Iowa HC Delivers Cryptic Injury Update on Hannah Stuelke

The last thing the Iowa Hawkeyes wanted to do was have to play the conference tournament without Hannah Stuelke.

Judging by head coach Jan Jensen's comments on March 4, that may become a reality.

Stuelke has missed two of the team's last four games though they didn't come back to back. She missed the Purdue game on February 19 and then missed the regular season finale on March 1.

Iowa won both of those games with relative ease, but that won't be the case come the B1G tournament. All eyes are on the Hawkeyes senior forward, a player who may be looking on from the bench.

Jensen Gives An Update Hawkeyes Fans Won't Love

Jan Jensen says that Hannah Stuelke’s status is “not as good as I would like” heading into Big Ten Tournament.

“It’s definitely concerning moving forward.”
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) March 4, 2026

Jensen said Stuelke's status heading into their B1G quarterfinal matchup on March 6 is "not as good as I would like." She added, "It's definitely concerning moving forward. It's a lot more than just pain tolerance."

The second year head coach said Stuelke's elbow is "severe" and she hasn't practiced. Stuelke doesn't have great range of motion and her elbow is pretty swollen. Keep in mind, all of this stems from the February 26 game against Illinois.

Iowa had to fight tooth and nail in that one to come out victorious, 82-78. Seeing as the Fighting Illini just handled Wisconsin, all it's going to take is a victory over Michigan State for Iowa to have to face Illinois for the second time in three games. Stuelke, despite the injury, was second on the team with 18 points.

Iowa's Depth Will Be Questioned

Jan Jensen says Hannah Stuelke’s elbow is severe. She hasn’t practiced. Range of motion isn’t great. Pretty swollen.

“It’s a lot more than just pain tolerance.”
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) March 4, 2026

This team may be undefeated with Taylor Stremlow in the starting lineup, but replacing Taylor McCabe is one thing and replacing both McCabe and Stuelke is another. Take nothing away from what McCabe did with this squad, it's just far tougher for this team to replace a dynamic duo of seniors than just one in particular.

When Stuelke sat out against the Boilermakers Iowa's starting five consisted of: senior Kylie Feuerbach, sophomores Ava Heiden, Taylor Stremlow, and Chit-Chat Wright along with freshman Journey Houston.

Iowa played three deep in that game with freshman Addie Deal receiving 16 minutes. A pair of players also came in for 12, those being sophomore Teagan Mallegni and freshman Layla Hays.

McCabe and Stuelke have been here before, these other players have not. Losing that senior credibility and players who have been in this spot is irreplaceable, but now it's time for Iowa to show how good they truly are without not just one, but two of their veteran leaders.

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