Caitlin Clark Named 2023 Wooden Award Winner After Iowa's Run to NCAA Title Game

Caitlin Clark fell one victory short of winning a national championship, but the Iowa Hawkeyes star can at least take solace in the fact she was the best women's basketball player in the country this season.

Clark won the Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year on Tuesday:

The announcement means the guard earned a clean sweep in the major player of the year awards, as she already took home the Naismith Player of the Year and the Associated Press' Player of the Year.

This comes as anything but a surprise.

Clark captivated the nation with her individual brilliance during the 2022-23 campaign and averaged 27.8 points, 8.6 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from deep.

Her ability to pull up from seemingly anywhere on the court meant opposing defenses had to extend well beyond the arc, which created a number of chances for both herself and teammates as Iowa went 31-7, won the Big Ten tournament and reached the national championship game.

Clark's illustrious resume now includes the Wooden Award, Naismith Award, AP Award, two Big Ten Player of the Year awards, three All-American selections and a Big Ten tournament MVP.

She only added to her legend on the national stage of the Big Dance.

After averaging 24 points and 12 assists in the first two rounds, she poured in 31 points in a Sweet 16 win over Colorado and 41 points in an Elite Eight win over Louisville. The performance against Louisville wasn't just a high-scoring one, as she notched a triple-double with 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Leading the Hawkeyes to their first women's Final Four since 1993 would have been enough to make her a legend, but then she spearheaded the team's shocking upset over undefeated South Carolina in the national semifinals with 41 more points.

Clark and Iowa ultimately fell short in the national title game against LSU, but she did what she could with 30 points, eight assists and eight made three-pointers.

She couldn't quite cut down the nets as a national title winner, but she left no doubt she was the best player in the country this season.