Caitlin Clark had a 2025 WNBA season to forget as the Indiana Fever went on a surprising run in the playoffs, forcing the Las Vegas Aces to Game 5 in the semifinals. While the point guard still made the All-Star Game, she was limited to just 13 games in her second year, sidelined by multiple injuries to her groin and ankle.
But before Clark became a WNBA star, she made a name for herself in college basketball with the Iowa Hawkeyes. From 2020 to 2024, she not only led Iowa to two national championship appearances but also became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer with 3,951 points. And joining Clark during her historic college run were Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Bluder and longtime assistant coach Jan Jensen.
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After Clark departed for the WNBA in 2024, Bluder decided to step down as Iowa’s head coach following 24 seasons. Jensen then took over the program and has found success during the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season. The No. 13 Hawkeyes are 21-5 and riding a three-game winning streak, despite losing All-Big Ten star Lucy Olsen to the WNBA.
And on Thursday, Jensen was awarded for her performance, earning a spot on the official 2026 Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year watch list. Joining the second-year Hawkeyes head coach on the watch list are as follows:
- Geno Auriemma - No. 1 UConn Huskies (27-0)
- Jennie Baranczyk - No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners (19-6)
- Kim Barnes Arico - No. 6 Michigan Wolverines (22-4)
- Carla Berube - Princeton Tigers (20-3)
- Krista Gerlich - No. 20 Texas Tech Red Raiders (23-4)
- Kara Lawson - No. 9 Duke (19-6)
- Kevin McGuff - No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes (22-4)
- Kim Mulkey - No. 7 LSU Tigers (22-4)
- Shea Ralph - No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores (24-3)
- Tammi Reiss - Rhode Island Rams (23-3)
- Vic Schaefer - No. 4 Texas Longhorns (24-3)
- Dawn Staley - No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks (25-2)
- Jeff Walz - No. 8 Louisville Cardinals (24-4)
"Jensen in the history books!" Naismith Awards wrote on X. "@goiowa has officially stamped her name in @IowaWBB history as the first head coach to secure over 20 wins in her first two seasons. This comes after the Hawkeyes dominant win over Nebraska. The future is bright for Jensen, a member of our 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Watch List!"
Clark quickly took notice of her former coach's accomplishment, responding to Jensen's accomplishment with one word: "Aura."
Clark will begin her third season with the Fever on Saturday, May 9, hosting Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings in Indianapolis. However, the upcoming WNBA season is in jeopardy, as the league and the players have yet to reach a common ground in their CBA talks.