Caitlin Clark Named Winner of 93rd AAU James E. Sullivan Award

Posted: September 20, 2023 at 5:53 am

NEW YORK — Senior guard from the University of Iowa, Caitlin Clark, was named the winner of the 93rd AAU James E. Sullivan Award on Tuesday, presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level in the United States.

The winner is determined by AAU Sullivan Award Committee, AAU Board of Directors, sports media, and past winners. Former Iowa Wrestler, Spencer Lee, is the only other Hawkeye to win the award in school history (2019).

“I am incredibly humbled,” Clark said. “It is an honor to be selected for this prestigious award that elects a student-athlete that excels on the court and in the classroom. All the finalists are equally as deserving. It is special to represent the University of Iowa on this stage.”

Clark also won the 2023 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year Award, Honda Cup and was named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year as by THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA). She also won the 2023 Naismith, Wooden and Wade Trophies along with the Associated Press and USBWA Ann Drysdale Player of the Year honors.

She is also a two-time winner of the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award and is the first-ever three-time winner of the Dawn Staley Award. She also won the Honda Sport Award for Basketball in April.

Clark led her team to its first-ever NCAA Championship game and helped post the Hawkeye’s most wins in a single season. During the NCAA Tournament, she posted the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA Tournament history (men’s or women’s) and broke the NCAA single-tournament records for most 3-point FG made (24) and most points scored (191). This season, she is the only player in the nation with 1,000 points, 240 rebounds, 310 assists and 45 steals.

Overall, Clark became the first player in Division I women’s basketball history to record more than 1,000 points and 300 assists in the same season and was fastest Division I player (men’s or women’s) to reach 1,500 career points over the last 20 seasons.

Off the court, she is a two-time First Team Academic All-American and was named the 2023 CSC Academic All-America of the Year.

In addition to athletic excellence, the AAU Sullivan Award aims to recognize the qualities of leadership, citizenship, character, and sportsmanship on and off the field.

“Caitlin Clark is the epitome of what this award represents,” said Jo Mirza, AAU President. “We’re honored to have her name forever entwined with the AAU Sullivan Award and we can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next.”

The other finalists for the award included baseball player Dylan Crews, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, University of Tennessee swimmer Jordan Crooks, Olympic swimmer Kate Douglass, and Purdue basketball center Zach Edey.

Clark is the eighth basketball player to take home the AAU Sullivan Award in its 93-year history. Previous winners include Sabrina Ionescu (2019), Breanna Stewart (2015), J.J. Redick (2005), and Bill Walton (1973).

ABOUT THE AAU:

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer sports organizations in the country. As a multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs. Founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in sports, the AAU philosophy of “Sports For All, Forever” is now shared by more than 720,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 45 sports programs and 55 U.S. districts. For more information, visit www.aausports.org.

Photo Credit:  AAU Sports via Facebook