NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark is still picking up trophies.

The Iowa basketball star who was recently the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft won the James E. Sullivan Award for the second straight year Tuesday night.

Clark is the first two-time winner in the award’s 94-year history. It goes to the nation’s most outstanding athlete at the college or Olympic level. Her high school coach, Kristin Meyer, accepted the award on her behalf at the New York Athletic Club. Clark gave her acceptance speech via Zoom.

Voting by the public, the AAU Sullivan Award committee, AAU board of directors, sports media and previous winners decided the winner.

The other finalists were Olympic wrestler David Taylor, Olympic speed skater Emery Lehman, gymnast Frederick Richard, Texas volleyball player Madisen Skinner and Paralympic swimmer Noah Jaffe.

The award also honors leadership, citizenship, character and sportsmanship on and off the playing field.

“The AAU Sullivan Award is an incredible honor,” Clark said via Zoom. “I have been inspired by so many athletes that came before me and I hope I can be that same inspiration for the next generation to follow their dreams.”

She’s been the main driver for the dramatic uptick in women’s basketball interest with her mix of deep 3-point shots, flashy thread-the-needle passes and overall court presence. A women’s basketball-record 18.9 million viewers watched Iowa’s loss to South Carolina in the NCAA title game, and a WNBA-record 2.45 million watched the draft.

T.J. Otzelberger’s recruiting for next season just might be over – with Joshua Jefferson of St. Mary’s committing to what could be another high-level Iowa State men’s basketball team.

The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder who averaged 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds during 26 starts before a knee injury sidelined him the final month of the season, announced Tuesday on social media he’s joining the Cyclones. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Jefferson is Iowa State’s 12^th scholarship player for the 2024-25 season, one below what the NCAA allows, which isn’t uncommon for Otzelberger. He’s been known to keep at least one scholarship open – just in case there’s a late, offseason need.

If that’s the case, the 12 players on scholarship include six returnees, two true freshmen and four transfers.

Jefferson’s commitment is expected to help offset the departures of bigs Rob Jones, Hason Ward, Tre King and Omaha Biliew.

Jefferson is a defensive specialist, which plays perfectly into what has been Iowa State’s identity under Otzelberger. He also visited Virginia and TCU. His highlights before suffering the knee injury were four double-doubles, including a 16-point, 11-rebound effort during a victory against Gonzaga.

Here’s what Iowa State’s roster looks like, after Jefferson’s commitment:

Transfers (four): Brandon Chattfield, 6-10 forward, from Seattle; Nate Heise, 6-5 guard from Northern Iowa; Dishon Jackson, 6-11 center from Charlotte, and Jefferson, 6-8 from St. Mary’s.

Freshmen recruits (two): Nojus Indrusaitis, guard; Dwayne Pierce, forward. 

Returnees (six): Tamin Lipsey, guard; Demarion Watson, wing; Curtis Jones, guard; Keshon Gilbert, guard; Milan Momcilovic, forward, J.T. Rock, center.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 52nd year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa City man is facing charges in a shots fired incident in Iowa City last year that caused City High School to go into lockdown.

A criminal complaint says 39-year-old Lawrence Russell is charged with control of a firearm by a felon in connection to the incident.

Police said the gunshots were reported in the 1800 block of High Street at around 4 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2023.

Investigators said they found shell casings in the area and conducted a search warrant on a home there.

During the search, police said they found a Mossberg Rifle and a cell phone with two photos of Russell holding the rifle in his living room.

Russell, a felon, convicted for robbery and delivery of a controlled substance in another state, is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Officers said Russell did not cooperate in the investigation, claiming he didn’t hear or see anything.

City High School was temporarily placed in Secure Mode, keeping all students and staff inside the building with the doors locked while police investigated the incident.

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