Iowa
Celebrate Caitlin Clark’s 23rd birthday with her top-23 Iowa women’s basketball moments
Iowa women’s basketball honored during Iowa football vs. Northwestern
Caitlin Clark and members of Iowa women’s basketball were honored on field at Kinnick Stadium during the Iowa football vs. Northwestern game.
Caitlin Clark was born on Jan. 22, 2002.
Twenty-three years later, the Des Moines native and former Dowling Catholic and Iowa women’s basketball superstar is one of the most famous athletes in the country and the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year for the Indiana Fever.
There is plenty to celebrate throughout her illustrious career, so let’s look back at her top-23 moments with the Hawkeyes, with help from her career timeline on NCAA.com.
23. Caitlin Clark gets buckets in first college game (11/25/2020)
Clark put the basketball world on notice in her first college game, notching 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. It was the first of many stat sheet-filled outings.
22. Caitlin Clark scores her first 40-point game (1/2/2022)
In a 93-56 win over Evansville, Clark totaled 40 points for the first time in her career. She’d finish her career with 13 such games.
21. Caitlin Clark tallies first career triple-double (12/22/2020)
Clark notched 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to get her first triple double. She’d finish her career with 17, trailing only Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu (26).
20. Caitlin Clark announces she’s entering the WNBA Draft (2/29/2024)
Although not an on-court moment, Clark decided to forgo her final year of college eligibility and enter the WNBA Draft after her senior season. The announcement allowed for her, teammates, coaches and fans to fully enjoy the final weeks of her legendary career.
19. Caitlin Clark becomes Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer (1/31/2024)
With 35 points against Northwestern, Clark broke future Indiana Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell’s Big Ten career scoring record.
18. Caitlin Clark becomes first player with consecutive 30-point triple-doubles (1/20/2022)
Clark became the first Div. I player to ever notch back-to-back 30-point triple-doubles in conference victories.
17. Caitlin Clark breaks Big Ten assists record (12/30/2023)
In a win over Minnesota, Clark broke the conference’s career assists record and became the first Div. I men’s or women’s college basketball player with at least 3,000 points, 900 assists and 800 rebounds in a career.
16. Caitlin Clark surpasses 1,000 career assists (2/11/2024)
In the second quarter of a game against Nebraska, Clark became the sixth player to reach 1,000 career assists and the only one with more than 3,000 points.
15. Caitlin Clarks breaks record for most points in a single NCAA Tournament run (4/2/2023)
With 30 points in the national title game vs. LSU, Clark broke Sheryll Swoops’ record for points in a single NCAA Tournament with 191.
14. Caitlin Clark’s historic 40-point triple-double leads Iowa past Louisville in Elite Eight
With the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA Tournament history – 41 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds – Clark helped Iowa beat Louisville in the Elite Eight. In the game, she also became the first player with 900 points and 300 assists in a single season.
13. Caitlin Clark buzzer-beater vs. Michigan State (1/2/2024)
A signature logo triple ignited Iowa’s 2024 run to a Big Ten Tournament title and NCAA championship game appearance.
12. Caitlin Clark beats No. 2 Indiana at the buzzer (2/26/2023)
In what might’ve ignited her and Iowa women’s basketball’s rise to national superstardom, Clark put away the Hoosiers with a leaning triple as time expired.
11. Caitlin Clark, Iowa women’s basketball make Big Ten history (3/6/2022)
With a 74-67 win over Indiana, Clark and her teammates helped that Iowa team become the first in program history to win both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.
10. Caitlin Clark’s triple-double helps Iowa to back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles (3/5/2023)
With the first triple-double in a Big Ten Tournament title game – 30 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds – Clark led Iowa to a victory over Ohio State and hoisted the trophy for the second straight year.
9. Caitlin Clark drafted No. 1 overall into WNBA (4/15/2024)
Although not a college achievement, Clark being selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in a stacked draft class was the final bridge between her historic college career and the professional success that would follow.
8. Caitlin Clark, Hawkeyes avenge title game loss vs. LSU (4/1/24)
After losing the 2023 NCAA Tournament final to Angel Reese and LSU, Clark and the Hawkeyes knocked off the defending champions in the Elite Eight the next year. Clark went off with 41 points and 12 assists.
7. Caitlin Clark breaks Steph Curry’s 3-point record (3/8/2024)
In the fourth quarter against Penn State, Clark broke Davidson’s Steph Curry’s single-season 3-pointers made record.
6. Caitlin Clark breaks single-season scoring record (3/25/2024)
With 32 points in a second-round win during the NCAA Tournament, Clark passed Washington’s Kelsey Plum for the single-season scoring record with 1,113 single-season points.
5. Caitlin Clark helps break 3 records in one game (2/28/2024)
In a dominant win over Minnesota, Clark scored her 3,650th point to surpass Kansas guard Lynette Woodard as the highest-scoring player in major-college women’s basketball. Woodard played from 1977-1981 when the sport was still governed by the AIAW.
In the game, Clark also broke the single-season 3-point record, and the Hawkeyes broke the Big Ten’s single-game 3-point record with 22.
4. Caitlin Clarks leads Iowa women’s basketball to third straight Big Ten Tournament championship (3/10/2024)
With an all-time great second half and overtime performance, Clark helped the Hawkeyes beat Nebraska 94-89. She finished with 34 points, 12 assists and a clutch layup with 30 seconds left in regulation.
3. Caitlin Clark’s big night helps Iowa upset No. 1 South Carolina in Final Four (3/31/2023)
In perhaps the biggest game of Clark’s life and in program history to that point, she became the first player to score 40 or more points in consecutive NCAA Tournament games en route to an upset over undefeated No. 1 South Carolina.
2. Caitlin Clark breaks Kelsey Plum’s NCAA women’s basketball scoring record (2/15/2024)
In what was very fitting, Clark launched a deep triple to break the NCAA Div. I women’s college basketball scoring record. She also finished with a career-high 49 points, breaking the program record.
1. Caitlin Clark breaks 54-year-old Div. I college basketball scoring record (3/3/2024)
With a dramatic pair of free throws, Clark became the all-time career points leader in college basketball history, men’s and women’s.
She dethroned the legendary LSU Tiger “Pistol” Pete Maravich, who set the record in 1970.
Iowa
Republican Wendy Larson wins Iowa House special election
Republican Wendy Larson has won a special election in northeast Iowa’s House District 7, retaining House Republicans’ supermajority in the state Legislature.
Larson, of Odebolt, will fill the seat of former Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City, who resigned Sept. 19 to take a job as Iowa state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural development office.
Larson won with 70% of the vote, defeating Democrat Rachel Burns, who received 30%, according to unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office.
“I’m very blessed to have the opportunity to serve House District 7,” Larson said in a statement. “Throughout this campaign, I vowed to be a common-sense, conservative leader for rural Iowa in the Statehouse. I look forward to delivering on promises that I campaigned on, including protecting landowner rights, providing property tax relief and protecting our children. I’m eager to carry the voices of House District 7 to Des Moines and deliver results for rural Iowa.”
House District 7 includes Sac, Pocahontas and Calhoun counties, as well as portions of western Webster County.
Larson is a deaconess at Kiron Baptist Church and a volunteer at the Mobile Food Pantry. She and her husband, Chad, have three children. Larson holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Colorado State University.
Larson campaigned on protecting landowner rights from eminent domain, opposing vaccine mandates, strengthening Second Amendment rights, fighting illegal immigration and “protecting our children from political indoctrination” in school, according to a news release from House Republicans.
With Larson’s win, Republicans retain their 67-seat supermajority in the Iowa House.
House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, praised Larson’s 40-point victory in a statement.
“Unsurprisingly, House District 7 awarded Wendy Larson a resounding victory today,” he said. “Iowans continue to reject out-of-touch liberal agendas and opt instead for more of the common sense, freedom-loving approach you’ve come to know from Iowa House Republicans. We are proud to have a strong leader for House District 7 in Wendy Larson and we look forward to her joining us in the Iowa House.”
Larson previously ran against Sexton in a Republican primary in 2024, losing that race 51% to 49%.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart thanked Bruns for running and praised her campaign.
“Rachel Burns ran a gutsy and inspiring campaign, and the results of her hard work were clear tonight — overperforming by 11 points and forcing Republicans to spend over $35,000 in a district that Donald Trump won by 52,” Hart said in a statement.
Iowa has seen half a dozen special elections for the Legislature in 2025
Larson’s win marks the fifth special election for the Iowa Legislature in 2025.
In January, Democrat Mike Zimmer pulled off a surprise victory over Republican Kate Whittington in an eastern Iowa Senate seat that Chris Cournoyer vacated when she became lieutenant governor.
Republicans narrowly held a House seat that became vacant after former Rep. Martin Graber died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Republican Blaine Watkins defeated Democrat Nannette Griffin in March.
And in April, Democrat Angelina Ramirez won a special election to the Iowa House to replace Sami Scheetz, who resigned after being appointed to fill a vacancy on the Linn County Board of Supervisors. Ramirez defeated Republican Bernie Hayes.
Democrat Catelin Drey in August won a special election for the Iowa Senate seat previously held by Rocky De Witt, who died of pancreatic cancer. She defeated Republican Christopher Prosch, breaking Senate Republicans’ supermajority in the 50-member chamber.
Polk County residents will head to the polls for one final election on Dec. 30 to fill the Senate District 16 seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Claire Celsi in October.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.
Iowa
See where Iowa women’s basketball is ranked in the latest Coaches poll
Hear from Taylor Stremlow, Addie Deal before Iowa faces Iowa State
Hear from Taylor Stremlow, Addie Deal before Iowa faces Iowa State
After thumping Rutgers in its Big Ten opener, Iowa women’s basketball remained at No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY Coaches poll released Dec. 9.
The Hawkeyes (9-0, 1-0 Big Ten Conference) picked up a 79-36 win over the Scarlet Knights on Dec. 6 to remain unbeaten. Iowa has held opponents under 60 points six times already this season.
This week brings Iowa’s toughest challenge yet. The Hawkeyes head to No. 10 Iowa State (10-0) for their Dec. 10 challenge at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa then returns home to face Lindenwood on Dec. 13.
Dec. 9 women’s basketball Coaches poll
- UConn
- Texas
- South Carolina
- UCLA
- LSU
- Maryland
- TCU
- Michigan
- Oklahoma
- Iowa State
- North Carolina
- Iowa
- Vanderbilt
- Baylor
- Kentucky
- OIe Miss
- USC
- Tennessee
- Notre Dame
- Louisville
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma State
- Washington
- Michigan State
- Alabama
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
Iowa
Iowa leaders react to farm aid package
DES MOINES, Iowa — President Donald Trump announced plans Monday for a $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. The package will include one-time payments will be available to Iowa farmers. The USDA said its in response to temporary trade market disruptions and high costs.
Many lawmakers and other leaders reacted to the news.
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Iowa farmer Cordt Holub took part in the roundtable in Washington, D.C. He thanked Trump for the economic assistance package.
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