Caitlin Clark showed her appreciation to the fans by raising her arms, pumping her fists, and making a heart shape with her hands as she said goodbye to her devoted supporters who came to watch her play for the last time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Monday night.
After No. 1 seed Iowa’s hard-fought 64-54 victory over No. 8 West Virginia in the women’s NCAA Tournament, she wanted to express her gratitude to the fans. “I’m forever thankful,” she said.
The Hawkeyes will travel to Albany, New York, to continue their quest to reach the championship game for the second consecutive year. Regardless of what happens from now on, Clark will be remembered as one of the most beloved athletes to come out of Iowa, along with Dan Gable, Bob Feller, and Nile Kinnick.
“I’m very grateful to have played in an environment that supports women’s sports the way they do, not just women’s basketball—and honestly, they’ve been doing this before I even arrived at campus,” Clark said. “Maybe it wasn’t quite as big as it is now, but these fans have always shown up, and they will continue to do so.”
The NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader had 32 points on a night where nothing came easy for her or her teammates. The Mountaineers’ tough defense tried to disrupt her game, and at times, they succeeded. She had to have blood wiped off her leg in the fourth quarter.
Among the spectators were Basketball Hall of Fame member Nancy Lieberman, also known as “Lady Magic,” and San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle, who played for the Hawkeyes from 2013-2016.
Clark’s parents were in the stands, as always. Her dad, Brent, was a regular fixture on social media over the weekend, showing his visible concern whenever his daughter let her frustration show when her shots didn’t go in or when she didn’t get calls against Holy Cross on Saturday.
He looked concerned on Monday whenever he appeared on ESPN’s broadcast, even when Iowa was pulling away. Her mom, Anne, stood with her hands clasped and smiled. As always, fans of all ages showed up wearing their No. 22 jerseys and T-shirts, and many brought signs paying tribute to the Iowa star.
“I try not to look into the stands as much as possible,” Clark said. “My family has always been there for me through the ups and downs of my journey. More than anything, they just look at me and motivate me, which reassures me.”
Clark’s first regular-season game at Carver-Hawkeye was in November 2020, where she scored 27 points in a 96-81 win over Northern Iowa. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, attendance was limited to family and media members. However, as her career continued to soar, crowds began to fill the arena, and every home game this year was sold out.
Carver-Hawkeye is where she broke Kelsey Plum’s Division I women’s all-time scoring record with a career-high 49 points against Michigan. It’s also where she surpassed the late Pete Maravich of LSU as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I. She scored 35 points against Ohio State that day. On Monday, she made a couple of late free throws to set the Division I single-season scoring record.
As she heads to Albany for Saturday’s Sweet 16 game against fifth-seeded Colorado, she has scored 1,113 points this season and 3,830 points in her 135 career games. “You don’t want to get too emotional,” she said. “I wish I could have stayed on the court a little longer.”
