Hannah Stuelke became Jan Jensen’s top force in the paint and earned All-Big Ten honors, but a serious arm injury may end her court time for Friday’s quarterfinal.
On Wednesday, the update came as the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes prepare to depart for Indianapolis as the tournament's No. 2 seed. During her media availability, Jensen was asked whether Stuelke would be able to play through the injury sustained against Illinois.
Stuelke, who scored 18 points against the Illini, was sidelined after the right arm injury sustained in the first quarter at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. While Stuelke managed to finish that game, Jensen said that the injury is more consequential than she first believed.
“[Stuelke’s status] not as good as I would like... It’s definitely concerning moving forward.”
The two-time Second-team All-Big Ten will have one of the biggest moments of her career so far on Friday: a high-stakes, tournament quarterfinal in Indianapolis.
The team’s leading rebounder is currently facing a ‘highly questionable’ tag that significantly alters the landscape of the Big Ten Tournament. It has come to the point where the team is monitoring her progress minute-by-minute.
But Jensen defended her seniors' commitment:
"I know she’ll want to play… Just being a senior, how much fun a Big Ten Tournament is. I know that if she can play, feels like she can play, and can be helpful—she’ll play," she said.
Despite the pessimistic short-term outlook, Jensen clarified that the injury is not considered season-ending.
Iowa plays in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, March 6, at 5:30 p.m. CT, with the game airing live on Big Ten Network.