Following her record-breaking Rookie season, Caitlin Clark received an almost unanimous vote for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award on Sept. 22, 2024.
Caitlin Clark, professional basketball player on the Indiana Fever, received 66 out of 67 first-place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, winning Rookie of the Year last month. The only other WNBA player nominated for first place was Angel Reese, from the Chicago Sky.
Clark’s season was one for the books, recording 337 assists throughout the regular season, creating not only a rookie record but also a league record for assists in one season.
According to freshman Anna May Straniero, “ [Clark’s] assist stats were impeccable, I think she was a very good teammate.”
She also set the record for most 3-pointers by a rookie in a single season. Clark’s groundbreaking year resulted in her receiving the most All-Star game votes in WNBA history, with a total of 700,735 votes. Furthermore, she became the first player in league history to earn both WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month honors in the same month.
“Caitlin Clark has changed women’s basketball. Female athletes are getting more respect and appreciation. I love watching her play,” said former Poolesville’s Girls Basketball Coach Mrs. Katherine Hackey. “She is so dynamic and fun to watch. She plays with so much heart and passion for the game she loves. She doesn’t let anything stand in her way.”
Clark broke not only individual records but also records for the Indiana Fever this past season. She helped lead the Fever to their first postseason berth since 2016. She is the third person in Indiana Fever’s history to win Rookie of the Year, with the other two being Aliyah Boston, in 2023, and Tamika Catchings, in 2002.
Clark’s skills on the court drew 1.8 million viewers for their first playoff game, making it the most-watched WNBA game since 2000. Attendance at games was 88% higher for games that Clark was playing in compared to games this past season.
“I think Caitlin Clark is the reason women’s basketball is getting the attention it is,” said Straniero. “I think she has impressed so many people, showing that women are talented in sports.”
Clark has broken barriers in women’s basketball, which Coach Hackey believes will inspire young female athletes by showing them, “that it is okay to play hard, stand out, and never hold back.”
