Caitlin Clark kept tabs on Iowa’s pursuit of McKenna Woliczko, a five-star forward. McKenna Woliczko, a five-star signee, is already experiencing the close-knit community that Iowa women’s basketball has long taken pride in creating. The highly anticipated forward talked about her recruitment process during a recent appearance on The Rush With Travis and Ross podcast. She also disclosed how committed former Hawkeye players were to Iowa’s pursuit of her.
One of the most sought-after prospects in the 2025 class is Woliczko, a 6-foot-2 standout from San Bruno, California. As the nation’s second-best power forward and ranked sixth nationally by ESPN, Rivals, and 247Sports, she has emerged as a key component of Iowa’s future. It turns out that Caitlin Clark, the most well-known Hawkeye of them all, was also interested in her. Woliczko clarified that the two never spoke over the phone or via text when co-host Travis Justice questioned if Clark had ever personally contacted her to recruit her. Nevertheless, the star of the Indiana Fever made her presence known in ways that young players are undoubtedly aware of.
Woliczko remarked, “She never called me.” She did leave comments on my Instagram posts, and I knew she was contacting Coach Jensen to inquire about the status of my recruitment. She wanted to be informed and asked.
Even though the communication wasn’t direct, those small gestures mattered to a player who grew up watching Clark redefine the sport. There were other Hawkeyes checking in besides Clark. Woliczko revealed that while she was making her choice, she received texts from Las Vegas Aces center Megan Gustafson and former Iowa standout Kate Martin, who is currently with the Golden State Valkyries.
“I did get texts from like Kate Martin and Megan Gustafson,” she said. “So I did get some people.”
It’s evident that Iowa’s alumni network helped her understand what the program stands for both on and off the court, even though she didn’t go into detail about whether those interactions included active recruiting pitches. Woliczko gave a candid, self-aware account of her transition from high school to the Big Ten after Justice changed the topic to her place in Jan Jensen’s system. She clarified that she has no preconceived notions about her precise position in the rotation and is approaching the opportunity with humility.
She made reference to her successful high school program at Archbishop Mitty when she said, “I’m kind of going into it like how I was going into Mitty.” “I simply have no expectations going in. I’m ready to learn from Coach Jensen and follow her instructions.
At the high school level, Woliczko excelled as a post player, overpowering defenders with her combination of size, footwork, and versatility. But she knows that college basketball presents a very different physical landscape.
“Obviously, as you’re saying, in high school I’m more of a post,” she continued. “But in college I’m going to be too small to do that.”
Her solution? Embrace her evolving identity as a positionless threat something Jensen has successfully developed with past players and something modern basketball increasingly values.
“I think what helps me be kind of that positionless player is because I’m so tall and know how to do post moves,” she explained. “I can post up someone that’s smaller guarding me, but if there’s somebody tall guarding me, then I can be quicker than them and be more like that wing player. So that’s where the positionless comes in.”
Before wrapping up the conversation, Justice posed the big-picture question every blue-chip recruit gets: Is she going to Iowa with national championship aspirations?
Woliczko didn’t hesitate.
“I’d say obviously the goal is to win a national championship,” she said.
Her confidence aligns with the growing buzz around Iowa’s future. After officially signing with the Hawkeyes on Nov. 12, she joins a youthful and rapidly developing roster that has the potential to sustain the program’s momentum long after the Caitlin Clark era.
She also becomes Jensen’s highest-ranked signing since taking over following Lisa Bluder’s retirement a milestone that underscores just how significant Woliczko’s arrival is for the next phase of Iowa basketball. The last time the Hawkeyes landed a recruit this highly ranked, her name was Caitlin Clark, ESPN’s No. 4 recruit in the 2020 class.
For Iowa fans, that parallel alone is enough to spark excitement. And for Woliczko, the chance to learn, grow, and contribute to a program that blends tradition with ambition seems like exactly the challenge she’s been preparing for.
With stars of the past cheering her on and a coach eager to develop her expanding skill set, Iowa City is poised to welcome one of the most intriguing young talents in the country one who’s already thinking big.
