Iowa
‘So happy I want to cry’: 7,000 fans celebrate Caitlin Clark, Iowa women’s basketball team
“I would say you all inspired me as much as I inspired you.”
That was how superstar guard Caitlin Clark opened her remarks to the more than 7,000 University of Hawkeye fans who packed into Carver-Hawkeye Arena Wednesday night to celebrate the team’s second-straight NCAA Final Four appearance.
The crowd — comprised of fans of all ages and many donning Clark’s name and number on their back — roared for seniors, returning players, coaches and managers as they were announced.
The full lineup was on hand for the celebration, with head Coach Lisa Bluder and seniors Clark, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, Molly Davis and Sharon Goodman speaking to the large crowd.
When the celebration wrapped up, Clark hung around to sign autographs for more than half an hour as hundreds of eager children — most of them young girls — held out hats, posters, signs, and T-shirts for her to immortalize.
They shouted her name endlessly, and she responded to as many as she could.
Those lucky enough to receive Clark’s coveted signature were beaming as they marched out of the arena.
Blair Merrick, 7, and her sister Blayne, 11, were among those who got autographs from the team.
“I feel real happy, so happy I want to cry right now,” Blair said.
Alyssa Noss, who attended several games over the last two seasons, stayed with her daughter until the arena emptied.
“My daughter is a huge Caitlin Clark fan, and her friend is a huge Gabbie Marshall fan,” Noss said. “They idolize all of them. This team is just incredible.”
More: Iowa announces it will retire Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey, third retired number in women’s basketball program history
University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson, Athletic Director Beth Goetz and Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague joined the team on the hardwood for the festivities.
Goetz confirmed that Clark’s No. 22 would hang in the rafters forever, drawing a lengthy roar from the Carver crowd. Teague declared April 10, 2024, as “Iowa Women’s Basketball Day” in Iowa City at the beginning of the festivities.
More: Kim Reynolds says Caitlin Clark, Iowa women’s basketball ‘changed women’s sports forever’
“You’ve changed the game that you’ve played,” Wilson said. “You’ve changed the face of collegiate athletics. You’ve created special memories for countless families. And you left an indelible mark on our university.”
Bluder credited the effect the Iowa women’s basketball team has created for younger kids.
“Now there’s thousands and thousands of girls and boys all around this country that say, ‘I want to be like them.’”
The final words from the seniors
“I want (fans) to remember how hard I worked,” Marshall said when asked what she hoped everyone remembers about her time. “I’ve always given it my all on the court and in everything that I do in life. Everybody matters here, speaking to the culture Coach Bluder has built. We’re really a family here.”
“You have to believe in yourself, because if you don’t, no one else will,” Martin said.
“It’s absolutely awesome!” Davis said of the fan support. “I mean, coming from a place where there’s about 1,500 people in the stands to 15,000 a game, it’s really special and happy to be a part of it.”
More: WNBA counting on Caitlin Clark bump as Indiana Fever get most national TV games for 2024.
“Our coaches really value academics and so to be at a place where they support that and value that even above basketball itself,” Goodman said on balancing school and basketball. “They want us to be strong women, and women that are doing something more than less.”
“I would say you all inspired me as much as I inspired you and you allowed me to live out my dream every single day and for that, I’m forever thankful,” Clark said in her final remarks to fans. “Thank you. It’s been very special and this place will always be home to me.”
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
Marc Ray covers high school sports for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at maray@press-citizen.com or follow him on Twitter/X @themarcszn.
Beginning July 1, Iowans must verify they are adults to access porn websites.
How online porn is shaping a generation of young men
Early porn exposure among boys is rising. And experts say it leads to lasting struggles with addiction, mental health and relationships.
Iowa will require porn websites to verify users are at least 18 under a new law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
The Hawkeye State joins at least 25 other states, including Kansas and Nebraska, in requiring age verification for adult content in an effort to prevent minors from accessing it.
House File 864 is modeled after a Texas age verification law the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in a 6-3 decision in June. The measure will apply to websites or apps if at least one-third of their content is pornographic.
Beginning July 1, the law will require the websites to verify a user’s age using government-issued identification, financial documents or other documents that are “reliable proxies for age.” Age verification may also be performed by third parties or through any “commercially reasonable and reliable method.”
The law states websites and third parties “shall not retain, sell, lease or otherwise disseminate any identifying information of an individual subject to reasonable age verification unless retention or dissemination of the identifying information is required by law or a court order.”
It also requires third parties and websites to use “reasonable methods given the person’s scope of business to secure all data collected and transmitted” during the age verification process.
Under the new law, Iowa’s attorney general can sue companies in violation of the law. Violators could face fines up to $1,000 for each time an individual accesses a site in violation of the law. Civil penalties for providers are capped at $10,000 per day.
Iowa Senate lawmakers unanimously approved the measure while the House advanced it 82-2.
Rapid Response Politics Reporter Maya Marchel Hoff can be reached at mmarchelHoff@usatodayco.com. You can find her on X (formerly Twitter) at @mmarchelhoff.
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) — Iowa’s primary election is Tuesday, and candidates across the state are making their final push to voters.
One of the most closely watched contests is the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. The winner will advance to November’s general election to compete for Senator Joni Ernst’s seat.
Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls and State Representative Josh Turek are competing for the Democratic nomination.
Wahls spent Monday in Des Moines speaking with voters about the issues they want addressed in Washington.
“It’s time for change. We’ve been talking about it from day one. Iowans have been failed by leaders in both parties for far too long,” Wahls said. “In order to get the change that we need, we need a leader and a fighter who’s willing to challenge the broken status quo and clean up the corruption in Washington DC.”
Turek toured the state during the final days of the race. He was in Sioux City Friday and said he will represent working class Iowans if elected.
“I come from a working class family, a working class community, somebody that’s gone through a lot of hardships, a lot of struggle, both on the economic and on the health care side,” Turek said. “I think what’s fundamentally wrong with DC right now is we’ve got enough millionaires up there. I’m the only one in this race that’s not a millionaire.”
For the first time in more than a decade, Iowa will have an open U.S. Senate seat.
While campaigning, candidates have heard concerns ranging from affordability and housing costs to agriculture and water quality.
Polls open Tuesday morning across Iowa.
—
Isabella Warren covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email her at isabella.warren@kcrg.com; and follow her on Facebook at Isabella Warren TV on X/Twitter@isabellaw_gray, and on Instagram@IsabellaWarrenTV.
Copyright 2026 Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau. All rights reserved.
When to call 911 and when to use non-emergency lines
This video explains the importance of knowing when to call 911 for emergencies and when to use non-emergency lines for less critical situations.
A pair of teenagers recently pleaded guilty to kidnapping and attacking a fellow teen male.
Nailea Leverette and Albert Mlala, both 18, pleaded guilty on May 28 to third-degree kidnapping, willful injury causing serious injury, and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Leverette and Mlala invited a 17-year-old boy to Mlala’s Altoona home on Nov. 2, 2025, where they led him to the basement and confronted him about alleged sexual abuse, according to court filings.
The two then allegedly tortured and beat the boy with a baseball bat and whipped him with a cut vacuum cord for three hours, leaving him with significant injuries, according to criminal complaints.
The boy, who has not been named publicly, said that Mlala displayed a gun at one point. The male was eventually able to make an excuse to leave the basement and the custody of the fellow teens.
Leverette and Mlala, both 17 at the time of the crime, were charged as adults with first-degree kidnapping.
The pair pleaded guilty after initially pleading not guilty.
Mlala was provided with a pretrial release on May 29, according to court filings. Leverette was ordered to be released from custody on Nov. 25, 2025.
Mlala is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31. Leverette will be sentenced on Aug. 7.
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
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