Caitlin Clark of Iowa Talks About Breaking Records in the Men’s or Women’s NCAA Tournament
She attended South Shore High School in Port Wing, a tiny Wisconsin town. She has also become an Iowa Hawkeyes star.
After Gustafson moved to Iowa City, Iowa, which finished the season ranked 16th with a 17-5 record, might have needed some time to settle in. After eight consecutive trips, the Hawkeyes did not make it to the NCAA tournament in her freshman or sophomore seasons; instead, they participated in the WNIT. However, Iowa qualified for the Big Dance the previous season and is expected to go far in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, if not win both. Not to mention a conference title throughout the regular season.
It’s also time to reflect on Gustafson’s career and the many records she has broken as she leads Iowa on that run. We are unable to access every record here due to their sheer volume. We managed to get Gustafson to speak with us about her incredible Hawkeyes career.
Gustafson passed a former teammate for the program’s scoring record on December 30 and would have preferred to defeat Michigan State instead of falling to the Spartans. She declared that she would change “in a heartbeat.” However, what’s done is done, and the Hawkeyes will have another chance to face the Spartans on Thursday. After surpassing Ally Disterhoft, who concluded her career with 2,102 points, the senior sensation has only once scored fewer than 20 points. When she received a 19.
With seven games remaining in the regular season and chances to score more in the postseason, Gustafson now has 2,388 career points. This season, she set a program record for the most points in a season (823), which included a record-tying 48 points in a single game.
However, her performance was not supported by exceptional 3-point shooting. As a junior, the 6-foot-3 Gustafson broke the Iowa records for field goals made, field goal percentage, free throws attempted, and made; but, in her career, she has only attempted two 3-pointers and has made her first this season.
In other words, her opponents are aware that they must and cannot stop her inside. Gustafson leads Iowa with 26.6 points per game this season, as well as the Big Ten and the NCAA.
“My work ethic is something I kind of take pride in,” Gustafson stated. It’s something I can always have control over. My effort is always in control. Everything else isn’t always under my control.”
