Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark became a household name well before her first taste of WNBA action. Her ascension to superstardom came during her collegiate career with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Her success in college undoubtedly cemented her as the program’s greatest player of all time.
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In her four years in Iowa, Clark left an imprint on college basketball. She naturally holds numerous records within the team’s history and the NCAA as a whole. However, the true amount displays just how dominant she truly was.
Points and assists records
Iowa has never been a powerhouse in the women’s collegiate scene until Clark’s arrival. Her ability to create for herself and others was second to none, giving Hawkeyes fans a historic run filled with extraordinary records.
In 2023, Clark became the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,813 points. She finished her college career with 3,951 total points which ranks as the most all-time in NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball. Behind Clark in Iowa’s all-time scoring list is Megan Gustafson with 2,804 points. The difference between the two is quite stark. However, former Huskies legend Kelsey Plum is second on the all-time scoring list with 3,527 points, only 424 points behind.
Although Clark is the greatest at putting the ball in the basket, her playmaking was equally as impressive. Clark is also Iowa’s all-time leader in total assists with 1144. In second place is Samantha Logic with 898 total assists. Unlike, her scoring totals, Clark doesn’t lead the NCAA’s all-time ranks but is in the top three. She ranks third with Andrea Nagy at second with 1,167 assists and Suzie McConnell holding the record with 1,307 assists.
Three-pointers, free throws, field goal records
Clark wreaked havoc on opposing defenses with her outstanding three-point ranges. Her ability to shoot at the level of which she did revolutionized the sport in the women’s scene. As a result, her efforts earned her the rank of Iowa’s all-time leader in three-point makes by a large margin. Clark connected on 548 three-pointers, while the second-place Melissa Dixon only made 334. In addition, she’s also the all-time NCAA women’s leader in three-point makes ahead of Taylor Robertson by only 11 three-pointers.
The trend continues when it comes to the total made field goals. To no surprise, Clark is Iowa’s all-time leader with 1,293 field goal makes. Gustafson is second with 1,136. In terms of her position in the NCAA all-time ranks, she’s the leader in that category as well. Brittney Griner is behind Clark with 1,247 made field goals.
Clark completes the trifecta of shooting categories as the all-time leader in made free throws. She has no competition in program history with 817 made free throws. Gustafson is second with 531, which is nearly 300 free throws behind Clark.
Unfortunately for Clark, there are a few players ahead of her on the NCAA all-time list. Jackie Stiles (852), Crystal Kelly (885), and Kelsey Plum (912) are all ahead of her on the all-time free throw makes list.
Turnovers and minutes played records
As great as Clark was in college, she can’t be perfect. Her responsibility as the main ball handler and playmaker for Iowa led to her being a heavy turnover player. As a result, she ranks atop every other player in Iowa history in that department.
Clark’s 639 turnovers are the most in the program’s existence. Logic is behind Clark with 542 total turnovers. Two players are ahead of her in the all-time ranks. Dequesha McClanahan has 654 turnovers and Jamierra Faulkner has the most turnovers all time with 681.
However, Clark makes up for her turnovers with her production in every other category. Her ability to impact the game made her a mainstay on the court. Her total minutes played skyrocketed because of this. Although she ranks first in Iowa history with 4,832 minutes played, it isn’t by a landslide like the other categories. Her teammate, Gabbie Marshall ranks second with 4,593 total minutes.
Furthermore, Clark isn’t even in the top 10 in minutes played all-time. She is tied 41st in total minutes played, which makes her extraordinary achievements even more remarkable.
