Women's Fastbreak On SI

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Teammates Brightened Jan Jensen's Daughter's Birthday Party

Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, and other iconic Hawkeyes made their presence felt at their former coach's daughter's birthday party on Friday.

Grant Young

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, left, Kate Martin, center, and Gabbie Marshall react during a celebration of the Iowa women’s basketball team Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, left, Kate Martin, center, and Gabbie Marshall react during a celebration of the Iowa women’s basketball team Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

The bond that Caitlin Clark had with her Iowa teammates seemed to be a central reason they were so successful during Clark's tenure there.

It must have been hard for all those Hawkeyes to be away from each other after their 2023-24 NCAA season ended, especially given that they were together nearly every day for years.

This is why it was so great to see Clark returning to her alma mater and reuniting with her Iowa teammates this weekend, which started with them being at a Hawkeyes basketball practice.

The former Hawkeyes still had a whole evening after the practice ended. And they chose to spend it by attending the 14th birthday party of longtime Iowa assistant and first-year head coach Jan Jensen's daughter.

There were multiple photos of Clark and her teammates at the 14-year-old's birthday party that have since surfaced on social media, one of which is the Fever superstar posing with the birthday girl.

Yesterday we saw that Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall also returned to Iowa with Clark. It appeared that, while another one of their former teammates and close friends Monika Czinano couldn't attend yesterday's Hawkeyes practice, she made it in time for the birthday party.

Another photo of Clark, Marshall, Martin, and Jansen's daughter appearing to braid Martin's hair was posted on X by @ccthegoat22.

And the entire group posed for a photo in front of the birthday cake, capping off what had to be the most memorable birthday party of Jensen's daughter's entire life to this point.

Perhaps Clark and her former teammates will have more fun in store for Saturday.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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