Shooting 3s and breaking records: Caitlyn Clark is No. 1
Photo courtesy of Tabitha Littlefield
Kelsey Watson, Staff Writer
Caitlyn Clark, senior guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team, passed Pete Maravich and broke the Division I record for total points scored on Sunday, March 3.
Before this, Clark passed Kelsey Plum to become the Division I all time women’s basketball leading scorer with a 3-pointer from the logo at 30 feet. Clark also broke Stephen Curry’s record for most 3-pointers in a season.
The Iowa player broke this all-time scoring record seconds before halftime against Ohio State, shooting two free throws. Clark entered the game with 3,650 points and left with 3,685, passing Maravich’s 3,667.
She needed 18 points to break the record and capped off the game with 35.
Maravich held this record for over 50 years. It is still in the minds of sports fans, as he only played for three seasons at LSU and finished his collegiate career three years before the 3-point line was adopted. He still holds the scoring record in men’s Division I basketball.
Clark averaged 31.9 points per game this season. In her college career so far, Clark has won many awards such as Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player, All-Big Ten, Big Ten All Freshman, the Naismith Award and many others.
When talking to the crowd on her senior night against Ohio State, Clark claimed it was the fans who made it worth it.
“I think the people that have made it the most special, obviously my teammates, my coaches, but it isn’t what it is without all of you,” Clark said as she looked into the crowd.
With this record being broken, it has brought an immense amount of interest into women’s basketball.
Tabitha Littlefield, junior women’s basketball player for North Greenville, said that this record has done nothing but good for the sport.
“I just think that it is really exciting, especially for it to be a woman. It brings attention to women’s sports, and I think it’s getting more people excited and interested in watching women in sports, basketball specifically,” Littlefield said.
This record is not all about scoring. With the score being broken by a woman it allows for more traction to the sport and shows the progress women’s basketball has made in just a few short years.
Many players other than Clark have become names any sports fan will know. Players like Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston and JuJu Watkins are just a few of the more recent women’s basketball players who have become just as popular as men.
While the all-time point record Clark will create is a very high number and tricky thing to beat, Littlefield thinks it will help players set goals.
“It’s just awesome and groundbreaking for women’s sports,” she said.
The Iowa star is dominating the court but has not broken every record set in front of her. Clark is still many points away from passing Peal Moore, who scored 3,884 points at Francis Marion. Moore played from 1975 to 1979, before women’s athletics was governed by the NCAA.
Clark announced that she will be entering the WNBA draft despite her fifth-year eligibility and is projected to be the No. 1 pick.
