If you have been on TikTok, Instagram, or any social media the past few weeks, you have certainly heard the names Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers. These women, and others, have become the face of the women’s basketball 2024 NCAA Championship. Thanks to the media focus these three women have received over the past year, their tournament has crushed the mens in viewing numbers. This year, the final game between the University of South Carolina’s Gamecocks and the University of Iowa’s Hawkeyes averaged 18.7 million viewers, and ESPN and ABC had a combined 24 million viewers. For comparison, the final game in 2023 had roughly 10 million viewers and in 2022, 5 million. 

This isn't the only monumental thing about this year’s tournament. Caitlin Clark, number 22 on Iowa’s Hawkeyes, will have her number retired. This is an incredibly rare ritual  and has only happened three times in the program’s history. Clark is known for her astounding leadership and seemingly impossible three point shots. Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz said on Wednesday during the Hawkeyes team celebration, "We always knew your jersey would be hanging in the rafters. It is a privilege for me to now make that official. You will be the last to wear No. 22." 

Along with Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese has announced her plans to go into the WNBA. Clark being the assumed No.1 recruit and Reese releasing the huge announcement with her own Vogue feature. These women are going big places and viewers cannot wait to watch it unfold. While these two women are headed off to the big leagues, Paige Bueckers will continue playing for UCONN in the 2025 Women’s NCAA Championship.   

These women are a true inspiration. Each of them has worked hard to get to where they are, and to become the faces of Women’s Basketball. They made history this season, and with that, the 2024 NCAA Women’s Championship will not soon be forgotten, nor the women who represented it.