DALLAS, TEXAS — If there was any doubt before, there is no longer – Caitlin Clark is the best women’s basketball player in the country.  On Wednesday, the University of Iowa star point guard was named the 2023 Naismith Women’s Player of the Year.   

Clark is third in the nation in scoring at 27.3 points to game and leads the nation in assists with 8.6 per game. She also averages 7.3 rebounds per game. On Sunday she became the first player in NCAA Tournament history – men’s or women’s – to record a 40-point triple-double.  She is the second Hawkeye to win the award, following in the footsteps of Megan Gustafson in 2019.

Clark’s fellow finalists for the award included last year’s winner – South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston – who Clark will face on Friday evening at 8:30pm on ESPN.  Joining Boston and Clark on the list of finalists are Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley and Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist.

The vote was determined by media and fan voting.  More than 750,000 fans voted this year, a record for the award.