Iowa's Caitlin Clark wins Wade Trophy, AP women's basketball Player of the Year awards
Caitlin Clark is raking in the awards.
The Iowa women's basketball star won the Wade Trophy, the highest honor in women's college basketball, on Thursday. She is the first Hawkeyes player to ever win the award, which is presented by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
"She has electrified fans and media to an exciting new level," WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew said in a statement. "She is an exceptional player whose dominance has inspired the next generation of women’s and girls’ basketball players."
Congratulations to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the winner of the 2023 Wade Trophy presented to the best player in college women’s basketball, and the entire 2023 WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America team!
Full Release➡️ https://t.co/D0ZwdBqjeN pic.twitter.com/mEGJgSDY1G— Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (@WBCA1981) March 30, 2023
Earlier in the day, she was tapped as The Associated Press women's basketball Player of the Year. She received 20 of a possible 28 votes in the tally that was taken prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament.
The junior guard was given the news of the title while she was visiting the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. She was shown a video message of children congratulating her on her season and then head coach Lisa Bluder revealed that she won the award. Clark and Bluder shared a hug before Clark called her parents on FaceTime.
"It's a huge honor," Clark said in a statement. "I picked a place that I perfectly fit into and that's allowed me to show my skill set. I'd be lying if I said it didn't mean something. It's not the reason you play basketball, it's just something that comes along with getting to do what you love."
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This comes a day after Clark was named the Naismith Player of the Year.
The junior guard is averaging 30 points in the tournament after posting 27.3 points per game in the regular season, good enough for third in the country, along with 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists. She had 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the No. 2 Hawkeyes' Elite Eight victory over the No. 5 Louisville Cardinals. The performance was the first 40-point triple-double for a player in either the men's or women's tournament and gave Iowa its first Final Four berth since 1993.
The Hawkeyes face the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks Friday in the national semifinals.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Caitlin Clark of Iowa wins Wade Trophy, AP Player of the Year
