Caitlin Clark Gets Praise from Obama, a Massive Donation from Hy-Vee After Scoring Record
It was a night of exhilaration for Iowa Hawkeye fans and sports fans alike. For the past several months, we've heard that Caitlin Clark of the Hawkeyes was poised to break the women's all-time scoring record (set by Kelsey Plum at Washington, who is now a 2x WNBA champion).
On February 15th, 2024, in a game against Michigan, Clark finally did it, drilling a three that brought the loud, raucous Iowa City crowd to their feet. In honor of Clark reaching 3,569 career points to break Plum's record, Hy-Vee announced that they are donating $35,690 to the Caitlin Clark Foundation in her honor.
For those unaware, the Caitlin Clark Foundation, founded by Clark herself, boasts a mission to uplift and improve the lives of youth and their communities through three specific pillars: education, nutrition, and sport, all three aspects of life that are deeply embedded in Clark's unprecedented success.
For further perspective, Clark now only needs 99 points to surpass "Pistol" Pete Maravich's scoring record. Should she do that, Clark will own both scoring records for NCAA men's and women's basketball. We're in uncharted waters here. It's an incredible time to be a Hawkeye fan, or a fan of women's basketball for that matter.
Hy-Vee released a statement via press release in lieu of the donation:
We are absolutely thrilled to see Caitlin reach this historic milestone in her career. Not only is Caitlin an incredible athlete, but she’s also an outstanding example of the fundamentals we try to live out at Hy-Vee - dedication, respect, sincerity and caring. We're honored to partner with Caitlin and look forward to seeing many more amazing accomplishments from her both on and off the court - Matt Nickell, vice president, sports marketing for Hy-Vee, per a Hy-Vee press release
It's no surprise Hy-Vee was the one to make this seismic donation to Clark's foundation. Caitlin Clark has an NIL deal with Hy-Vee, which has also led to a cereal and a Chinese food promotion tied to her name/image.
Since she broke the NCAA women's scoring record last night, Clark has been showered with praise from athletes, celebrities, and other luminaries, including former President Barack Obama. Obama took to Twitter/X last night to congratulate both Clark and the Iowa Hawkeye's women's basketball team as a whole.
Humble when faced with both success and defeat, Clark was her predictably measured and stoic self at her post-game press conference, after Iowa defeated Michigan 109-86 following a 49-point performance from Clark (another record in itself):
I dreamed of doing really big things, playing in front of big crowds, going to the Final Four, maybe not quite on this level. I think that’s really hard to dream. You can always exceed expectations, even your own, and I think that’s been one of the coolest parts. - Caitlin Clark following Iowa's game against Michigan, per KCCI
Read more about Caitlin Clark breaking the women's all-time scoring record on Yahoo! and also check out her Hy-Vee branded cereal here!
Iowa Born Sports Stars
Gallery Credit: Johnny Marks