothers. She played basketball on boys teams during elementary school, mainly due to the dearth of girls basketball opportunities.

A standout in high school at Dowling Catholic High, Clark earned Iowa state player of the year honors after her junior and senior seasons.

She won a gold medal in 2019 at the Under-19 FIBA World Cup women’s championships and was among most recruiting services’ top five prospects to play college basketball. She selected Iowa over Notre Dame and other prominent Division I schools.

Clark was a hit from Day 1, starting 30 games her freshman season and leading all Division I players in points, total number of assists and 3-pointers.

The next season was even better, as Clark crashed the record books by becoming the first player in NCAA women’s history to lead Division I in points per game and assists per game.

Last season, Clark led the nation in assists and finished second in scoring.

More important, according to Clark, was that Iowa reached the Final Four and played for the national title.

Unfortunately, Clark is still chasing the elusive title. The Hawkeyes won their semifinal game but fell in the championship game to LSU.

Clark is enjoying Iowa’s victory over Ohio State in her record-setting effort but clearly poised to continue pursuing her title dreams.

And this is it, as Clark has declared for the WNBA Draft later this year.

Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Career Highlights

As a freshman: Named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first team all-conference, second team Associated Press All-America.
As a sophomore: Became first-ever player to finish first in points (27) and assists per game (eight). Finalist for Naismith Women’s Player of the Year.
As a junior: Fully grabbed the reins to lead the Hawkeyes deep into the NCAA Tournament, falling just short to LSU in the national championship game.
As a senior: First in scoring, second in assists and led Iowa to a No. 3 ranking this week following the Hawkeyes’ win over then-No. 2 Ohio State.

Career Superlatives

Caitlin Clark has stellar credentials, having lifted the University of Iowa with so many accomplishments and honors:

Caitlin Clark topped Pete Maravich March 3, 2024, to become the all-time leading scorer in college basketball history – man or woman. (*Maravich played in an era before the 3-point line and averaged 44.2 points per game in his three seasons at LSU.)
Clark set the NCAA women’s all-time scoring mark, supplanting Kelsey Plum, against Michigan Feb. 15, 2024.
Clark became the only player to lead her conference in scoring and assists in all four years of college.
With more than 50 games of at least 30 points, Clark is unmatched in 30+ point performances – men’s and women’s college basketball – since 2000.

Caitlin Clark in the NCAA Tournament

Caitlin Clark led Iowa into the Sweet 16 as a freshman, but the Hawkeyes were taken out by Connecticut.

Perhaps her biggest disappointment came in 2022, here sophomore year, when the Creighton Bluejays – a No. 10 seed – upset the second-seeded Hawkeyes. Clark hit only four of her 19 field-goal attempts.

Clark loudly announced her presence in last year’s NCAA Tournament, posting averages of 26 points and 11 rebounds through Iowa’s opening three games.

Then came the Louisville game.

Clark needed to step up for the Hawkeyes if she hoped to push her team into the Final Four, and she certainly succeeded.

With 41 points and 12 assists to go with 10 rebounds, Clark boosted Iowa to a 14-point victory.

Again a No. 2 seed, the Hawkeyes knocked out No. 1 South Carolina in their national semifinal but came up short, 102-85, against LSU in the final.

Clark set a record by hitting eight 3-pointers in the title game and scored a game-high 30 points.

That performance raised expectations for this season, and Clark crushed it — so much so that she enters the postseason absolutely needing a national title to satisfy her hunger for success.

It all begins for Clark and Iowa with Selection Sunday, March 17. This is must-see TV.

Going Viral

In that Final Four run last season, Caitlin Clark flexed her social media strength with some big-time trash talk.

Her actions directed at a Louisville player – she did the you-can’t-see-me thing made popular by WWE star John Cena – after hitting her sixth 3-pointer of that Elite Eight game.

A very involved competitor, Clark regularly shows her emotions on the court. We can’t wait to find out whether her biggest social media moment is yet to come.