Kate Martin experiences an unexpected turn of events: Attending the WNBA draft to show her support for Caitlin Clark, she secures the most significant achievement of her career.

Accompanying her Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark to the WNBA draft, Kate Martin finds herself drafted by the Las Vegas Aces.

Martin’s selection comes as the 18th overall pick by the reigning champions.
“There are a lot of emotions right now,” Martin said in an interview on ESPN. “I’m really happy to be here. I was here to support Caitlin, but I was hoping to hear my name called. All I wanted was an opportunity and I got it. I’m really excited.”

Martin was among the 1,000 fans who were inside the Brooklyn Academy of Music, seated next to her former Iowa teammates Gabbie Marshall and Jada Gyamfi. As she heard her name called, she hugged Hawkeyes assistant coach Jan Jensen.

owa's Kate Martin, left, poses for a photo with WNBA commissioner…

“I’m super excited for the opportunity. I have a really good work ethic,” Martin said.

She helped Iowa reach the NCAA title game for the second straight season and finished her career with 1,299 points, 756 rebounds and 473 assists.

Along with Clark, who was drafted first by Indiana, Iowa had two players selected in the draft for the first time since 1998.

The league will open training camp on April 28 and the season starts May 14.

The Aces didn’t have any picks in the first round, but made the most of three second-round choices. Las Vegas also chose Syracuse guard Dyaisha Fair, who finished as the third-leading scorer in NCAA Division I history, with the 16th pick.

The team closed out the round by drafting Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley, who is recovering from a torn ACL. She’s out for the season and showed up on crutches.