For Caitlin Clark, her decision to announce she’s declaring for the WNBA Draft was about clarity.

On Sunday, the Hawkeyes will celebrate senior day against No. 2 Ohio State. Clark, along with Gabbie Marshall, Molly Davis, Kate Martin, and Sharon Goodman, will be recognized. Clark, Marshall, and Martin have 382 combined starts for the Hawkeyes and 11,957 combined minutes on the court since 2020-21.

“Getting the weight of the world off my shoulders and being able to enjoy this last month with my teammates is the biggest thing,” Clark said Friday. “I didn’t want senior day to be all about me or if I’m coming back. Gabbie, Kate, Molly, and Sharon have given so much to the program. They deserve to be celebrated as much as me.”

Clark said early in the season, she was going back and forth on using her final year of eligibility that was granted due to COVID-19. The star point guard said the decision became clearer in the last few weeks.

Hawkeye associate head coach Jan Jensen attended the Iowa high school girls’ state basketball tournament in Des Moines on Thursday and spoke about Clark’s decision. Jensen said she thought Clark played with more “loose freedom” against Minnesota on Wednesday as if that pressure had been lifted off her. Clark recorded 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists to earn her second straight triple-double and 17th in her career.

Clark had said earlier this year she was going to wait until the season was over to announce her plans. Players have 48 hours after their last game to declare for the draft. Jensen said this quick turnaround may have gone into Clark’s decision to announce before the final regular season game on Sunday.

“We talked about the pros and the cons, and obviously everyone wants her to come back that’s an Iowa fan, but we also understand the pressure she’s been carrying,” Jensen said, according to Owen Siebring of Iowa’s News Now.  “I think Caitlin is wired for challenges. She’s wired for everything that’s on that next horizon … She knew without a shadow of a doubt that whether she was going to stay or go, we’re going to be some of her biggest fans.”

Clark doesn’t have much, if anything, left to prove in college. She broke Kelsey Plum’s NCAA women’s all-time scoring record on Feb. 15 and surpassed Lynette Woodard for the most points scored in major women’s college basketball history on Feb. 28. In the first half against the Buckeyes on Sunday, she’ll likely pass Pete Maravich for the NCAA all-time scoring record.

She is expected to be the No. 1 overall draft pick, which is held by the Indiana Fever. The draft is on April 15 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. If Clark gets taken by the Fever, her first home game would be on May 16 against the New York Liberty. New York features Sabrina Ionescu, who played for Oregon and is the all-time NCAA leader in career triple-doubles, and Breanna Stewart, who led UConn to four straight national championships.

“How many athletes, men or women at any level, can you say have delivered?” Jensen said. “She has more than delivered, and we’re beyond grateful she chose to be a Hawk. We’ve had so many great, fun memories, and we’re planning to have a lot more.”