NORMAN -- On Tuesday afternoon, Iowa guard Kylie Feuerbach announced her plans to return next season for her final year of eligibility.
After playing her freshman season at Iowa State during the COVID year and taking a medical redshirt after a torn ACL in 2022-23, Feuerbach will enter her sixth season of eligibility in 2025-26. This season, she has averaged 6.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game after starting all 32 contests for the Hawkeyes.
"I definitely wanted to play this year out and just enjoy it as if it was my last," Feuerbach shared during Friday's NCAA Tournament media availability. "I knew I had that year of eligibility, and I don't feel like I'm finished. It's nice to make that decision and just be able to enjoy, play this postseason out now and not have that worry. I definitely knew I wanted to keep playing."
"We're thrilled that Kylie is returning," head coach Jan Jensen added. "I think to have that type of quality of a person, first and foremost, is such a great thing for our program. She's a great teammate."
To further illustrate Jensen's point, it appeared Feurbach's teammates were more excited than she was when they heard the news, as it evoked huge smiles and even happy tears from some of the other Hawkeye hoopers that will be back next year.
"Everyone loves Kylie so much," senior guard Sydney Affolter said. "She's a great friend and teammate. She's such a big asset on the floor for this team. She's a great person. She's there for everyone and wants you to do so well. I think you saw that in everyone's reactions."
"[Getting her back] means everything," junior forward Hannah Stuelke added. "Kylie is one of my best friends. She's strong, kind and a great basketball player. She's really quick and an amazing defender. I'm glad to have her as one my best friends."
Feuerbach was honored by the reaction of her teammates, as seen in the attached tweet below.
"That honestly made my whole day, my whole week, my whole life," Feuerbach laughed. "It was really, really special. I think that's a testament to the team and the culture that we have. It really, really made me feel so happy. I just love this team so much. It was just really special."
Affolter, who is entering her final NCAA Tournament, said it was easy to support her friend in the decision to return for another season.
"My take is that you only get to play college basketball for so many years," Iowa's leading rebounder (7.9 per game) said. "Being at a school with women's basketball the way that it is at Iowa is so special. I'm really happy for her -- that she gets that opportunity. I'm a little bit jealous. I would obviously take another year too, but I'm happy for her."
Returning next season isn't all about spending time with her friends -- Feuerbach wants more time on the court, too. After missing out on a earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive team this season, she'll have some goals going into next year.
"I think there's just some things that I probably have to prove, probably on the defensive side of things," she said. "That's one thing that was enticing. I think, this whole entire team, I just want to keep playing for them. Like I just said, I would have to be so dumb to not stay here."
Though the Hawkeyes will lose regular contributing seniors like Affolter, Lucy Olsen and Addison O'Grady following this season, the roster will bring back plenty of talent, including Stuelke, Taylor McCabe, Ava Heiden, Taylor Stremlow, Aaliyah Guyton and more. They're also set to add the 2025 recruiting class, which includes top recruits like Addie Deal, Journey Houston and Layla Hays.
"I'm really excited," Feuerbach said of next year. "We have so many young kids that are amazing. It's going to be fun for me to see that growth throughout, from the freshman year to sophomore year, and everybody else that's still here, too. Then we have newcomers coming in, too. I'm really excited to see how this culture is going to keep progressing and what's to come."
A stalwart defensively, Feuerbach will also provide a veteran presence for a young locker room.
"To have Kylie coming in with our incoming freshman class -- and we have some pretty good freshmen playing with us right now -- to have Kylie's steady hand and her defense is going to be really good for us moving forward," Jensen said. "I was extremely pleased [to hear her plans to come back]."
Now that the decision is made, Feuerbach can focus on the task at-hand. Sixth-seeded Iowa plays 11 seed Murray State at 11 am CT on Saturday.
"I get to just enjoy this this whole entire March Madness tournament," Feuerbach said, regarding the timing of announcing her decision. "It'll just be really fun now. I could have easily waited until I was done, but it is somewhat a weight lifted off my shoulders without having to worry about it in the back of my mind. I did know that I was going to keep playing. So just being able to have that actually confirmed and out in the air now is just a relief."
