Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball

Iowa Hawkeyes
2024–25 Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team
UniversityUniversity of Iowa
Athletic directorBeth Goetz
Head coachJan Jensen (1st season)
ConferenceBig Ten
LocationIowa City, Iowa
ArenaCarver-Hawkeye Arena
(capacity: 15,400)
NicknameHawkeyes
Student sectionHawks Nest
ColorsBlack and Gold
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament runner-up
2023, 2024
NCAA tournament Final Four
1993, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1987, 1988, 1993, 2019, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1996, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024
NCAA tournament appearances
1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Conference tournament champions
1997, 2001, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
Conference regular season champions
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2008, 2022

The Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team represents the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The team plays its regular season games at 15,400-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena, along with men's basketball, wrestling, and volleyball teams.

History

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Iowa women's basketball began in 1974, under head coach Lark Birdsong. The first Iowa team finished 5–16 in 1974–75, its first victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Birdsong coached Iowa until 1978–79, which marked Iowa's first winning season.[1] She was subsequently replaced by Judy McMullen, who led the program for the next four years. McMullen was succeeded in 1983 by former Cheyney University coach C. Vivian Stringer. Prior to her stay at Iowa, Stringer led the Cheyney Wolves to the 1982 NCAA championship.[2]

Beginning with the 1983–84 season, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Stringer coached at Iowa for 12 seasons. In that time, the Hawkeyes won six Big Ten championships, played in nine NCAA Tournaments, and reached the Final Four in 1993. Unprecedented attention was shown to the Hawkeyes under Stringer, as evidenced by the record-setting 22,157 fans that watched Iowa play Ohio State on February 3, 1985, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.[3] Stringer, however, left Iowa to coach at Rutgers in 1995, following the death of her husband, Bill.[4]

Angie Lee replaced Stringer, and led the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten championship in her first season. Under Lee, Iowa won another Big Ten title in 1998. In 2000, Lee's successor as head coach was Lisa Bluder. Bluder. Under Bluder, the Hawkeyes have won two regular season Big Ten championships (2008, 2022) and five Big Ten tournament championships (2001, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024).

On May 13, 2024, Bluder announced her retirement on that same day it was announced that long time assistant head coach Jan Jensen would be hired as the new head coach.

Members of Iowa's women's basketball team celebrate their 2008 regular season Big Ten championship on March 2, 2008

From 2015 to 2019, Megan Gustafson played for Coach Bluder and the women's basketball program at Iowa. Gustafson was named the 2019 National Player of the year, after averaging a double-double of 27.8 points and 13.4 rebounds on 69.9% shooting. The 2018–19 Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team had a 29–7 regular season record, winning the Big Ten Conference tournament championship and advancing to the Elite Eight of the 2019 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.[5][6] The 2021–22 Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team finished the season 24–8 sharing the regular season title with Ohio State. They also won the 2022 Big Ten women's basketball tournament, defeating Indiana 74–67 in the Big Ten Championship. Caitlin Clark was named the Most Outstanding Player for the Tournament. Iowa repeated as Big Ten champions the following year, with Clark being named the most outstanding player. Later that season, they advanced to the Final Four for the first time in three decades.[7][8]

Members of Iowa's women's basketball team celebrate their victory in the 2023 Big Ten women's basketball tournament

Crossover at Kinnick

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On October 15, 2023, the Iowa women's basketball team set a record for most people in attendance at a women's basketball game. 55,646 people attended Crossover at Kinnick, which took place at Kinnick Stadium.[9] The Hawkeyes play the majority of their home games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but coach Lisa Bluder came up with the idea to hold an event in the football stadium. The Hawkeyes played in the national championship game at the end of the previous season. Despite losing, following the championship, the team returned home to a welcome celebration on campus with over 9,000 fans, which inspired Bluder to plan an outdoor event.[10]

Caitlin Clark recorded a triple double with 34 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds. The game was close early, but Iowa took a solid lead and ended up with the win in the exhibition game 94–72. The game was played for charity, and the school presented a check for 250,000 dollars to the Stead Family Children's Hospital. The hospital overlooks the end zone of the stadium, and children in the hospital can watch home football games as well as this special event. At the end of the first quarter, fans and players turned toward the hospital and waved to the children, a continuation of a tradition started by the football team in 2017.[11][12]

NCAA tournament results

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Iowa has appeared in 29 NCAA Tournaments with a record of 34−30.[13]

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1986 #5 Second Round #4 Tennessee L 68−73
1987 #3 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#6 New Orleans
#2 Georgia
#1 Louisiana Tech
W 68–56
W 62–60
L 65−66
1988 #1 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#8 Stephen F. Austin
#4 Southern Cal
#2 Long Beach State
W 83–65
W 79–67
L 78−98
1989 #3 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#11 Tennessee Tech
#2 Stanford
W 77–75
L 74−98
1990 #3 Second Round #6 Vanderbilt L 56−61
1991 #6 First Round
Second Round
#11 Montana
#3 Washington
W 64–53
L 53−70
1992 #1 Second Round #8 SW Missouri State L 60−61 (OT)
1993 #2 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
#7 Old Dominion
#3 Auburn
#1 Tennessee
#1 Ohio State
W 82–56
W 63–50
W 72−56
L 72–73 (OT)
1994 #3 First Round
Second Round
#14 Mount St. Mary's
#6 Alabama
W 70–47
L 78−84
1996 #2 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#15 Butler
#7 DePaul
#3 Vanderbilt
W 72–67
W 72−71
L 63–74
1997 #9 First Round
Second Round
#8 NC State
#1 Connecticut
W 56–50
L 53−72
1998 #4 First Round
Second Round
#13 Massachusetts
#5 Kansas
W 77–59
L 58−62
2001 #4 First Round
Second Round
#13 Oregon
#5 Utah
W 88–82
L 69−78
2002 #9 First Round
Second Round
#8 Virginia
#1 Connecticut
W 69–62
L 48−86
2004 #9 First Round #8 Virginia Tech L 76−89
2006 #10 First Round #7 BYU L 62−67
2008 #9 First Round #8 Georgia L 61−67
2009 #8 First Round #9 Georgia Tech L 62−76
2010 #8 First Round
Second Round
#9 Rutgers
#1 Stanford
W 70–63
L 67−96
2011 #6 First Round #11 Gonzaga L 86−92
2012 #9 First Round #8 California L 74−84
2013 #9 First Round
Second Round
#8 Miami (FL)
#1 Notre Dame
W 69–53
L 57−74
2014 #6 First Round
Second Round
#11 Marist
#3 Louisville
W 87–65
L 53−83
2015 #3 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#14 American
#11 Miami (FL)
#2 Baylor
W 75–67
W 88−70
L 66–81
2018 #6 First Round #11 Creighton L 70−76
2019 #2 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
#15 Mercer
#7 Missouri
#3 NC State
#1 Baylor
W 66–61
W 68−52
W 79–61
L 53–85
2021 #5 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#12 Central Michigan
#4 Kentucky
#1 UConn
W 87–72
W 86−72
L 72–92
2022 #2 First Round
Second Round
#15 Illinois St.
#10 Creighton
W 98–58
L 62–64
2023 #2 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Championship
#15 Southeastern Louisiana
#10 Georgia
#6 Colorado
#5 Louisville
#1 South Carolina
#3 LSU
W 95–43
W 74–66
W 87–77
W 97–83
W 77–73
L 85–102
2024 #1 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Championship
#16 Holy Cross
#8 West Virginia
#5 Colorado
#3 LSU
#3 UConn
#1 South Carolina
W 91–65
W 64–54
W 89–68
W 94–87
W 71–69
L 75–87

Retired numbers

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The Hawkeyes have retired three jerseys in honor of the women's program, the most recent being Caitlin Clark in 2024.[14]

Iowa Hawkeyes retired numbers
No. Player Career Year
10 Megan Gustafson 2015–2019 2020
22 Caitlin Clark 2020–2024 2024
30 Michelle Edwards 1985–1988 1990

National award winners

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James E. Sullivan Award (top college or Olympic athlete in the US)
Academic All-American of the Year (all Division I sports)
  • Caitlin Clark – 2023
Naismith Trophy
  • Megan Gustafson – 2019
  • Caitlin Clark – 2023, 2024
Wooden Award
  • Caitlin Clark – 2023, 2024
Wade Trophy
  • Caitlin Clark – 2023, 2024
AP Player of the Year
  • Megan Gustafson – 2019
  • Caitlin Clark – 2023, 2024
USBWA Player of the Year
  • Megan Gustafson – 2019
  • Caitlin Clark – 2023,[15] 2024[16]
Naismith Coach of the Year
Academic All-American of the Year (D-I women's basketball)
  • Ally Disterhoft – 2016, 2017
  • Caitlin Clark – 2023, 2024
Lisa Leslie Award (top D-I center)
  • Megan Gustafson – 2019
Nancy Lieberman Award (top D-I point guard)
  • Caitlin Clark – 2022, 2023, 2024
Dawn Staley Award (top D-I point guard)
  • Caitlin Clark – 2021, 2022, 2023
Tamika Catchings Award (USBWA freshman of the year)
WBCA Freshman of the Year
  • Caitlin Clark – 2021 (shared with Bueckers)
Notes
  1. ^ The Sullivan Award covers a calendar year, and is presented in the next calendar year.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Hawkeye Sports Official Athletic Site - Women's Basketball". Hawkeyesports.cstv.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  2. ^ "C. Vivian Stringer". Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  3. ^ Carver-Hawkeye Arena: Celebrating 25 Years. Iowa Sports Information, 2008.
  4. ^ Smith, Claire (1995-12-10). "COLLEGE BASKETBALL - A Coaching Legend Comes Home - Personal Loss Spurs Stringer's Move to Help Rutgers Rebuild - NYTimes.com". New York Times. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  5. ^ "Women's college basketball player of the year: Iowa's Megan Gustafson". 2019-03-15.
  6. ^ "Women's NCAA tournament 2019: Megan Gustafson's double-double delivers Iowa to Sweet 16". 2019-03-24.
  7. ^ "2022 Big Ten Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team (PDF) - Big Ten Conference" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2023.
  8. ^ "2023 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament - All-Tournament Team (PDF) - Big Ten Conference" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "History from Kinnick! Iowa's sets women's basketball attendance record at 55,646 | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  10. ^ "Clark's triple-double highlights game at Kinnick. Women's basketball record crowd of 55,646 shows up". KAMR - MyHighPlains.com. 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  11. ^ "The Hawkeye Wave". University of Iowa Athletics. 2022-03-09. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  12. ^ "Iowa draws 55K in women's basketball record". ESPN.com. 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  13. ^ "2022 Media Guide" (PDF). hawkeyesports-com. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  14. ^ Henderson, Cydney (10 April 2024). "Iowa will retire Caitlin Clark's No. 22 jersey: 'There will never be another one'". USA Today. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Iowa's Clark wins 2022-23 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award" (Press release). United States Basketball Writers Association. March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  16. ^ "Iowa's Clark repeats as USBWA's Ann Meyers Drysdale Award winner" (Press release). United States Basketball Writers Association. April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
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