IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa women’s basketball sophomore Caitlin Clark was named to the Nancy Lieberman Top-10 Watch List, the Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced Monday.
The Nancy Lieberman Award, in its 23rd year, recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. The award is given annually to a player who exhibits the floor leadership, playmaking and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman. Clark is one of four Big Ten athletes on the list. She’s joined by Michigan State’s Nia Clouden, Northwestern’s Veronica Burton and Maryland’s Ashley Owusu.
The Des Moines, Iowa, native is having a record-breaking season, registering five triple-doubles this season and leading the country in most career triple-doubles by an active player with six. Clark’s six career triple-doubles ties former Hawkeye Sam Logic’s Big Ten record (2011-15) for most in a career and ties for the fifth most single season (5) and career (6) triple-doubles in NCAA Division I history.
In January, Clark joined the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Hardin, Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only NBA, WNBA, Division I men’s and women’s basketball to record back-to-back 30-point triple doubles since 2000. She is one of 10 women’s basketball players (15 times) to register back-to-back triple doubles in their careers — the only NCAA player (male or female) to do so with 30-plus points in the pair.
Clark broke the 1,000-career point barrier against Evansville in early January, becoming the fastest Big Ten women’s basketball athlete and the eighth NCAA athlete to meet the mile marker in 40 games or less. Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell previously held the record with 1,000 in 41 games during the 2016-17 season. Clark is only the second NCAA athlete in the last 25 years to tally 1,000 points in 40 games or less — Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne did it in 38 games (2011-12).
Against Penn State, Clark broke the Iowa single-game assist record, tallying 18 and breaking the Big Ten record against a conference opponent — regular season or Big Ten Tournament game. Former Hawkeye Kathleen Doyle previously held the Iowa record with 15 assists against Nebraska (Feb. 6, 2020). Clark is tied with Nebraska’s Rachel Theriot who had 18 assists against Minnesota on March 7, 2014 in the B1G Tournament for the NCAA Tournament lead.
Clark set a career-high 46 points against No. 6 Michigan, registering her 12th double-double of the season with 10 assists and breaking her third women’s basketball arena scoring record. She now holds the scoring records at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena (44), Michigan’s Crisler Center (46) and Nebraska’s Pinnacle Bank Arena (39).
This season, the sophomore is averaging 27.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game, while shooting 89.4 percent from the free-throw line.