The contingent of former Iowa players in the WNBA continues to grow. A month ago, Lucy Olsen was selected by the Washington Mystics with the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Olsen transferred to Iowa for her senior season in 2024-25 and earned All-Big Ten honors while leading the Hawkeyes back to the NCAA Tournament. In 32 games and 32 starts at point guard for the Hawkeyes, the Collegeville, Pennsylvania native averaged 17.9 points and 5.1 assists per game to lead Iowa in both statistical categories. She added 3.6 rebounds per game, as well.
Despite her strong senior season and very good overall collegiate career, there were still significant questions about whether Olsen would be able to make the Mystics roster. The discussion wasn't met as a slight on Olsen, but rather a reflection of how brutally competitive it is to make a roster in the WNBA. There are only 156 roster spots in the WNBA, with hundreds of female basketball players competing to claim those jobs.
As of today, it looks like Olsen has been able to hang onto one of those 156 roster spots.
The Mystics waived Zaay Green (the #32 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft), Ashten Prechtel, Khadijiah Cave and Lauren Jensen earlier today as part of their roster cuts to get down to the 12-player roster limit. The official roster deadline is tomorrow, but signs look promising for Olsen to have one of those 12 spots for the Mystics.
While Olsen had some rocky outings in the preseason and particularly struggled to find a shooting rhythm (she shot 2-of-14 in two preseason games, including 0-of-4 from 3-point range), it appears that she'll have the opportunity to improve on those efforts as a member of the Mystics roster.
Olsen is the fourth former Iowa player to make a WNBA roster entering the 2025 season. Caitlin Clark is set for her second year with the Indiana Fever, while Kate Martin will be playing her sophomore campaign with the new Golden State Valkyries expansion team. Finally, veteran Megan Gustafson is getting ready for her seventh season in the WNBA and her second with the Las Vegas Aces, though she's currently recovering from a lower leg injury sustained in practice earlier this month.
