Iowa's Clark repeats as AP Player of the Year in women's basketball
Caitlin Clark is capping her illustrious college career with another record-breaking season and another set of prestigious awards.
The star guard from Iowa was honored Thursday as The Associated Press Player of the Year in women's basketball for the second consecutive year.
Clark received 34 votes from the 35-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. Cameron Brink of Stanford received the other vote. Voting was done before March Madness began.
The 22-year-old Clark is the sixth player to win the award more than once and fifth to do it in consecutive seasons. She joined Chamique Holdsclaw, Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore, Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart as multi-time winners. “This is a tremendous honor to be on the same list as a lot of great players that I grew up idolizing,” Clark said. “I grew up as a young kid watching them and wanting to be like them.”
The NCAA Division I career scoring leader set numerous records while helping Iowa reach the Final Four for a second consecutive season. A semifinal matchup with UConn awaits tonight in Cleveland.
Opposing coaches, including AP Coach of the Year Dawn Staley, have called Clark a generational talent and tried to stifle her creativity and scoring, but she averaged 31.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists during the regular season to help Iowa go 29-4 and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• Staley did a masterful job guiding a young South
Carolina team back to the Final Four with an undefeated record for the second straight season.
Staley was honored Thursday as The Associated Press women's college basketball Coach of the Year for the second time. She received 27 votes from the 35-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. She also won the award in 2020.
Lindsay Gottlieb of USC, Felisha Legette-Jack of Syracuse and Scott Rueck of Oregon State tied for second with two votes each. Voting was done before the NCAA Tournament.
Vingegaard among injured in Madrid
Two-time defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard broke his collarbone and several ribs Thursday in a crash at the Tour of Basque Country that also caught up Olympic gold medalist Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel, who also sustained a broken collarbone.
Evenepoel, one of the favorites for the road race at the Paris Games, also has a broken right shoulder blade and was scheduled return to Belgium today for surgery on his collarbone.
Vingegaard was hardly moving as he was put in an ambulance wearing an oxygen mask and neck brace after the crash occurred with less than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) left in the fourth stage.
Pegula advances in Charleston Open
Top-seeded Jessica Pegula advanced to the quarterfinals of the Charleston Open on Thursday, and Miami Open champion Danielle Collins continued her strong form, beating defending champion Ons Jabeur in three sets.
The fifth-ranked Pegula, who reached the semifinals last year, had little trouble beating Magda Linette 6-2, 6-2. Pegula will face Victoria Azarenka for a spot in the last four at the clay-court tournament.
Bhatia shoots 63 to take lead at Valero
Akshay Bhatia rode the rare experience of knowing a PGA Tour course with a sublime day with his irons for a 9-under 63 on Thursday, giving him a three-shot lead in the Valero Texas Open and taking a small step toward a potential trip to the Masters.
The Texas Open is the last chance for players to qualify for Augusta National by winning.
Brendon Todd birdied four of his last five holes for a 66 to join Justin Lower. Neither are in the Masters yet.
• Rose Zhang watched her two-stroke lead with two holes to play Thursday turn into a four-way tie for first place, the strong wind playing havoc with her and everyone else who teed off in the afternoon at the LPGA Tour's T-Mobile Match Play.
Zhang ended the second round of the stroke-play portion at Shadow Creek with two straight bogeys, dropping her into a tie at 4-under 140 with first-round leader Sei Young Kim, Carlota Ciganda and Angel Yin. The latter two played in the morning when warm temperatures and moderate wind created fine playing conditions.