Even if you don’t regularly follow athletics or basketball, chances are good that you have probably heard the name Caitlin Clark.
Her first year playing in the WNBA resulted in packed-out stadiums, skyrocketing viewership and an overall heightened interest in women’s sports.
Although she is only 23 years old, Clark’s list of accomplishments after only one season in the WNBA are numerous, including:
- 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year
- 2024 First Team All WNBA
- 2024 WNBA All-Star
- 2024 WNBA 1st Overall Pick
- NCAA All-Time Leading Scorer (Men & Women)
- NCAA All-Time 3-PT FG Leader(Women)
- 4x AP All American
- 2x Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year
- 2x John R. Wooden Award
- 3x Academic All-American
Clark’s influence is felt in the growing confidence of young athletes worldwide and the renewed interest of those pushing the historical limits of athletic ability. She has already forever changed the game of basketball and impacted professional sports in a way historians will not forget.
On Tuesday, March 25, at 7 p.m., Clark will join a prestigious list of other professional athletes, including: Shaquille O’Neal, Terry Bradshaw, Laila Ali, and Drew Brees when she takes the stage at the University of the Cumberlands as the keynote speaker in the Excellence in Leadership Series, which is sponsored annually by the Forcht Group of Kentucky.
The event will be held in the O. Wayne Rollins Center. Tickets are free to members of the public but are offered on a limited first-come, first-served basis. Beginning Tuesday, March 4, community members may reserve tickets at https://webservices.ucumberlands.edu/tickets/.
“Clark is uniquely positioned to resonate with our students, as she is close in age to many of them and not too far removed from her own college experience,” said UC President Dr. Larry Cockrum. “Clark holds several impressive titles but has stuck close to her roots, using her platform to empower and uplift young athletes. The Cumberlands community will learn much from her exceptional career and dedication to leadership.”
In addition to her success on the court, Clark hopes to extend her impact by encouraging young people to always dream big. She created The Caitlin Clark Foundation, which aims to uplift and improve the lives of youth and their communities through education, nutrition, and sports – three pillars of her success.
The Excellence in Leadership Series has hosted noteworthy leaders representing a variety of careers and life experiences over the years, providing a diverse array of valuable lessons and impactful messages to Cumberlands students and the general community to instill integral leadership values.
UC’s annual lecture series is made possible by an endowment from local business owners Dr. Terry and Mrs. Marion Forcht, who founded The Forcht Group of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Leadership in 2006.
The purpose of the Center is to provide programs and activities that enhance the development of leadership, character and good citizenship. Other past speakers in the series have included: Roy Moore, Zell Miller, Stephen Covey, Ben Stein, Karl Rove, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, Charles Krauthammer, Dr. Ben Carson, Fred Thompson, Dr. William “Will” Franklin Graham IV (the grandson of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham), Mel Robbins and Jon Dorenbos.
