Caitlin Clark named AAU James E. Sullivan Award winner

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Former University of Iowa Hawkeye great Caitlin Clark was named the winner of the AAU James E. Sullivan Award for the second year in a row on Tuesday.

The award is given annually to the most outstanding athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level. She is the first-ever two-time winner of the award in its 94-year history.

“Caitlin has accomplished something no other athlete has done by being a two-time AAU Sullivan Award winner, and we couldn’t be prouder,” said Jo Mirza, AAU President. “Beyond the court, her impact on women’s basketball and women’s sports in general cannot be overstated. She’s an incredible role model for our AAU athletes.”

Clark is the NCAA basketball all-time leading scorer and the only player in NCAA D1 Men’s or Women’s basketball history to lead her conference in scoring and assists in four consecutive seasons.

She led the nation in 10 different offensive categories and also broke the NCAA women’s tournament scoring record in her final NCAA Tournament run.

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The college basketball star has won the award for a second time

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As she prepares for her emotional farewell from the Iowa Hawkeyes after three glorious years, at least on an individual level, Caitlin Clark got to celebrate winning another award for her efforts.

The 22-year-old has played her final game for the Hawkeyes after appearing on Sunday in the defeat against South Carolina, who went the entire season unbeaten.

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To celebrate winning the award, Clark – who famously maintained an au naturel look while playing – stepped out in a glamorous scarlet red dress to pick up the honor. She also wore a pair of elegant white toe-pointed heels to complete her look as she grinned in front of the cameras.

Iowa have already announced they are going to retire her No. 22 jersey, such has been her immense impact on the court. She leaves as the most prolific scorer in college basketball history and joins elite company as the seventh player to win the Women’s Wooden Award multiple times.

By claiming it for a second time, she joins the esteemed company of Seimone Augustus (LSU), Candace Parker (Tennessee), Maya Moore (Connecticut), Brittney Griner (Baylor), Breanna Stewart (Connecticut), and Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon).

All six of those players went No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft, which is also the expectation for Clark in 2024 – she’s already among the WNBA MVP odds favorites.

Images emerged on social media from the Hawkeyes account showing the talented basketballer with a number of celebrities, including meeting Jason Sudeikis, the actor who stars as Ted Lasso in the popular soccer series. Clark was even handed her own AFC Richmond jersey with her name and number on the back.

Caitlin Clark is an inspiration

The three-time unanimous first-team All-American is the first Division-I player ever to record 3,800-plus points, 1,000-plus assists, and 950-plus rebounds – she also holds the D-I all-time scoring record, the single-season scoring record, and the single-season 3-pointers record.

She followed up last season’s Wooden Award win by taking her game up a notch this year and leading the country in points per game (31.6), assists (8.9), and 3-pointers (5.2) while shooting 37.8% from deep and chipping in 7.4 rebounds.