Iowa star Caitlin Clark has quietly emerged as the biggest star of the NCAA Tournament this year.
The 21-year-old has somehow caught lightning in a bottle over the past few weeks and become the hottest show in town as her Hawkeyes marched towards a championship game appearance.
On Friday night Clark dropped 41 points and eight assists in her squad’s 77-73 victory over defending champion South Carolina. In doing so, she ended the latter side’s 42-game winning streak.
While Clark was undoubtedly Iowa’s biggest star from Friday, eagle-eyed fans also couldn’t help but notice the program’s cheerleaders.
It all started with the school’s main cheer social account posting some imagery of the program’s dancers.
From there, fans tracked down one cheerleader in particular and ensured that personal page posts would go viral.
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If it feels like cheerleaders have been in the headlines nonstop throughout both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament, it’s because they definitely have been.
Between the Miami dancer whose provocative photos went viral ahead of the UConn game, the FAU fan whose wild pictures set the internet ablaze ahead of the Final Four and the Creighton cheerleader who blew up after the San Diego State loss, there have been countless examples.
This most recent one is just par for the course.
Big picture, Clark’s ascent into superstardom over the course of this year’s tourney has been nothing short of amazing. It’s hard to think of anything comparable in recent years.
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 31, 2023
Now just one game against LSU separates Clark from being a champion.
The Tigers are tough, and Angel Reese is no joke, but Clark literally scored or assisted on all but five of Iowa’s 28 field goals on Friday night. Her ability to influence the game is next level.
Will Clark be able to lead Iowa past LSU on Sunday? Time will tell, but either way the cheerleaders will be rooting her on every step of the way.
Related: Danica Patrick’s Wild Concert Photos Cause A Stir
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
