Caitlin Clark and her Iowa team experienced defeat in the NCAA basketball final but emerged as significant winners for women’s sports.

Clark fell short of winning the ultimate prize in US collegiate basketball, but her captivating style of play captured the imagination of fans worldwide.

As Caitlin Clark wraps up her groundbreaking college basketball career and looks ahead to joining the professional ranks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), she sees the excitement surrounding her journey as a promising sign for the future of women’s sports in the United States. The 22-year-old Iowa standout bid farewell to collegiate competition on Sunday, albeit with a disappointing 87-75 loss to South Carolina in the national championship game in Cleveland.

>>> Read More: Clark takes Iowa back to the championship game. There will also be South Carolina, who is unbeaten.

Despite the loss, Clark found solace in the positive outcomes stemming from her record-breaking performances throughout the year, which resulted in smashing attendance and television ratings records and garnering global media attention.

Reflecting on her legacy, Clark expressed optimism about the future of women’s basketball, both at the collegiate and professional levels.

“Everybody sees the viewership numbers. When you’re given the opportunity, women’s sport thrives, and that’s been the coolest part for me on this journey,” Clark stated. “We started the season playing in front of 55,000 people, now we’re ending it in front of 15 million people on TV. It just continues to get better and better, and that’s never going to stop.”

She emphasized the importance of providing platforms for women’s sports, believing that such opportunities will lead to continued growth and success. Clark expressed hope that Iowa’s achievements would inspire leagues and media companies to invest further in women’s sports.

“No matter what sport it is, believe in them the same, invest in them the same, and things are going to thrive,” Clark emphasized. “You see it with other sports. Continue to invest time, money, and resources for those people and give them the opportunities; I think that’s what’s going to drive women’s sports in the future.”

Clark also expressed her gratitude for the fact that Iowa’s success had attracted new generations of fans to the sport, a sentiment she would treasure indefinitely.

“People will remember the moments that they shared at one of our games or watching on TV, and how excited their daughter or son got about watching women’s basketball,” Clark reflected. “That’s pretty cool; those are things that mean the most to me.”

Despite leading the scoring with 30 points in Sunday’s final, Clark admitted that she expected to shed some tears as she processed her second consecutive defeat in the national title game.

“For me, the emotions will probably hit me over the next couple of days; I don’t have much time to sit around and sulk and be upset,” Clark expressed. “And I don’t think that’s what I’m about either. Yeah, I’m sad we lost this game, but I’m also so proud of my teammates and our program. There’s a lot to be proud of.

“But there’s going to be tears. It is sad that this is all over, and this is the last time I put on an Iowa jersey.”

Clark’s remarkable achievements this season included surpassing Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old all-time college basketball scoring record, a feat that many considered unbeatable.

She is virtually guaranteed to be selected as the number one pick in the upcoming WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever later this month and could also potentially join the US squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics.