It's not every day that a college athlete captivates the nation, but Caitlin Clark, the star point guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes, has managed to do just that. Amidst the overwhelming attention and a flurry of events, Clark remains grounded, sharing an honest outlook on her rise to fame.
“This has been my dream,” Clark said, via ESPN. “Maybe I didn't understand I would get such a big spotlight, but this is the level I wanted to play on.”
Since helping the Iowa women's basketball team to its first Final Four in 30 years, Clark’s schedule has been nonstop. From national award ceremonies, ceremonial first pitches, serving as a grand marshal at an IndyCar race, European tours with teammates and more, she has done it all. Her likeness has even been sculpted in butter at the Iowa State Fair, an honor that left her both amused and proud.
“I was aware of the butter statue as long as I can remember; I grew up going to the Iowa State Fair every single summer,” Clark said of the yearly event in Des Moines. “My cousins would come into town and we would do everything: roller coasters, stomping on grapes, seeing all the animals, eating food on a stick. The main staple of it all was the butter cow.”
With her friendly Midwestern personality and an unyielding competitive spirit, Clark has become more than just a basketball player – she's a brand. And it’s a role she has stepped into seamlessly, thanks to her ability to connect with fans and handle the spotlight with grace.
“I think if anybody can handle it, she can handle it,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said, as reported by ESPN. “The stars lined up right for her. She came around at the right time in the right place. With NIL, with becoming one of the faces of college basketball.”
Caitlin Clark's Iowa dreams to Hawkeye triumphs
But the journey to this point wasn’t a given. A West Des Moines native, Clark had her pick of colleges but chose to stay in Iowa. And she led the Hawkeyes to heights they hadn’t reached in three decades.
Her father, Brent Clark, summed his middle daughter's aspirations the best: “Going to Iowa and then having a dream of getting a team to a Final Four. That's a pretty bold statement, and I'm not sure how many people really believed it … She achieved what she had set out to achieve.”
Not only that, the Hawkeyes experienced an incredible turnout on Oct. 15th at Kinnick Stadium, with a staggering 55,646 spectators in attendance to witness Iowa’s exhibition match against DePaul. Clark lived up to the hype, delivering a phenomenal triple-double performance. Adding to the excitement, tickets for every home game this season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena have already been completely snapped up, showcasing the immense support for Iowa women's basketball.
“It's probably not something I'll ever experience the same way again after I leave here,” Clark said. “Because I grew up in this state. I stayed here, and we were able to do this for the people in this state. … So many people came up to me saying, ‘Watching you guys made our winter so much better.' I don't think you can top the level of pride that I feel when I put on an Iowa jersey.”
Now, with the 2023-24 season on the horizon and the NCAA Division I scoring record within reach, Clark’s journey is far from over. There are games to be played, records to chase, and a spotlight that only seems to be getting brighter. But for Clark, it’s all part of living her dream – a dream she’s had since she was a young girl shooting hoops in Iowa.
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