Iowa Will Retire Caitlin Clark's No. 22 After Historic Collegiate Career

Apr 7, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after making a three.
Apr 7, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after making a three. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Iowa women's basketball program announced Wednesday that it will officially retire the No. 22 in honor of Caitlin Clark, whose collegiate basketball career ended on Sunday when the Hawkeyes lost to South Carolina in the NCAA tournament national championship game.

Going forward, no future Iowa players will sport the iconic No. 22 jersey. Clark is just the third Hawkeye women's basketball player to have her number retired after Megan Gustafson (No. 10) and Michelle Edwards (No. 30).

Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz announced the decision at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in front of Clark and fans on Wednesday night.

"We always knew your jersey would be hanging in the rafters,“ Goetz said at the ceremony, via The Gazette. ”It is a privilege for me to now make that official. You will be the last to wear No. 22.“

Clark then paid homage to the No. 22s that came before her in the Hawkeyes program.

"That number holds a lot of weight, far beyond my name," Clark said. "I'm really grateful, it'll be a special day when it happens."

Clark had an all-around historic 2023–24 season to finish off her legendary college career. To name a few of her accomplishments, Clark became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer in points, Iowa's all-time women's leading scorer and the Big Ten's all-time women's leader in assists and points.

The 22-year-old declared for the WNBA draft, which takes place on Monday, April 15. She is expected to be selected with the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever.


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Madison Williams

MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a Staff Writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated, where she has covered the entire sports landscape since 2022. She specializes in tennis, but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining Sports Illustrated, Madison worked with The Sporting News. She hails from Augustana College and completed a Master’s in Sports Media at Northwestern University. Madison is a dog mom and an avid reader.