Clark named preseason All American

It should come as a shock to no one. Hawkeye fans have just been waiting for the various sites to announce their preseason All-American teams.

The Athletic went first and just as everyone suspected, Caitlin Clark was on the list. She joined Paige Bueckers (UConn), NaLyssa Smith (Baylor), Rhyne Howard (Kentucky) and Aliyah Boston (South Carolina) on the list, after landing on the Second Team All-American list as a freshman last season.

“How is she handling it? Not a bit differently than when she came in as a freshman,” said Coach Lisa Bluder during Big Ten Media Days when asked about her star player. “You would not know there's any more pressure on her by the way she acts in practice or around the team.”

Caitlin Clark was a highly touted prospect out of Dowling Catholic in Des Moines and decided to stay home and play for Iowa. Clark burst on to the scene in a way that would have been hard to predict, despite how highly ranked she was.

She led the country in points, points per game, assists and 3pt FG made, while leading the Hawkeyes to a Sweet 16 appearance. Clark took home First Team All-Big Ten honors, as well as Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the previously mentioned Second Team All-American spot.

She added to her quickly growing list of accolades this summer when she won a gold medal with Team USA at the U19 World Cup and now has her sights set on one thing.

“My goal is for our team to go to the Final Four…honestly I don’t really care about my goals individually, as long as my team has great success.”

This is the first honor for Caitlin Clark on this upcoming season and will most certainly not the last. However, she would probably tell me to point out that the team returns all five starters from last season’s Sweet 16 team and that every piece will be essential in trying to make a run to the Final Four.

The Hawkeyes tip off on November 4th with an exhibition game vs Truman State, followed by the official season opener on November 9th vs New Hampshire.