While Iowa star Caitlin Clark did not end her season with a championship ring, she has filled her trophy case with individual accolades.
Tuesday brought her latest win, the 2023 Wooden Award for the best women’s college basketball player, which completed her sweep of the national player of the year awards. She also won the Naismith Trophy, Wade Trophy, Associated Press Player of the Year and USBWA National Player of the Year.
The 6-foot junior guard finished the season with 27.8 points (second-most in the country), 8.6 assists (most in the country) and 7.1 rebounds per game. She posted five triple-doubles, including a 41-point triple-double in her team’s Final Four win over previously undefeated South Carolina.
𝐍𝐏𝐎𝐘 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐩 🤩@CaitlinClark22 is the winner of the @WoodenAward! #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/IDxOxEOxqd
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) April 4, 2023
While Iowa fell 102-85 to LSU in the national championship game, Clark scored a game-high 30 points, and she finished the tournament with 191 total points — breaking the record for the most points scored in a single NCAA Tournament, women’s or men’s.
Clark beat out 14 fellow finalists, including South Carolina senior and reigning winner Aliyah Boston, for the award.
LSU sophomore Angel Reese was named the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament after the Tigers’ title win, but she was not nominated for the Wooden Award. LSU confirmed to ESPN that Reese was ineligible for the award, as she does not meet all of the criteria.
According to the criteria for the award, candidates must prove more than just their on-court abilities, including: being a full-time student making progress toward graduation with a cumulative 2.00 GPA since enrolling, exhibiting strength of character on and off the court, and excelling in both offense and defense.