Gabby Martin corrals a wild rebound and whips the ball over to Caitlin Clark. One dribble, two dribbles, steps into a logo three–splash. 

A splash that would reshape the trajectory of women’s basketball. On Feb. 14, 2024, Clark became the all-time leading scorer for NCAA men’s and women’s basketball on a 35-foot heave.

The former Iowa Hawkeye was drafted to the Indiana Fever on April 16, 2024, and her jersey was sold out the next day.

Last year, in her rookie season, she set the record for the most assists in a single season, became the fastest player to hit 100 three-pointers, recorded the most points by a rookie, the most double-doubles in Indiana Fever history and made the second-most three-pointers in a single season in WNBA history.

The WNBA set the record for its most-watched season ever on ESPN platforms, set single-game attendance records and highest total attendance in 22 years and set its all-time record for digital consumption and merchandise sales.

Now, NKU is starting to feel the ripples from her performances.

“It’s kind of a cliche, but honestly, Caitlin Clark really put women’s basketball on the map, especially in this area,” said Assistant Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement Corinne Karbler. “You look in the crowd and you see Caitlin Clark jerseys and just see how much of an impact that these players have on young girls.”

Karbler coordinates gameday events and oversees engagement with fans for Norse Athletics. She previously interned for the University of Cincinnati’s women’s basketball program and had been paying attention to the contrast in crowd sizes.

She noted the times NKU had a bigger crowd was when youth groups filled the stands. 

Lindsey Duvall played at Louisville from 2017-20 under Head Coach Jeff Walz and also played at NKU. She is now the director of women’s basketball operations for the Norse.

“I must say, which I’m relatively new to the working life, but since I’ve been here, I have seen a lot of teams wanting to come and asking and emailing us to meet our players. The youth has definitely been more interested in women’s sports and not just men’s,” Duvall said.

But interest in women’s sports is still trying to find its footing at the mid-major level. 

Michael Ruscher, a reporter for HoriZone Roundtable, has been a fan of the Norse program since his time at NKU as part of the class of 1994. 

“I always knew there was a long history of success. I always felt there was a hidden gem with the women’s program,” Ruscher said. “I think it was an underappreciated product.”

Ruscher believes NKU has the potential to get a big following.

“I believe they can get there. I believe our numbers are only going to get better and increase,” he said. 

NKU is in the top four in the Horizon League in attendance. Ruscher said that number will continue to get better as success becomes more frequent.

He admitted despite the growing interest, the numbers still have a long way to go, especially compared to Power Five schools like UConn, South Carolina and Notre Dame.

“I’m not sure any of the [mid-major] teams are getting the support that they want or need,” he said.

Ruscher said there are a few reasons for his continued interest and support of the Norse. The NKU alum said former Head Coach Camryn Volz helped integrate him into covering the team, and the welcoming nature of new Head Coach Jeff Hans has kept him around. 

Ruscher feels Northern Kentucky’s familiarity with Hans has already translated to an increase in attendance at women’s games.

“He was one of our own in a way. Coaching with Coach [Nancy] Winstel way back when and at least being familiar with the program is huge,” Ruscher said.

While NKU and the Horizon League still have plenty of room to grow, they are focused on initiatives to ensure women’s sports are not overlooked again.

“We really strive to make sure all those sports, regardless of gender, have that same competitive experience, especially in our league championships,” said Christine Neuman, chief operating officer of the Horizon League. 

While Neuman wants no difference in game marketing when it comes to gender, she recognizes the ever-increasing interest in women’s sports.

“It’s not a moment. It’s a movement,” she said. 

The COO said it is paramount for her and the Horizon League to make sure this movement isn’t overlooked.

“The foundation that it starts in is continuing to amplify the incredible female athletes that are competing and the hard work they’re putting in,” Neuman said.

For the women’s basketball championship game on March 11, the league hosted an “Anthem School Day” where 3,000 local kids were brought into the arena to cheer on the teams in the tournament. Prior to the game, the “Fast Break Zone” featured more than 30 stations for students to get an educational component of basketball. 

The tournament hosted the KeyBank International Women’s Day event, where community leaders from the region spoke on a panel. This panel was headlined by Kelly Krauskopf, president of basketball and business operations for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA. She was joined by Mary Kay Huse, team president and general manager of Indy Ignite, a professional volleyball club.

Neuman emphasized this amplification isn’t strictly for players. The Horizon League partners with We Coach, an organization dedicated to recruiting and retaining female coaches. The league also has the female coaches work with Dr. Dianne Murphy, an advocate for having and keeping women at the forefront of sports. Neuman says this is important not only for the current athletes and coaches, but the ones to come after them as well.

“I think with those grassroots efforts, the foundation we’re building is really important. So if you see her, you can be her,” she said.

Part of the growth of women’s sports is the changing landscape and increasing opportunities with name, image and likeness (NIL).

NIL is the new leading factor in recruitment in high-major college athletics and is making its way to impact mid-major programs. 

NKU recently approved payments to student-athletes beginning in the 2025-26 season. 

According to a report from SponsorUnited, female college athletes made up 52% of NIL deals during the 2023-24 season, with female athletes averaging 3.5 deals compared to men, who averaged 2.5. 

Duvall said being a mid-major leaves NKU in a “funny” stage.

“So now we’re in that stage of, okay, where is it and how do we get it,” she said. “I can see our staff absolutely busting butt trying to figure out ways each day, trying to make sure we’re doing better than the day before.”

Hans spoke on how NIL affects his program.

“How we can help our players be able to expand their brand and what they’re able to do is the biggest thing. Maybe not with the financial dollar as the power force, but how can we put them in the community and be visible so that they can start to market themselves to help them for the future,” Hans questioned. 

NKU women’s basketball players are already starting to benefit from NIL opportunities. Hans mentioned that junior forward Abby Wolterman has a current NIL deal with Bubbl’r, an antioxidant sparkling water company, along with a previous deal with Walgreens. 

While NIL continues to shape college basketball, Hans is focused on continuing to build a successful women’s basketball program. 

“We want to grow it of course, make sure that it’s visible in the public as much as possible, visible on campus as much as possible. We wanna win as many games as we can and put ourselves in position to be in the Horizon League championships. We hope that’s soon, and then in five years, we will be competing for multiple at that point in time,” said Hans.

When Hans pictures what the team will resemble in five years, he sees a squad that will represent NKU with pride. 

“A product that fans can come here and they’re proud of, something that NKU is proud of. ‘Hey this is our women’s basketball team on the court tonight, we’re happy they are out there playing and representing the university,’” Hans said.