CLEVELAND, Ohio — University of Iowa senior Caitlin Clark is the recipient of the 2024 Wade Trophy for the second year in a row. The announcement was made on Thursday by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
Clark is the first Hawkeye to earn the distinction, which is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year honor in women’s basketball. She is the first Big Ten player to win the award since Purdue’s Stephanie White in 1999.
The most dominant player in women’s college basketball recently led the Hawkeyes to their second straight Final Four leading the nation in assists (9.0 assists per game) and in scoring (32.0 points per game). She became the first player to finish No. 1 in both categories in back-to-back seasons. Clark owns a career 3,800+ points and she recently became the first Division-I player to record 1,000+ points in back-to-back seasons. A native of West Des Moines, Iowa, Clark is once again a finalist for every major national player of the year award. She is also the only player in NCAA DI men’s or women’s basketball history to lead her conference in scoring and assists in four consecutive seasons.
The Wade Trophy — now in its 47th year — is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women’s basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001.
Clark, who also won the 2023 Wade Trophy, joins Nancy Lieberman, Old Dominion (1979, 1980); Seimone Augustus (2005, 2006), LSU; Brittney Griner (2012, 2013), Baylor; Breanna Stewart (2015, 2016), Connecticut; and Sabrina Ionescu (2019, 2020), Oregon, as two-time winners of the award. Maya Moore (2009, 2010, 2011), Connecticut, is the only player to win the Wade Trophy three times.
“On behalf of the WBCA, and for the second straight year, I am pleased to present women’s basketball’s highest player honor, the Wade Trophy, to Caitlin Clark,” said Donehew. “Caitlin, a four-time WBCA Coaches’ All-American who also was the 2021 WBCA NCAA Division I Co-Freshman of the Year, is a generational talent. The ‘Caitlin Clark effect’ has helped fill arenas across the country, boosted television ratings to record highs, and inspired a whole new generation of young girls to pick up a basketball and play the game. The many records she set in her collegiate career may one day be broken, but the extraordinary impact she has had on our sport will be everlasting.”
2023-24 AWARDS
– Wade Trophy Recipient
– Associated Press Player of the Year
– Naismith Player of the Year
– ESPN.com National Player of the Year
– The Athletic National Player of the Year
– Sporting News National Player of the Year
– AP, USBWA First Team All-America
– Big Ten Player of the Year
– First Team All-Big Ten
– Big Ten Player of the Week; Nov. 13, Nov. 27, Dec. 11, Dec. 18, Jan. 2, Jan. 8, Jan. 15, Feb. 5, Feb. 19, Feb. 26, March 4.
– WBCA National Player of the Week; Nov. 14, Nov. 28, Jan. 3, Jan. 9, Jan. 16, Jan. 31, Feb. 6, Feb. 20.
– AP National Player of the Week; Nov. 14, Jan. 9, Feb. 20.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will face 3-Seed UConn on Friday, April 5, in Cleveland inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse at 8:30 pm (CT). Fans can watch on ESPN.