Top Iowa Recruit McKenna Woliczko Reveals Why She Signed

The Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team landed one of the best recruits of the 2026 in McKenna Woliczko. In her first season as head coach, Jan Jensen is already ahead of the curve with recruiting and now Woliczko revealed what else brought her to the program.

In a podcast appearance, Woliczko said that she chose the Hawkeyes not just for the strength of their basketball program, but for the overall experience Iowa City can offer as a university and a city.

"Something that I love about Iowa City is the vibe of it. It's just such a fun college town... It's just the vibes and the people, it's just so fun," Woliczko said on the "The Rush With Travis and Ross".

McKenna Woliczko Tells All About Why She Chose Iowa

Woliczko, who has worked to recruit other players to the team in the past few months, went on to talk about the other factors that might come into play as a student athlete. She also reminisced about her visit to the school, which included an Iowa football game and talking with current players.

"You know, going to college, it's not just basketball. There's more to it than just basketball. It's not like I'm going to be playing basketball and living in the gym for four years. I have to live and go to school and do all these things. At Iowa, I just really love the people and culture there, and it felt like something that I would enjoy other than just basketball," she continued.

Woliczko committed to Iowa earlier last month, and is the best rated recruit the program has seen since superstar Caitlin Clark, who lead the program to back-to-back NCAA Championship Finals appearances. She made an official visit to Iowa City in August, and cited the culture as a reason for signing then as well.

Former Iowa guard Caitlin Clark — Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (22) center Monika Czinano, left, and forward Hannah Stuelke celebrate during a NCAA Big Ten Conference women's basketball game against Rutgers, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Joseph Cress / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"The Hawkeye fan base has welcomed me with open arms, and I am thankful for the immediate acceptance. The countless connections with staff, players and Iowa City have been exactly what I was looking for," Woliczko wrote.

In Woliczko, the Hawkeyes get a 2024 U17 World Cup gold medalist who averaged 22.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in her sophomore season (her junior season was cut short due to an ACL injury). With an 8-0 record and conference play yet to come, there's no telling where the Hawkeyes could be next season. But with Woliczko on board, they'll likely be in great shape.

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