3 Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball stars who were drafted in the first round ft. Caitlin Clark

Since the WNBA's inception in 1997, a total of 20 Iowa Hawkeyes have been drafted or signed by WNBA teams, but only three of those players have been selected in the first round, making it an exclusive club.

In the 2025 draft, only one Hawkeye, Lucy Olsen, made it to the WNBA, and she was selected as the 23rd overall pick in the second round.

Here, we look at the exclusive club of Iowa women’s basketball players who have been selected in the first round of the WNBA draft.

Caitlin Clark (2024, Indiana Fever)

Syndication: HawkCentral - Source: Imagn

Caitlin Clark made history as the highest-ever WNBA draft pick from the University of Iowa when the Indiana Fever selected her No. 1 overall in 2024, and it is not hard to see why. Clark wrapped up an extraordinary collegiate career as the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer with 3,951 points, a record unmatched by any player, male or female.

The two-time National Player of the Year also helped guide the Iowa Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship game appearances, a first in the program’s history. Clark also remains the only player in Division I women’s basketball to surpass both 3,000 career points and 1,000 assists.

In her rookie season with the Fever, the point guard lived up to the hype, starting all 40 games and averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 35.4 minutes per game. Clark’s arrival at Indiana helped boost ticket sales, while her presence also increased the WNBA’s viewership.

Samantha Logic (2015, Atlanta Dream)

NCAA Womens Basketball: NCAA Tournament-Oklahoma City Regional-Iowa vs Baylor - Source: Imagn

Before Clark's rise, the Hawkeyes had experienced a long drought in the WNBA first round, dating back to Samantha Logic in 2015. Logic was selected 10th overall by the Atlanta Dream after making NCAA history by becoming the first player to record at least 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 800 assists, and 200 steals over her college career.

However, she had a brief time in the WNBA, playing for the San Antonio Stars after she was traded by the Dream for a 2016 second-round pick. Logic appeared in 27 games altogether, four for the Dream and 23 times for the Stars, averaging 1.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.

After one season, she took her talents overseas, suiting up for Cote d'Opale Basket in France in 2015-16 and later for the Adelaide Lightning in Australia during the 2016-17 season. After retiring, she went into coaching and is currently an assistant at the Marquette Golden Eagles.

Toni Foster (1997, Phoenix Mercury)

Before Clark and Logic made waves in the WNBA draft, it was Toni Foster who first blazed the trail for Iowa. Foster, who starred for the Hawkeyes from 1989 to 1993, did not have the opportunity to go pro right out of college because the WNBA did not exist then.

That changed in 1997, and when the league launched, Foster made history as the first Iowa player to be taken in the first round, going eighth overall to the Phoenix Mercury.

Despite the four-year gap between her college career and her WNBA debut, Foster hit the ground running, starting all 28 games for the Mercury in her rookie season, averaging 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in 26.3 minutes per game. She played two more seasons before retiring in 1999.

At Iowa, Foster led the team to the NCAA Tournament every year she was there and played a pivotal role in the Hawkeyes’ first-ever Final Four run during her senior year.