After Sunday’s national championship game, which ended her Iowa career in an 87-75 loss to South Carolina, Caitlin Clark mostly wore a smile. She acknowledged that the finality of this phase of her journey would sink in over the next 48 hours or so. However, at that moment, still adorned in her black and gold Iowa uniform, her predominant emotion was gratitude.

Despite Iowa’s limited Final Four appearances — just one, in 1993, nine years before Clark was born — she chose to stay in her home state for college. She held firm belief in her ability to lead the Hawkeyes back to that stage, and she succeeded, twice. Despite their losses in the NCAA finals to two SEC powerhouses — South Carolina this year and LSU last year — on Sunday, Clark reflected more on the entirety of her college career.

“Whether it’s the way the fans have supported me, the way I’ve been able to represent my state where I grew up, my family being at every single game — there’s not a regret in my mind of how things went,” Clark said. “I’ll be able to sleep every night even though I never won a national championship.

“I don’t sit and sulk about the things that never happened. My mom always taught me, ‘Keep your head high, be proud of everything that you’ve accomplished.’ And, you know, I think I’m so hungry for a lot more, too.”

Clark, the clear frontrunner to be selected as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever on April 15, was queried about whether the knowledge of beginning another season in about five weeks eased the conclusion of her college career.

“I think it helps,” Clark said. “What better way to train and prepare for my next step in life than playing in the Final Four? I’ll be able to play my first WNBA game here soon.

“These moments are going to make me ready for the next chapter on my life, but also [I want to] enjoy this one, too.”

Over the past two seasons, Iowa achieved nearly everything imaginable except securing the NCAA title. In the previous year, the Hawkeyes caused an upset by defeating the undefeated South Carolina team with a record of 36-0 in the semifinals. Similarly, this year, they emerged victorious against the defending national champion LSU in the Elite Eight and toppled the 11-time NCAA champion UConn in the Final Four.

“It’s really hard to win these things. I think I probably know that better than most people by now,” Clark said. “To be so close twice, it definitely hurts. But at the same time, we were right there. We battled. We took down some really great teams to get back to this point.”

On Sunday, Clark demonstrated her prowess on the court, amassing 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. She began the game with a scorching performance, notching 18 points in the first quarter alone. However, South Carolina’s defense tightened up as the game progressed, limiting Clark’s scoring opportunities.

“I thought they pressured the ball really well,” Clark said. “When you get up to this point in the tournament, everybody’s defense is good.

“I don’t think there was anything we didn’t do that we could have to really help ourselves. It would have been nice to make a few more shots. I thought they contested well on stuff. You could say rebound [better], but we were trying our best. That’s all you can really ask.”

Throughout her four seasons at Iowa, Clark exceeded all expectations set by coach Lisa Bluder and the Hawkeyes’ staff. Her remarkable contributions solidify her status not only as the greatest player in Iowa’s history but also as one of the most exceptional talents in NCAA history.

“She moved needles, she did things that no one was doing other than Steph Curry, shooting from where she shot, but never losing her sense of fun and flair,” said longtime Iowa assistant coach Jan Jensen, who made countless drives from Iowa City to Clark’s hometown of West Des Moines to watch her play during the recruiting process. “I wish we could have helped her get us to the title … But most people can respect her greatness. Maybe they won’t call her ‘GOAT’ … But she’ll always be our GOAT.”

Her NCAA records are nothing short of extraordinary. Clark’s career concluded with an unprecedented 3,951 points, surpassing the totals of any player in Division I men’s or women’s basketball history. Additionally, she stands alone as the sole Division I women’s player to achieve both 3,000 points and 1,000 assists in her career, boasting a remarkable total of 1,144 assists alongside 990 rebounds.

Moreover, her career averages of 28.42 points per game and her record-breaking 548 3-pointers further solidify her legacy as one of the most prolific scorers in Division I history. Notably, her achievements extend to this season, where she set new Division I single-season records with 201 made 3-pointers and 1,234 points scored.

“Those things are so hard to accomplish,” Clark said. “That was never something I was chasing in my career [or] anything I ever set out to do. I have to give Coach Bluder a lot of credit because she’s allowed me to be myself.

“Whether it’s the shots I take, the fire I play with … She’s allowed me to be me, and I don’t know if there’s many coaches across the country that I could have committed to that would have allowed me to do that. I wouldn’t have had this type of career.”

Clark said the surge in popularity of women’s basketball has been exciting for her to witness and be a part of, and that will continue in the WNBA.

“This team came along at a really good time, whether it was social media, whether it was NIL, whether it was our games being nationally televised,” Clark said of the Hawkeyes. “No matter what sport it is, give them the same opportunities, believe in them the same, invest in them the same, and things are really going to thrive.

“You see it with other sports, and I’m a big fan of other sports. I try to support as much as I can, and I think that’s the biggest thing: Continue to invest your time, money and resources there, and continue to show up for those people and give them the opportunities.”

Clark also hopes that the crowd that flocked to see her Iowa teams keeps coming to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which was sold out for every game this season.

“When I reflect back on my [Iowa] career, I know I gave it every single thing I had,” Clark said. “Basically, everybody believed there’s no way Iowa was making the Final Four once. But to do it twice? That’s pretty incredible.”