Celebrate Caitlin Clark’s 23rd birthday with her top-23 Iowa women’s basketball moments

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.