US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today submitted a statement for the record honoring Iowa native Caitlin Clark for her achievements in women’s basketball. Grassley also joined Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) in introducing a resolution congratulating Clark for becoming the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) all-time leading scorer in Division I basketball.
Text of the resolution is HERE and Grassley’s statement is below.
Statement for the Congressional Record by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Celebrating the ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’
March 5, 2024
I am proud to recognize University of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, a true generational talent, for her historic achievements in women’s collegiate basketball. Clark is a West Des Moines native.
In the Hawkeyes’ February 15, 2024 matchup against the Michigan Wolverines, Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history. She clinched the record in the opening two minutes with three baskets, including a logo three-point shot. She put up 49 total points that game in the Carver Hawkeye Arena– a new school and personal best.
Less than three weeks later, during her last regular season game with the Hawkeyes, Clark surpassed “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s 1970 record for highest number of points scored in the NCAA. To date, Clark has racked up 3,685 career points – more than any Division I player in history, men’s or women’s.
Clark’s success is undoubtedly the dividend of her hard work, discipline and dedication. It seems to have earned her a suffix: “the first.”
Clark, the first player to record a 40-point triple-double in men’s or women’s NCAA tournament history.
Clark, the first player to drop consecutive 40-point games in the women’s NCAA tournament.
Clark, the first Division I player to top 3,000 points, 1,000 assists and 800 rebounds.
Clark, the first Big Ten player to win every major national player of the year award: AP Player of the Year; the Honda Sports Award; the John R. Wooden Award; Naismith College Player of the Year; USBWA National Player of the Year; and the Wade Trophy.
She’s a team player, too. In the 2022-23 season, Clark was responsible for 48 percent of the team’s assists. Another first. No other Division I player, male or female, had ever accounted for more than 42 percent of their team’s assists.
Clark is captivating the world with her talent, competitiveness, team spirit, sportsmanship, leadership, work ethic and evident love for the game of basketball. Already, she has become one of history’s most influential women in sports.
Public engagement in women’s college basketball has never before reached today’s heights. During the 2023 NCAA Tournament, the championship boasted a sellout crowd of 19,482 ticket holders and 9.9 million at-home viewers. The Hawkeyes’ Final Four faceoff garnered 5.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched Women’s NCAA Tournament semifinals game on the books. Weeks ahead of the Hawkeyes’ 2023-24 season opener, the team broke the all-time attendance record for a single women’s basketball game when 55,646 spectators packed Kinnick Stadium for a charity-benefit exhibition. The 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament is sold out for the first time ever.
The “Caitlin Clark Effect” is not just changing women’s college basketball; it’s inspiring athletes of all ages, across all sports. As Clark continues to rise through the ranks of the “all-time greats,” I congratulate her on behalf of the Hawkeye State. Keep making us proud. Go Hawks.
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