Hannah Draxten will not continue her playing career with the Iowa women’s basketball team.

Head coach Lisa Bluder announced Monday the redshirt sophomore applied for a medical exemption. Draxten will remain with the program as a student-assistant coach.

The Fergus Falls, Minn., native has struggled with back injuries throughout her career with the Hawkeyes. She made 23 3-pointers while playing in 30 games as a true freshman in 2008-09, but injuries limited her to only four games the next year. This past season, the 6-0 forward played in 24 games but only averaged just 12.4 minutes per contest.

"This was a really hard decision to make," Draxten said in a release. "After talking with the medical staff and coaches, we decided that not playing again was in my best interest. I absolutely loved my time as a Hawkeye student-athlete. I will never forget the feeling of playing in front of all the great Iowa fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena."

Draxten is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

"We are very disappointed that Hannah will not be able to remain on our roster as student-athlete," Bluder said in the release. "When healthy, Hannah was a key contributor to our team.

Unfortunately, her back was not able to fully heal. Hannah brings great energy and enthusiasm to our program, so it was a natural decision for us to have her remain with the team as a student-assistant coach."

— by Jordan Garretson