Iowa’s Caitlin Clark shares national freshman of the year honor

The Gazette Mar. 30, 2021 7:58 pm Updated: Mar. 31, 2021 1:02 am

IOWA CITY - It started with the first of a record 13 Big Ten freshman of the week honors, and it continues today.

Iowa's Caitlin Clark was named co-freshman of the year, by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association on Tuesday. Clark shares the honor with Connecticut's Paige Bueckers.

Clark is the first Hawkeye to earn national freshman of the year.

Clark averaged 26.6 points in 30 games, 7.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds. She set the Iowa freshman record with 26.6 points per game (men's or women's), recorded the fourth-highest points per game in a single season in Iowa history (men's or women's) and was the 2020-21 NCAA Division I scoring leader (men's or women's).

She is the only Division I player to record 12 30-point games this season - the most by an NCAA Division I freshman since 2000.

Clark led the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten tournament championship and into the NCAA Sweet 16. It was an unexpected run, but was Iowa's eighth Sweet 16 appearance - its third in its last four NCAA tournaments.

She led the nation in total assists (214), total points (799), points per game (26.6), field goals made (266), 3-pointers made (116) and ranked second in assists per game (7.1) and 3-pointers per game (3.87).

A former West Des Moines Dowling prep, Clark broke Iowa's freshman record with those 799 points, which ranks third all-time for points in a single season behind Megan Gustafson's junior and senior seasons. She also broke Iowa's all-time freshman assist record.

Clark also was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was unanimously selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman team as well as first-team All-Big Ten.

Iowa's Caitlin Clark during an NCAA basketball game on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Justin Hayworth)