Caitlin was named ESPN's National Player of the Year on March 13, 2024.
Clark passed Kelsey Plum for the NCAA women's scoring record, Lynette Woodard (who played in the AIAW era) for the major-college women's record, and Pete Maravich for the NCAA Division I overall record. Clark is also the first D-I player to have back-to-back 1,000-point seasons and to top 3,000 points and 1,000 assists for her career.
"That is mind-boggling when you think about it," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "I mean, everybody's defensive plan is to stop her, and nobody's been able to figure out really how to do it. She's faced every kind of defense. She really knows how to pick them apart." -- Voepel
Paige Bueckers, UConn Huskies
Bueckers has dazzled in her first season back from ACL injury and has had more responsibility than ever as a senior leader on a team depleted by injuries and leaning heavily on freshmen. Nonetheless, the guard has posted her most efficient shooting season yet (61.1% effective field goal percentage) while doing a little bit of everything for the Huskies. Her defensive impact is particularly notable, as she's averaging 2.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. -- Philippou
Cameron Brink, Stanford Cardinal
Brink's steady improvement from her freshman year has culminated in a first-team All-American campaign as a senior, as she has spearheaded the Cardinal's climb to a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. She's the best, most versatile two-way post in the country and a likely top-three pick in the upcoming WNBA draft. One only needs to see how Stanford fared without her against Gonzaga and Arizona to understand her value to a team that won the Pac-12 regular-season title. -- Philippou
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Hawkeyes
No one came into this season with higher expectations placed on her than Clark, and she has delivered. She leads Division I in scoring (31.9 PPG) and assists (8.9 APG) and has had six triple-doubles as a senior. Her exceptional play has elevated not just the Hawkeyes, who hope for a return trip to the Final Four, but the sport. Her impact on attendance, television ratings and merchandise sales has been unprecedented. -- Voepel
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Ivey said she crafted Notre Dame's entire defense around Hidalgo's ability to pressure the ball, get steals, cover so much of the court and stay out of foul trouble. Her defense alone was headline-making. Add in her ability to score and direct the Irish offense, and Hidalgo had one of the best freshman seasons in Notre Dame history. She's also adding to the school's reputation as "Guard U," with so many greats in the WNBA. -- Voepel
JuJu Watkins, USC Trojans
Watkins and Hidalgo headline a freshman class that's shaping up to be a game-changer for the sport -- so much so that two of them made our All-America team. Only three players were named Associated Press All Americans as freshmen: Oklahoma's Courtney Paris, UConn's Maya Moore and Bueckers. -- Philippou
Player of the Year: Caitlin Clark, Iowa Hawkeyes
Last season felt like a breakthrough for Clark, who was the Wooden Award recipient -- the national player of the year -- with South Carolina's Aliyah Boston still in the mix. This season has been more of a coronation for Clark, who has broken records left and right while leading Iowa to the Big Ten tournament title and a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.Clark passed Kelsey Plum for the NCAA women's scoring record, Lynette Woodard (who played in the AIAW era) for the major-college women's record, and Pete Maravich for the NCAA Division I overall record. Clark is also the first D-I player to have back-to-back 1,000-point seasons and to top 3,000 points and 1,000 assists for her career.
"That is mind-boggling when you think about it," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "I mean, everybody's defensive plan is to stop her, and nobody's been able to figure out really how to do it. She's faced every kind of defense. She really knows how to pick them apart." -- Voepel
All-America team
Each voter heavily considered Virginia Tech Hokies senior Elizabeth Kitley, but ultimately left her off a guard-heavy first team.Paige Bueckers, UConn Huskies
Bueckers has dazzled in her first season back from ACL injury and has had more responsibility than ever as a senior leader on a team depleted by injuries and leaning heavily on freshmen. Nonetheless, the guard has posted her most efficient shooting season yet (61.1% effective field goal percentage) while doing a little bit of everything for the Huskies. Her defensive impact is particularly notable, as she's averaging 2.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. -- Philippou
Cameron Brink, Stanford Cardinal
Brink's steady improvement from her freshman year has culminated in a first-team All-American campaign as a senior, as she has spearheaded the Cardinal's climb to a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. She's the best, most versatile two-way post in the country and a likely top-three pick in the upcoming WNBA draft. One only needs to see how Stanford fared without her against Gonzaga and Arizona to understand her value to a team that won the Pac-12 regular-season title. -- Philippou
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Hawkeyes
No one came into this season with higher expectations placed on her than Clark, and she has delivered. She leads Division I in scoring (31.9 PPG) and assists (8.9 APG) and has had six triple-doubles as a senior. Her exceptional play has elevated not just the Hawkeyes, who hope for a return trip to the Final Four, but the sport. Her impact on attendance, television ratings and merchandise sales has been unprecedented. -- Voepel
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Ivey said she crafted Notre Dame's entire defense around Hidalgo's ability to pressure the ball, get steals, cover so much of the court and stay out of foul trouble. Her defense alone was headline-making. Add in her ability to score and direct the Irish offense, and Hidalgo had one of the best freshman seasons in Notre Dame history. She's also adding to the school's reputation as "Guard U," with so many greats in the WNBA. -- Voepel
JuJu Watkins, USC Trojans
Watkins and Hidalgo headline a freshman class that's shaping up to be a game-changer for the sport -- so much so that two of them made our All-America team. Only three players were named Associated Press All Americans as freshmen: Oklahoma's Courtney Paris, UConn's Maya Moore and Bueckers. -- Philippou
Player of the Year, All-Americans: Clark, Watkins and the best of the season
ESPN's picks for national player, freshman and coach of the year for 2023-24 were runaway winners. But our All-America team has a notable absence.
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