Women’s March Madness was insane this year, with Louisiana State University (LSU) and University of Iowa making it to the championship game. Previously, Iowa had defeated South Carolina in a four point game, which ended their 42 game win streak. Additionally, LSU had beaten Virginia Tech, knocking them out of the tournament paving the way for their championship game. These combined factors lead to a highly watched matchup between these two skillful teams.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark made history with her outstanding performance, scoring a total of 191 points, allowing her to set a new record for most points made in a single tournament. As a basketball player myself, it was inspiring seeing how Clark was able to hold her ground during the event and accomplish as much as she did. The fact that Clark holds the title of the only person to ever in both men’s and women’s college basketball to register a 40 point triple-double is incredible. This shows her skill level compared to other players in both men and women’s basketball. Her ability to compete sets a prime example for what players like me strive to be.

Clark, with the help of her fellow teammates, led Iowa to the national championship with an average of 31.8 points per game in the NCAA tournament. Clark influences young players as they watch her thrive on the court. For example, after watching the championship game, I thought about my college career path again, wondering if I should continue to play basketball in college. Just as I was impacted by her performance, many others are. I feel that it is important to have someone as impactful as Clark to represent women in basketball. 

There has not been this much attention given to women’s basketball since Paige Bueckers rose in social media popularity back in 2020. Clark brought a record breaking 12.6 million viewers to watch the NCAA Women’s National Championship game with her jaw-dropping performances throughout the tournament, leaving people wanting to see more. Although Clark is becoming widely recognized for her skills, she continues to be humble and unselfish by emphasizing her teammates efforts alongside her own. This led her to also accomplish the title of gaining the most assists in a single NCAA tournament. She demonstrates how a leader should be on the court which is influential for the young girls that look up to her.

Though her team lost to LSU in the championship game, she mentioned to the press that her team should still hold their heads high because they still have much to be proud of. Overall, Caitlin Clark is a generational player that will influence those around her and inspire the young ones that look up to her.