Indiana Fever rookie and former Iowa star Caitlin Clark was named the 2024 Collegiate Lady Athlete of the 12 months and has now accepted the CWSA Honda Cup for the second consecutive yr.
In receiving the award Monday evening, Clark grew to become simply the fourth athlete within the historical past of the consideration to win it a number of occasions. She joined four-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Maya Moore, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Tracy Caulkins, and softball standout and 2020 Tokyo silver medalist Rachel Garcia.
“I believe it is fairly particular. I understand how vital this award and what number of nice folks have come earlier than me.” Clark stated within the CBS Sports activities broadcast. “Maya extra was my idol rising up. So now to be on the identical checklist as her is totally unimaginable. I used to be very lucky in my faculty profession.”
Clark was not in attendance however her former coaches at Iowa Lisa Bluder and Jan Jensen have been in New York to simply accept the award on her behalf.
“It does not occur with out these two there,” Clark stated of her former coaches. “The remainder of our teaching employees, but additionally the teammates I had by means of the years, they type of let me be myself but additionally I would not have gotten to the purpose I bought to if it wasn’t for them. It is simply actually particular. This award positively means so much. Like I stated, it is a first-class award.”
The opposite finalists for this yr’s Honda Cup have been gymnast Haleigh Bryant, softball participant NiJaree Canady and volleyball participant Madisen Skinner.Â
“Congratulations to all of you, particularly the finalists,” Clark added. “I am a giant fan of all of you. I watch as a lot girls’s sports activities simply as a lot as anyone, so congratulations.”
Different notable winners prior to now embody seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky in 2017, three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker in 2008 and South Carolina’s Corridor-of-Fame head coach Daybreak Staley in 1999.