Exclusive: Iowa Stars Discuss What Makes the Hawkeyes so Special

The Iowa Hawkeyes are set to bring their 26-6 overall record into the 2026 edition of the NCAA Tournament.

Second-year head coach Jan Jensen knew she had a ton of younger players to rely on this year, but she had a pair of seniors who were there to help guide the way.

Taylor McCabe and Hannah Stuelke have been on this team since the 2022-23 season. Compared to players like Ava Heiden, Taylor Stremlow, Chit-Chat Wright, Addie Deal and Journey Houston, that's a huge difference.

Preparing Iowa to stay at the top in the immediate future is obviously a goal of Jensen's, but she also wanted to make sure McCabe and Stuelke went out with a bang. McCabe sadly has been out of action since Jan. 25, so now it's up to Stuelke to get this squad back to the Final Four.

McCabe and Stuelke on What Makes Iowa Special

"The biggest takeaway I've had is the friendships I've made. It's hard not to come out with best friends when you have such great teammates," Stuelke said. "Not everybody gets that luxury of having people that you like around you all the time. It's just fun every single day. There are hard days but we all get through them together. That's something that'll stick with me always."

McCabe added, "I think playing for coaches and playing with teammates that truly care is such a big deal. Not every player in every program is getting a call from their head coach at night after they had a rough shooting performance. That's pretty special."

"Not everybody is having some teammates reach out and get you flowers when you have a hard day and have to go into surgery and things like that. The people here truly do care about each other," she said. "When it's time to get serious we can get serious, but it's still so important to build relationships and create special memories together and we've really done that."

Selection Sunday is Right Around the Corner

Iowa F Hannah Stuelk — Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke (45) hugs Iowa head coach Jan Jensen as she comes off the court at the end of the basketball game against the Michigan Wolverines Feb. 22, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Hawkeyes are hours away from seeing if they will indeed end up as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Knowing they're ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25, it's unlikely that they'll drop to a No. 3 seed.

Stuelke and McCabe have been part of this team forever. They were around for the Caitlin Clark days, but now each of them has been able to witness how this program evolved from the Lisa Bluder era to the Jan Jensen era. Both are special in their own ways, but there's something different about this Hawkeyes team as they eye another deep run in the tournament.

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