Caitlin Clark headlines a record-breaking week of women’s sport
Caitlin Clark headlines a record-breaking week of women’s sport
Caitlin Clark's record-breaking achievements put women's basketball in the spotlight.
This past week was punctuated by several groundbreaking moments for women in sport, with players breaking records on the basketball court, while an MLB play-by-play announcer made history off it.
University of Iowa talisman Caitlin Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball on Thursday, confirming her status as one of college sports’ biggest superstars.
On the same night, Lauryn Taylor set another remarkable record with 44 rebounds in a game – the most in any single women’s NCAA game – while, earlier in the week, Jenny Cavnar became the first woman to serve as an MLB team’s play-by-play announcer.
Taken together, they represent the continuing and accelerating growth of women’s sport in the US, spotlighting its increasing popularity and marketability.
It was in trademark spectacular fashion that Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball, drilling a deep 3-pointer to break the previous record two minutes into the game, and she went on to score a personal and college one-game high of 49 points.
She surpassed Kelsey Plum’s previous record of 3,527 career points and now sits within touching distance of the all-time scoring record in men’s and women’s NCAA basketball, 98 points behind the late Pete Maravich, who played at Louisiana State from 1967 to 1970.
Clark’s success on the court has already turned her into one of the biggest, and most marketable, college stars, helping to usher in a new era of women’s college sports.
Boasting deals with Gatorade, Nike and State Farm, among others, the 22-year-old is driving record viewing figures for the sport and record ticket prices for her team.
Former teammates and celebrities, from Tom Brady to Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, celebrated Clark’s record-breaking achievement in a video on social media, in a further indication of her popularity.
On Thursday night too, Taylor, who plays for Division II school Francis Marion University, had 44 rebounds in her team’s win against North Greenville University – the most in a single game across all NCAA divisions in women’s basketball.
