Freshman Caitlin Clark came to Iowa with a slew of accolades under her belt.

Clark was a five-star college prospect at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, and her commitment to the University of Iowa made national headlines. She was the fourth-ranked women’s basketball recruit in the country per ESPN and received multiple Division I offers from schools like Iowa State and Oregon.

All of those accomplishments are behind her now, but her competitiveness is still fierce.

“High school’s behind me now, those accolades don’t really matter anymore,” Clark said. “I have a lot to prove on the college level and I haven’t even played my first game yet. But I think the competitive side of me, I mean if you’ve ever watched me you know I’m super, super competitive, I think that’s what drives me and makes me want to get better every single day.”

Clark joined the Hawkeyes this season as their only true point guard after 2019-20 Big Ten Player of the Year Kathleen Doyle graduated and went on to the WNBA. So, Clark is poised to start at point guard this year as a true freshman.

“I’ve had to take a big step in growth and maturity,” Clark said. “The point guard role is very, very important, and you have to be a leader on the floor. So, at times I would get frustrated, so just stepping up and being a leader and getting the team to come together.”

Clark added that team captains Zion Sanders, Alexis Sevillian, and Kate Martin have played pivotal roles in helping her manage her expectations and control her frustrations.

According to her teammates, Clark’s emotions are genuine, and her talent is limitless.

“Caitlin Clark is Caitlin Clark,” Sevillian said. “Who you see on the court is who you see off the court… I feel like with a player like that you expect her, you expect those people to be cocky, and kind of all about themselves. But that’s not Caitlin at all. She is truly a team player.”

Clark earned even higher remarks from Sevillian with regard to her game – garnering a comparison to Doyle.

“Last year we saw a lot of Kathleen Doyle being able to distribute the ball the way she did,” Sevillian said. “We knew what we were losing, but here you have someone who can fill those shoes.”

Sophomore guard Megan Meyer played with Clark in AAU basketball, and Meyer believes Clark already has the ability and poise of an upperclassman.

“She’s definitely just a very special player,” Meyer said. “She’s a great person, hard-worker, and she does not play like a freshman, that’s for sure.”

The Hawkeyes open their season this Wednesday against Northern Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

There will be no fan admission at Big Ten women’s basketball games this season, but Iowa is offering cutouts for fans to purchase. So, the Hawkeyes will have to defend their 36-game home winning streak without the support of the Hawkeye faithful in-person.