Getty Image / Gregory Shamus
Colleges all over the country hold big celebrations when one of their teams wins a National Championship. Fans, students, and alums flock to the university to honor their conquering heroes.
Sadly, the University of Iowa did not have any teams win a national title this winter. Their women’s basketball team and superstar Caitlin Clark came up short in Sunday’s National Championship Game, losing to South Carolina, 87-75.
But, the team did have a huge impact. Their final three games all set viewership records, including an incredible 18.7 million viewers for their loss to South Carolina on Sunday.
Few, if any, female athletes have captivated America like Caitlin Clark did. The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer produced truly can’t-miss television. Her legacy is so big that she doesn’t even need a championship to be considered one of the greats in the history of the sport. The homegrown product will go down in Iowa lore forever.
So, the University of Iowa is taking the rare step of having a big celebration for a second-place team.
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa Athletics Department will hold an end-of-season celebration to honor the NCAA runner-up women’s basketball team on Wednesday, April 10, at 6 p.m. (CT) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Fans will have the opportunity to hear from P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Lisa Bluder and Hawkeye student-athletes, including National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark and seniors Molly Davis, Sharon Goodman, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall.
The team’s trophies will be on hand at the celebration, along with the Iowa Spirit Squad, Herky and the Iowa Pep Band.
Normally, I’d clown a school for having a celebration like this for a team that didn’t actually win the national championship. But, this was a historic team beloved by many. They probably deserve the celebration.