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Georgia women’s track & field run away with first national title

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SEC Sports

EUGENE, Ore. — The Georgia women’s track and field team exploded for 73 points to win its first national outdoor title by 26 points as the NCAA Championships wrapped up on Saturday.

Senior Elena Kulichenko (high jump), junior Aaliyah Butler (400-meter dash) and Butler, Michelle Smith, Dejanea Oakley and Sydney Harris (4x400m relay) captured national crowns while Oakley collected silver in the 400m, Smith managed bronze in the 400m hurdles and freshman Skylynn Townsend posted a personal best to take sixth in the triple jump.  

Final Women’s Team Scores: Finishing behind Georgia (73 points) was USC (47), Texas A&M (43), Washington (31) and Illinois (29.5) in the top five.

This squad of 16 Bulldogs, including a relay alternate for both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, represent seven different nations and featured six first timers at the meet and four true freshmen.  Georgia finished as the runner-up in back-to-back years in 2017-18 and its 2025 point total of 73 is a school record, topping the 62.2 in 2017.

While this is the first NCAA outdoor team title for the Georgia women, they did capture the 2018 indoor team championship.  The Bulldogs’ outdoor crown is the 52nd overall team national championship for UGA, including the men’s outdoor championship in Eugene in 2018, tying LSU and Arkansas for the second most team titles in the SEC.  This is the fourth national championship for UGA this academic year after women’s tennis won the indoor and outdoor crowns and equestrian captured the championship.

Director of Track & Field Caryl Smith Gilbert adds the 2025 championship to her 2018 and 2021 women’s titles while leading USC’s program.  Smith Gilbert was also on Tennessee’s staff when the indoor squad won the 2005 championship.  With Saturday’s championship, Smith Gilbert becomes the first collegiate female coach to win NCAA track and field championships at two separate schools.

“We worked really, really, really hard and we have a team that is starting to form into something that will be a great program,” Smith Gilbert said.  “It’s very important to me for us to have points all over the place.  Track and field is track and field so we made a point this year and for the future to build all parts of the program, not just the sprints.  I have the greatest coaching staff on the planet and a Director of Athletics in Josh Brooks and a president in Jere Morehead who support our program to no end.  I am so proud to bring home this championship to Athens.”

Smith Gilbert on UGA winning: ‘We’ve been working on this moment the whole season’

Meet Schedule: Other than the decathlon running Wednesday-Thursday and the heptathlon going Friday-Saturday, the meet was set up to be a men’s competition on Wednesday and Friday and a women’s competition on Thursday and Saturday.

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday Highlights: Georgia only had a pair of high jumpers compete on Friday and senior transfer Eddie Kurjak tied for eighth place and earned First Team All-America honors after coming from a NCAA Division II program.

During the women’s first day of action on Thursday, graduate transfer Stephanie Ratcliffe won her second career hammer throw title and became the first NCAA representative to accomplish the feat at two separate schools and in non-consecutive years.  Freshman Manuela Rotundo and senior Lianna Davidson finished second and fourth in the javelin to give Georgia its first pair of scorers in the event since two Bulldogs were in the top eight in 2005.  Finally, senior Kelsie Murrell-Ross steadily improved during her series to finish sixth in the shot put, becoming the first to earn scoring All-America honors in the event for UGA since 2000.

On Wednesday, senior transfer Moustafa Alsherif finished fourth in the javelin to give the Bulldog men a scorer in the event for the fourth straight year.  Also, freshman Jayden Keys complemented his Southeastern Conference long jump title with an eighth-place finish in the event to score for the men.

Full Results: To check out live results throughout the four-day season finale, please check: https://gado.gs/da0

The Lowdown: Kulichenko, a Ondintsovo, Russia, native, shared the national crown in 2024 but left no doubt as she claimed her first sole title in the high jump.  Coming in at 1.84 meters/6-0.50 on Saturday, Kulichenko went over five heights, including the winning mark of 1.96m/6-5, on her first try and topped Illinois’ Rose Yeboah for the championship.  This is UGA’s fourth national championship in the event.

Butler, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native, collected her first individual national championship in the 400m and the second in school history (Lynna Irby, 2018).  She came in as the national leader and left with a fresh school record and became the No. 5 all-time collegiate performer.  Only one member of the field, Butler’s teammate Dejanea Oakley, came within striking distance of her.

Oakley, who hails from Clarendon, Jamaica, sped to her own personal record of 49.65 to earn the silver medal as Georgia tallied 18 points in the event to take control of the meet.  Oakley’s time dropped Irby’s previous No. 2 time in the school record books to No. 3.

Butler later combined with Smith, Oakley and Harris to win Georgia’s first women’s 4x400m relay outdoors in history.  Topping the school record and taking over the No. 8 spot on the collegiate all-time performer’s list, the Bulldogs passed the baton around for a 3:23.62 to top Arkansas (3:24.25) for gold.  Butler scorched an anchor leg of 48.79 to move into the overall lead during the final 100 meters and put an exclamation mark on Georgia’s point total.

Smith, a Frederiksted, St. Croix, native, raced in the 400m hurdle final and drove through her lap and 10 hurdles in 55.20 for bronze medal honors.  Lining up with what would soon become the new collegiate record holder (Michigan’s Savannah Sutherland, 52.46), Smith added another six points to the Lady Bulldogs’ total and became the team’s first scoring All-American in the event since Gudrun Arnardottir finished third at the 1996 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Arriving on the Oregon campus seeded 11th nationally, Townsend, a native of Prosper, Texas, posted six fair attempts in the triple jump and topped out at a personal record to finish sixth at her first Nationals.  Townsend’s second try of 13.52m/44-4.50 situated her in sixth place with a comfortable cushion as she joined the great four-time NCAA outdoor triple jump champion Keturah Orji as a UGA First Team All-American.

How To Keep Up With The Dogs: Results and recaps from the NCAA Outdoor Championships will be found at georgiadogs.com.  News and updates from Georgia’s track and field and cross country teams are always located on X/Instagram at @UGATrack.

Wake Forest senior wins Juli Inkster Award, gains priceless mentorship and a ‘second mom’

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Beth Ann Nichols | Golfweek

It’s difficult to put a price on what winning the Inkster Award is truly worth. There’s the obvious $50,000 cash prize that, in the case of of 2025 winner Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, will help pay for LPGA Q-School. But the experience of two LPGA starts – this week’s Meijer LPGA Classic and The Standard Portland Classic later this summer – can’t be measured.

Neither can the invaluable mentorship of LPGA of Famer Juli Inkster, who takes each winner on a retreat to answer questions these young players don’t even know to ask. The mentorship starts with the first congratulatory phone call and never ends.

“I’m building a little family,” said 64-year-old Inkster of her relationships with past winners. “It’s so fun.”

Carolina Lopez-Chacarra of Spain plays a shot on the second hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club on April 05, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia.

The Inkster Award is given to the highest-ranked Division I golfer in her final year of eligibility. It’s reserved for seniors because Inkster is a “big team player” who values loyalty and a four-year degree. With so many players leaving school early to turn pro, Inkster wanted to add an incentive to stay. Workday, the award’s presenting sponsor, backed it financially. Past winners include LPGA rookies Ingrid Lindblad (2024) and Jenny Bae (2023).

“I honestly think she’s just going to help me with everything,” said Wake Forest’s Lopez-Chacarra, who recently tied for 36th at the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills. “I’m lucky enough to have her here. Going to treat her as my second mom basically. I don’t know if she’s ready for that.”Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle

Lopez-Chacarra finished her senior year ranked sixth nationally, winning twice last season. This week’s Meijer marks her first non-major LPGA start, and she remains an amateur. The award also guarantees Lopez-Chacarra a spot in the second stage of LPGA Qualifying (allowing her to skip the first), held Oct. 15-18 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida.

Inkster won 17 times during her decorated career at San Jose State (1979-1982). She’d go on to win 31 LPGA titles, including seven majors, and play her way into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

“Going from college golf where everything is done for you, when to practice, how to travel, what to wear, to going to the LPGA and now you’re all by yourself,” said Inkster. “I just wanted to be there for them. I’ve been on the low side, the high side, I’ve had kids. You know, I feel like I’ve done it all. So there is really not a question that I can’t answer.”

North Carolina defeats Wake Forest to win 2024 Women’s College Cup final

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By Associate Press

CARY, N.C. — Olivia Thomas scored on a free kick in the 62nd minute for her fourth goal of the NCAA tournament as North Carolina beat Wake Forest 1-0 on Monday night for the program’s first national championship since 2012.

North Carolina (22-5-0) has won 22 of the 43 NCAA women’s soccer titles. The Tar Heels also won the 1981 AIAW title to total 23 national championships. No other women’s soccer team has won more than four.

Wake Forest (16-4-4) was playing in the championship game for the first time in program history. The Demon Deacons were seeking just the 11th national championship in school history. UNC has 51 NCAA team championships across eight sports.

Thomas drew three defenders and was taken down just outside the 18-yard box by Dempsey Brown, who received a yellow card. Thomas found a gap in the wall and curled it past goalkeeper Valentina Amaral for her ninth goal of the season.

Interim head coach Damon Nahas is the second coach in NCAA women’s soccer history to win a national championship in their first year as a head coach, joining UCLA’s Margueritte Aozasa from 2022.

North Carolina was making its 32nd College Cup appearance, including five of the past seven. No other team has been in more than 14. UNC was in the national title game for the 28th time, and has finished as the runner-up on six occasions.

It was the first title game involving two teams from the state of North Carolina since 1992 when North Carolina beat Duke 9-1.

The incredible career numbers achieved by UConn’s Geno Auriemma as he sets coaching wins record

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Jordan Mendoza

USA TODAY

After four decades and more than a thousand games, Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma now stands alone on top of the sport.

Auriemma became college basketball’s − men’s and women’s − winningest coach in history after the Huskies defeated Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday in front of a home crowd that celebrated the man responsible for building the most-dominant program in women’s basketball. It’s a remarkable achievement given he didn’t think it would ever happen, but it’s now another accolade that cements Auriemma as one of the greatest coaches of all sports.

With Auriemma reaching another basketball milestone, here are some of biggest numbers and accomplishments from his Basketball Hall of Fame career, and what’s next for the legendary coach.

1,217 wins

Auriemma became all-time leader wins with his 1,217 victory, passing recently retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. However, what’s impressive is that Auriemma did it in much quicker fashion, needing only 40 seasons to do it compared to VanDerveer’s 45.

Auriemma only needing 40 seasons shows how successful he has been during his tenure. He only had one losing season − his first at Connecticut − and he has a .882 winning percentage, the best of the eight college basketball coaches with at least 1,000 wins.

11 national championships

The biggest mark of success, Auriemma has won 11 championships in his tenure, the most of any coach men’s or women’s. UConn won its first title in 1995 and it’s last in 2016, meaning during that stretch it won 11 of the 22 possible national championships.

During that stretch, the Huskies have one three-peat and women’s basketball’s only four-peat. When UConn makes the national championship game, it’s practically a lock for it to win; they are 11-0 in the title game.

23 Final Fours

For more than two decades, UConn has nearly been a shoe-in to make the Final Four with 23 appearances − the most in college basketball.

After sporadic appearances in 1991, 1995 and 1996, UConn went on long stretches with making the Final Four. It made five consecutive appearances from 2000-04, and an amazing 14 in a row from 2008-22 (excluding the canceled 2020 tournament). The Huskies also made last season’s Final Four.

6 perfect seasons

Six of those 11 national championships came with perfect seasons. They happened in:

  • 1994-95: 35-0
  • 2001-02: 39-0
  • 2008-09: 39-0
  • 2009-10: 39-0
  • 2013-14: 40-0
  • 2015-16: 38-0

111 consecutive wins

Auriemma owns the longest win streak in college basketball when his team won 111 straight games from 2014-17, a Division I record. The streak started on Nov. 23, 2014 and went all the way until they lost in the 2017 Final Four. During that streak, the Huskies won two national championships.

59 conference championships

Connecticut has been the class of the conference with 59 combined conference championships − 29 conference tournament and 30 regular-season titles. The Huskies have been in the Big East and American Athletic Conference under Auriemma, and an impressive feat was when UConn was in the American Athletic from 2013-20, it never lost a conference game.

Currently, the Huskies have won 11 consecutive conference tournament titles.

27 All-Americans

The first All-American under Auriemma was Rebecca Lobo in the 1994-95 season, and Huskies have continuously been among the top players in the country since then. What’s remarkable is of the 27 All-Americans selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, 17 of them were multi-year selections. That includes Maya Moore-Irons, who was an All-American all four seasons.

5 WNBA No. 1 draft picks

The success in college led to five former Huskies becoming No. 1 picks in the WNBA draft, the most top selections of any school. They are:

  • Sue Bird: 2002
  • Diana Taurasi: 2004
  • Tina Charles: 2010
  • Maya Moore: 2011
  • Breanna Stewart: 2016

Another one could be on the way next season with current Huskies guard Paige Bueckers expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.

45 WNBA draft picks

Including the No. 1 selections, 45 Huskies have been selected in the WNBA draft. From 2009 to 2020, at least one UConn player was selected in each draft.

2 Olympic gold medals

Outside of college ball, Auriemma was the head coach for Team USA in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. He achieved perfection in Olympic play with 8-0 records in each year en route to two gold medals. There have been 10 Connecticut women’s players that have played in the Olympics for the United States.

What’s next for Geno Auriemma?

Is there more for Auriemma to accomplish?

Earlier this year, the head coach didn’t think he’d ever break the wins record with VanDerveer ahead of him, but now he stands alone with more wins coming his way this season. He likely has a few more years as well to pile wins up after he signed a contract extension in June that keeps him in Storrs through the 2028-29 season.

The Huskies are again a favorite to reach the Final Four and contend for a national championship. If Auriemma is able to lock up championship No. 12, would he continue to coach, or could the 70-year-old leave the game on top of the sport?

“Really, what more is there for him to do?” Rebecca Lobo told USA TODAY Sports. “No one else is ever going to win 11 (championships). It’s not like he has to get 12 to prove himself. No one else is going to go to 23 Final Fours and definitely no team is ever winning 111 games again. 

“But that’s not what it’s about. For him, it’s all about how can help these players experience these moments, how can I help them become better people and players?”

Contributing: Lindsay Schnell

Malkamaki Wins Back-to-Back World Titles

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By: DuPaul Athletics

The Blue Demon brings home her second gold

KOBE – DePaul Track and Field’s Noelle Malkamaki won her second consecutive gold at the 2024 Para Athletics World Championships, early Thursday morning. The Blue Demon successfully defended her World title after achieving a final mark of 13.12m. 

This is a back-to-back win for the Blue Demon, after she dominated her first World title last year, claiming gold in the women’s F46 shot put at her world championship debut last year. Malkamaki broke the world record three times during the event, before her final throw of 13.32m. 

In March, Malkamaki competed for a Team USA roster spot at the 2024 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships in Walnut, Calif., dominating the women’s F46 shot put and taking home a national title with a final mark of 13.21m. 

UP NEXT: Following the World Championships, Malkamaki will turn her attention to the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials, July 18-20 in Miramar, Fla. with the hopes of earning a berth on Team USA at the Paralympic Games.

Gymnast Morgan Price becomes first HBCU athlete to win national collegiate title

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By Cara Tabachnick | CBS News

Gymnast Morgan Price became the first athlete from a historically Black college or university team to win a national collegiate championship on Friday.  

The Fisk University student clinched the title with an all-around score of 39.225 – and became “the first USAG Collegiate National Champion from an HBCU! ” said USA Gymnastics. She was among athletes from 12 college teams joining the competition at the USA Gymnastics’ 2024 Women’s Collegiate National Championships in West Chester, Pennsylvania. 

Price joined the first HBCU intercollegiate team at Nashville’s Fisk University in 2023 after graduating from high school. She initially signed onto Arkansas before switching to attend Fisk, ESPN reported, after Coach Corrine Tarver asked her the simple question: “Do you want to make history?”

Since forming, the gymnastics team has garnered high-profile media attention, competed on ESPN and has sold out meets.

“I have learned that it is enjoyable to be around your culture. Since we are the first, we have a lot of eyes on us, and our support system is excellent. Seeing the fans and little girls cheering us on was super fun,” Price said in 2023. 

Her team celebrated her win with a social media post saying, “THE PRICE IS RIGHT. Etch her name in the HISTORY BOOKS.”

Price will compete on Sunday in the Individual Event finals on vault, bars and floor.

South Carolina defeats Iowa 87-75 to win national championship and complete perfect season

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With undefeated South Carolina jolted onto an unfamiliar backfoot, coach Dawn Staley looked toward her bench to remedy an early 11-point deficit to Iowa — more specifically, she looked toward Tessa Johnson.

The freshman guard outshone her six-point scoring average all tournament long and was a revelation in relief for the Gamecocks. With a team-high 19 points and three triples, Johnson led South Carolina to a slim halftime lead and a dominant third quarter, helping the Gamecocks claim their second national title in three years, 87-75, and cap off a perfect season.

The role players were rolling from the opening tip, as Kate Martin and Sydney Affolter gave Iowa a quick 7-0 lead, but Caitlin Clark scored 13 in a row from all over the court. The newly crowned AP Player of the Year drained a pair of 3s, was fouled on two more attempts and converted at the rim to give her Hawkeyes a 20-9 lead by the first media timeout. Clark finished with 30 points (10 of 28 shooting), eight rebounds and five assists in her last college game.

Iowa’s centers Hannah Stuelke and Addison O’Grady admirably limited star Gamecock post Cardoso to just 2 of 6 shooting in the first quarter, but the Brazilian behemoth partnered with Johnson and inevitably found her opening. Johnson — who led the Gamecocks’ 36-0 bench scoring advantage — took up the mantle for South Carolina and its top-ranked defense. The freshman guard poked away a pair of steals, turning each into transition baskets, before Cardoso finished through contact to tie the game at 27.

That top-ranked defense also took exception to Clark’s early mastery, and a savvy defensive play from Raven Johnson dispossessed Clark and gave the Gamecocks an easy two points before halftime.

South Carolina bottled up this late-half momentum for a roaring start out of the locker room. Chloe Kitts ensured her spot on the floor with two straight baskets out of the intermission, and Te-Hina Paopao nailed a pull-up jumper to give her Gamecocks a 55-46 lead and force Iowa coach Lisa Bluder to burn a quick timeout. 

Cardoso also hauled a career-high 17 rebounds, leading an overwhelming South Carolina rebounding effort that started to wear on the Hawkeyes. The Gamecocks enjoyed a 24-11 rebounding advantage in the second half, including six offensive boards, and a plus-6 advantage in second chance points helped South Carolina maintain its lead.

Paopao nailed a 3 to begin the fourth quarter, one of her three long-range bombs Sunday, and a familiarly balanced South Carolina scoring attack — seven Gamecocks made at least three field goals — proved too much for a late Hawkeyes rally. 

How a small Illinois college became a women’s wrestling powerhouse

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Northern Public Radio | By Peter Medlin

North Central College in Naperville — a small liberal arts school of fewer than 3,000 students — has become one of the premier women’s wrestling programs in the country. And the program only started five years ago.

Last spring, the North Central team took home their first national title. And three Cardinals wrestlers secured individual championships on top of that.

Yelena Makoyed won her third consecutivenational championship in 2023 AND was named the first-ever USA Wrestling Women’s College Wrestler of the Year.

She’s also one of at least six North Central women’s wrestlers who will compete at the Olympic Trialslater this spring with a shot to make it to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this July.

Makoyed andNCC head coach Joe Norton understand the significance of the opportunity.

“That’s the pinnacle of our sport,” said Norton. “It’s not the NFL or the NBA or whatever. And you can go to a Division-3 school and qualify for the Olympic trials? There’s not a lot of dudes going D-3 and going to the NFL.”

But, just a few years ago, when the program just began, there was no hardware Norton could point to during the recruiting process. No national titles. No Olympics. Just a small, Division-3 school in the Midwest with a good men’s program and without any scholarships to offer.

“We were just selling dreams back then,” he said.

Makoyed remembers his pitch very well.

“It was like, ‘I love wrestling. I want to coach, I want to start a woman’s program.’ And we kind of just had to have faith that he would follow through,” she said.

To make recruiting more complicated, girl’s wrestling wasn’t an official IHSA sport at the high school level in Illinois until just 3 years ago. So, there weren’t many local programs to pull from.

Makoyed is from California. She didn’t start wrestling until high school. Her school didn’t have enough girls for their own team, so they’d practice with the boys’ team and then compete against other girls in tournaments.

“And I honestly liked it like that,” she said. “Because the coaches treated us equally, the same as the guys, and it was really challenging but it made us really strong.”

She says she wasn’t that heavily recruited, since she started so late. She didn’t really know about many programs with women’s teams until she got the call from coach Norton.

Over the course of her college career Makoyed has seen women’s wrestling grow exponentially. There’s more opportunity in high school. There are more and more colleges at every level with women’s programs. It’s listed as an Emerging Sport by the NCAA, meaning it’s on track for an official NCAA Championship soon.

The North Central program has taken off too. That first year in 2019, they had 9 wrestlers. Now they have 52 women from nearly two dozen different states, and 21 All-Americans on the roster.

But, with the women’s wrestling scene becoming stronger and stronger, that comes with new challenges for a small school like North Central.

Division-3 schools can’t offer athletic scholarships. Norton says they’re competing against Division-1 & 2 programs that can offer full-ride scholarships and high-end gear sponsorships. But, Norton stresses, the scholarship doesn’t make you a better wrestler — it’s the coaches and training.

“’Well, coach, this school is free. I’m on a full ride.’ All right, well, that doesn’t put you in the Olympic trials, that doesn’t put you on top of the podium at the NCAA championships,” he said.

And the competition is tougher. This year, the University of Iowa started a women’s program. Makoyed says it’s a huge deal. Iowa has one of the most successful Division-1 men’s programs in the nation.

Amani Jones, another All-American on the team, says competing against the likes of Iowa keeps them motivated. They still have something to chase, even when defending their national championship.

“We just won the national tournament, and I feel like we don’t have the credit we deserve still,” said Jones. “Everyone expects them to win. So, I like it. It feels like we’re still the underdog going after them.”

The Cardinals clinched their second-consecutive regional title. The North Central team looks to bring home back-to-back championships at the national tournament coming up March 8 and 9.

Just five years ago, Coach Norton was selling dreams to Makoyed and the other women joining the brand-new program. Now, those Olympic dreams are reality. The national championships are on the shelf. And the chance to compete at the highest level is right in front of them.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark breaks ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich’s NCAA Division I scoring record

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By Phil Helsel and Rebecca Cohen | NBC News

Clark on Feb. 15 became the leading career scorer for NCAA women when she passed Kelsey Plum’s 3,527 career points, set in 2017.

Two weeks after she broke the record for women, Caitlin Clark has become NCAA Division I basketball’s overall top scorer, period.

The Iowa Hawkeyes star went into Sunday’s game against the Ohio State Buckeyes needing 18 points to break “Pistol Pete” Maravich’s record of 3,667 career points, which stood for more than 50 years. And with a second-quarter free throw, she became the top-scoring player — man or woman — in NCAA basketball history.

By the time the final buzzer rang out in Sunday’s game — in which the Hawkeyes beat the Buckeyes 93-83 — Clark had scored 35 points.

Clark’s Sunday total sets the new NCAA scoring record at 3,685 points.

Following the free throw that broke the scoring record, Clark said the record wasn’t on her mind, “but then when they announced it and everybody screamed, that’s when I knew,” she said in an interview with Fox reporter Allison Williams.

Clark said in a postgame interview with Williams that her team “came out and dominated” against the Buckeyes.

“I’m just proud of our girls,” Clark said. “It was a fun, dominant win for us. I thought we played really well.”

Clark, in an interview during her Senior Night ceremony, said she is “very grateful” after starting her career at Iowa “playing in front of absolutely no one during COVID,” and “now it’s impossible to get a ticket to get in the door to our games.”

“I think the people that have made it the most special, obviously my teammates, my coaches,” Clark said. “But it isn’t what it is without all of you,” she continued, gesturing to the cheering crowds of fans.

“I mean that and I thank you,” Clark said. “This is special. I don’t know if you guys realize what you’re doing for women’s basketball and women’s sports in general, but you’re changing it. You’re helping us change it.”

“I’ve put on an Iowa jersey for four years,” Clark said, “but like Coach Bluder and Kate [Martin] said, there’s still so much more fun to have and we’re not done.”

Clark, 22, earned the women’s record Feb. 15 when she scored her first 8 points in a game against Michigan and passed Kelsey Plum’s 3,527 points in a career that ended in 2017. Clark went on that night to score a career-high 49 points.

NCAA women leading career scorer
Iowa Caitlin Clark listens as the crowd cheers after she broke the NCAA women’s all-time scoring record in Iowa City on Feb. 15.Matthew Holst / Getty Images file

“I’m just really grateful, honestly, to be able to be here and make so many of my dreams come true,” Clark said after the history-making game, which Iowa won, 106-89.

She put up 33 points against Minnesota on Wednesday to cement her place atop the all-time career points among women to play for major colleges. The record had been held by Kansas great Lynette Woodard, who scored 3,650 points. (Woodard played from 1977 to 1981, when women’s sports were governed by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.)

Clark and Woodard had a chance to catch up and celebrate following Sunday’s game.

“It’s just a great time for women’s basketball,” Woodard said in an interview with Fox’s Williams following Clark’s new record.

“Caitlin is leading the way. As she was chipping away I said, ‘Records are made to be broken, but also, they’re made to be honored,’” Woodard said. “And because of her, my records are being honored.”

Woodard continued: “I came to this game knowing she had 18 points to get. I had 19, but I have no more playing time. So, hopefully I passed her the baton for her to go ahead and burst through that ceiling, and I’m so happy for her.”

The overall record comes on Clark’s final regular-season game as a college athlete. Though the 22-year-old senior has another year of eligibility, she announced earlier this week that she would enter the WNBA draft next month.

“It probably won’t hit me until a little bit later, but I’m just gonna enjoy with my family and my teammates and I’m just really thankful to be in this place,” Clark said when asked what emotions she was feeling ahead of her “official goodbye” to Hawkeye Nation.

Her final season has been full of big moments and big numbers: She’s averaging 32 points per game, but at least four times this season she has racked up 40 points. The 6-foot guard from West Des Moines is also averaging more than 8 assists per game, and she recently recorded the 1,000th assist of her college career, making her only the sixth woman in college basketball history to do so.

With the scoring record in hand, Clark is now doubtless looking to lead her team, 25-4, to a national title. Last year, they made a run to the NCAA title game, where they lost to LSU.

Maravich’s NCAA men’s scoring record was 3,667 points, which he set playing for LSU from 1968 to 1970.

After college, Maravich went on to an NBA career in which he was a five-time All-Star. He played for the Atlanta Hawks and the then-New Orleans Jazz and for one season with the Boston Celtics.Maravich died in 1988 in Pasadena, California, at 40 years old.

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