Caitlin Clark’s exit to the WNBA left the Iowa basketball program with a major scoring hole to fill.
The Hawkeyes took a step toward addressing that issue on Wednesday, when Villanova guard Lucy Olsen announced her intention to transfer to Iowa.
In the just-concluded season, Olsen averaged 23.3 points per game, third in the nation behind Clark (31.6 ppg) and Southern California’s JuJu Watkins (27.1 ppg).
Olsen is entering her final season of NCAA eligibility. She tweeted a picture of herself in an Iowa uniform with the caption “COMMITTED” and a message: “New beginnings (signing emoji) @IowaWBB #Hawkeyes #letsgo”
Olsen was selected second-team All-Big East in 2022-23, then was a unanimous first-team choice in 2023-24, when she was honored as the conference’s most improved player. In addition to her scoring, Olsen added 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the latest campaign, helping the Wildcats finish 22-13, though they didn’t make the NCAA Tournament.
A product of Spring-Ford High School in Royersford, Pa., Olsen appeared in 105 games in three seasons at Villanova, all starts. For her collegiate career, she is averaging 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
She joins an Iowa backcourt that not only lost Clark but also saw Kate Martin get selected in the second round of the WNBA draft.
Clark set NCAA Division I records for single-season and career scoring.
