By: Jocelyn Hamon

Mt. Hebron students review the game statistics and their favorite player’s record-breaking victories as this year’s Women’s March Madness ends with a swish. 

Women’s March Madness 2024 started with 64 teams, divided into four regions, each with 16 teams. This is the start of March Madness, called the Sweet 16. After each of those teams has played and one from each matchup is eliminated, the winner moves on to the elite eight. Those winners then move to the final four and the national championships. 

The final four contenders of 2024 were Iowa, South Carolina, NC State and UConn. Four of the biggest teams in the league, the outcome of the final four matchups went as some students in Mt. Hebron expected, and the finals proceeded. 

“I feel like most of the outcomes were pretty expected, considering the original seed placement. From the start of the elite eight, it was down to the best of the best-known players fighting for the Nationals. The biggest names in the league created the most anticipated games of the year and brought in record-breaking audiences,” stated Mt. Hebron sophomore Alex Kinderman.

This year, the national championship winner was the University of South Carolina (USC), with the leading scorer Tessa Johnson, a freshman at USC, and second-leading scorer Kamilla Cardoso, a 6’7″ senior. USC won this game 87-75, and the leading scorer for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Caitlin Clark, with 30 points. 

“I think her being drafted number one was definitely deserved; her impact on the amount of people that are now watching women’s Basketball is something unseen before. Also a big step for women’s sports. She will most likely have the same affect on the WNBA,. She will probably carry on the same legacy, or a better one, throughout her professional career,” Kinderman stated about Caitlin Clark. 

“I think that her as well as Angel Reese, two of the most dominating bigs in women’s basketball, will be an unstoppable duo leading into their professional careers for the Chicago Sky,” Kinderman continued about Kamilla Cardoso.

Following the season of March Madness and the excitement of all the games won by each team, and each conquered milestone is the WNBA draft. Going into the draft is a massive milestone for each player with a memorable collegiate career. 

Going into the draft, players have an idea of what team they’ll be drafted to, but that choice is never 100%. Caitlin Clark was the first round, first pick of the 2024 WNBA draft, drafted to the Indiana Fever. Cameron Brink was the second pick, drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks. Many more players were picked as the draft went along, and some players made it farther in the pick than some fans thought they would. 

“I expected Angel Reese to be top five, considering how much coverage she got on the media and the determination and passion she had the whole way through the tournament, so I was surprised when she made it all the way to pick number seven without being picked. As for top three, number one was no surprise as Clark had one of the most, if not the most dominant college careers of all time,” Kinderman stated.

Caitlin Clark had a very memorable and record-breaking collegiate career. In each game, she broke records and set higher and higher limitations for women’s Basketball. Her impact on women’s Basketball will continue to grow as she appears in the WNBA. 

“I think although well deserved by South Carolina’s effort through and through, Caitlin did something legendary for not just her team but for Women’s College Basketball as a whole. Bigger crowds, more influence, more attention, and her consistently showing up for her and her team over and over is what made her so unstoppable each and every game,” stated Kinderman.

Many students consider March Madness a success, as individual victories and team triumphs lead to record-breaking stats and higher expectations for Women’s Basketball.