Caitlin Clark named AP Female Athlete of the Year for impact on women's basketball

Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year, recognizing her significant impact on women's basketball. She led Iowa to the national championship game and was the top pick in the WNBA draft, winning rookie of the year. Clark broke the NCAA Division I career scoring record with 3,951 points. Her popularity has boosted viewership for women's sports, with the NCAA women's championship game attracting 18.9 million viewers, surpassing the men's for the first time. Clark's success has also translated to the WNBA, where she set a single-game assist record and helped the Indiana Fever reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Her achievements have drawn unprecedented attention to women's basketball.