IOWA CITY, Iowa — Former University of Iowa guard, Caitlin Clark, was named 2023-24 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year, announced today by the Big Ten Conference Office.

Clark, from West Des Moines, Iowa, is the first Hawkeye to win the award in back-to-back years. She is also only the third repeat winner in Big Ten Conference history, joining Wisconsin’s Suzy Favor (1988, 1989, 1990) and Indiana’s Lilly King (2017, 2018).

She is also the third Hawkeye student-athlete to win the award, joining Kristy Gleason (field hockey, 1994) and Megan Gustafson (women’s basketball, 2019). She is also ninth women’s basketball student-athlete to win the award, joining Gustafson, Purdue’s Joy Holmes (1991), MaChelle Joseph (1992), Stephanie White (1999) and Katie Douglas (2001), Penn State’s Kelly Mazzante (2004), Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport (2007), and Minnesota’s Rachel Banham (2016).

It is the ninth time a Hawkeye (men’s or women’s student-athlete) has earned the Big Ten Athlete of the Year award, and the fourth time in the past six seasons. Iowa’s past winners include wrestlers Ed Banach (1983), Barry Davis (1985) and Brent Metcalf (2008), football player Chuck Long (1986), men’s basketball player Luka Garza (2021), Gleason, and Gustafson.

Clark won the 2024 Honda Cup on Monday, and was named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year as by THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA). She also won the 2024 Naismith, Wooden and Wade Trophies along with the Associated Press and USBWA Ann Drysdale Player of the Year honors.

She is also a three-time winner of the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award and is the first-ever three-time winner of the Dawn Staley Award. She also won the Honda Sport Award for Basketball in April.

Clark, who now plays for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, is the NCAA basketball all-time leading scorer and the only player in NCAA Division I men’s or women’s basketball history to lead her conference in scoring and assists in four consecutive seasons. Clark led the nation in 10 different offensive categories, including averaging 31.6 points and 8.9 assists per game and also broke the NCAA women’s tournament scoring record during the Hawkeyes’ final NCAA Tournament run.

Off the court, she is a three-time First Team Academic All-American and was named the 2024 CSC Academic All-America of the Year.

The Big Ten Athletes of the Year are selected by a panel of conference media members from nominations submitted by each institution.

Summer is in full swing and Independence Day 2024 is right around the corner.

While many celebrate the annual holiday with cookouts, parades and fireworks, fishing is also a popular activity for the 4th of July. If you’re seeking the best destinations in the U.S. for fishing on the 4th, look no further than Ohio.

Cleveland, Ohio, is the best 4th of July fishing destination in the U.S., according to a report from FishingBooker.com, an online fishing charter service.

“It’s only suitable to kick off this year’s fishing destinations list with the largest city on Lake Erie – Cleveland,” FishingBooker.com writes in its report. “If we were to use only one word to describe Cleveland, it would be diversity. This Ohio beauty promises not only various fish species and numerous bodies of water for exploring, but also an array of activities to do this Independence Day. That’s why Cleveland is the perfect Fourth of July getaway location.”

Beyond Cleveland, eight additional U.S. cities made rankings for best fishing destinations in the U.S., according to FishingBooker.com.

1. Cleveland, OH

2. Fairfield, CT

3. Seward, AK

4. Astoria, OR

5. Port Arthur, TX

6. Sebago Lake, ME

7. Glenwood Springs, CO

8. Huntington Beach, CA

9. Brainerd, MN

The full report from FishingBooker.com on the nine best 4th of July fishing destinations in the U.S. can be found online.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been relatively quiet in the days leading up to the 2024 NBA Draft after reportedly naming Kenny Atkinson as their next head coach. 

The Cavaliers saw multiple players thrown into trade speculation (Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen) after getting bounced in five games by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

However, various reports suggest that the Cavs will keep their ‘Core Four’ together, which is good news for Atkinson. That said, for Cleveland to take that next step, they must upgrade the wing spot and their bench this offseason.

One potential option for the Cavaliers could be Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson. The Nets could be on the verge of a firesale after shockingly trading Mikal Bridges on Tuesday night to the New York Knicks.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported Wednesday that Johnson is among the Nets vets who are all potential trade candidates to monitor. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said on 92.3 The Fan Wednesday that the Cavaliers “love” Cam Johnson and that they have for years.

Fedor also mentioned that the Cavaliers worked out Johnson during the draft process and have kept him on the radar. However, Fedor also questioned whether the Cavs have the pieces to send to Brooklyn in a potential trade for Johnson.

If the Cavaliers grabbed Johnson, he would be an immediate upgrade on the wing, giving the team floor spacing and another shooter. The 28-year-old forward posted 13.4 points per game on 44.6 percent shooting from the field and 39.1 percent from three-point range (6.1 attempts per game).

Johnson signed a four-year, $94.5 million contract extension last summer, so if the Cavaliers traded for him, he’d be in Cleveland for at least three seasons. With the Nets not having a pick in this year’s draft, maybe the Cavs could throw them the No. 20 overall pick, Georges Niang, and Caris LeVert to generate a conversation.

With the Knicks making a major splash for Bridges and the Celtics winning the NBA title, the Cavaliers must explore all options.

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