Kate Martin gets the surprise of her life: Went to the WNBA draft to support Caitlin Clark and wins the biggest prize of her life

Kate Martin traveled to the WNBA draft to support her Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark and ended up getting drafted by the Las Vegas Aces.

Martin was selected 18th overall by the defending champions.

“There are a lot of emotions right now,” Martin said in an interview on ESPN. “I’m really happy to be here. I was here to support Caitlin, but I was hoping to hear my name called. All I wanted was an opportunity and I got it. I’m really excited.”

Martin was among the 1,000 fans who were inside the Brooklyn Academy of Music, seated next to her former Iowa teammates Gabbie Marshall and Jada Gyamfi. As she heard her name called, she hugged Hawkeyes assistant coach Jan Jensen.

“I’m super excited for the opportunity. I have a really good work ethic,” Martin said.

She helped Iowa reach the NCAA title game for the second straight season and finished her career with 1,299 points, 756 rebounds and 473 assists.

Along with Clark, who was drafted first by Indiana, Iowa had two players selected in the draft for the first time since 1998.

The league will open training camp on April 28 and the season starts May 14.

The Aces didn’t have any picks in the first round, but made the most of three second-round choices. Las Vegas also chose Syracuse guard Dyaisha Fair, who finished as the third-leading scorer in NCAA Division I history, with the 16th pick.

The team closed out the round by drafting Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley, who is recovering from a torn ACL. She’s out for the season and showed up on crutches.

In the wake of NCAA Tournament success, coaches Dawn Staley of South Carolina, winner of the 2024 championship game, and Lisa Bluder of Iowa are advocating for increased financial backing for women’s basketball programs, citing the sport’s growth and revenue-generating potential.

As the NCAA women’s tournament unfolded with record viewership and fan engagement, a long-standing issue has resurfaced with a fervent call for action from two of the game’s most respected coaches.

The crux of their message: It’s time for women’s basketball to be recognized for its financial contributions and for the teams to be rewarded accordingly.

NCAA President Charlie Baker has indicated that unit distribution, a financial reward system similar to that of the men’s tournament, is targeted to begin in the 2024-25 season.

Currently, women’s programs do not receive such benefits, a discrepancy that has drawn criticism and sparked debates about equality.

Staley, a vocal advocate for the game’s value, stressed the significance of the revenue generated during the NCAA tournament, pointing out the $170 million that the 68 women’s teams could share.

“You look at what the 68 teams are going to divide up, I think I saw $170 million between the 68 teams,” Staley said per Andre Adelson of ESPON.

“When you start bringing in revenue like that, it will move your campus in a different direction when it comes to women. So we’ve got to fight for that.”