Iowa Sisterhood Lives On as Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin Celebrate Teammate’s Big News

When we talk about Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin leading the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball to back-to-back championship games, we can’t forget the player who was right there with them every step of the way. Anchoring the defense while quietly delivering on offense, too, that was Gabbie Marshall, who has just revealed a huge life update.

We’ve got wedding bells in the Iowa family. The former Hawkeyes captain announced her engagement on Instagram, posting, “2-18-26 WE’RE ENGAGED!! 💍 So excited for this next chapter of our lives! And we’ve got a new friend to join us for the ride 🐶.” The news had everyone celebrating — especially her Iowa sisters, with Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin jumping into the comments right away.

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Caitlin Clark was clearly hyped about the news, dropping not one but two comments. “LETSSSSS RAGEEEE💕💕💕💕💕💕,” she wrote, before following it up with, “CONGRATS SISTA.” Kate Martin also jumped in with love, writing, “So happppyyy I love you guys.”

We all remember that 2023–24 Final Four moment, and it’s probably why Marshall still isn’t a fan favorite among many UConn supporters. That late offensive foul call on Aaliyah Edwards sent Iowa to the line, and we know the rest — they closed it out and reached a second straight championship game.

But there isn’t an Iowa fan or player who doesn’t miss Marshall’s presence in the locker room. We saw how vital she was during that 2024 Big Ten Tournament run, especially with her clutch block against Nebraska. She led by example, defended her teammates, and to this day, fans still talk about how much they miss her.

Unfortunately for Iowa fans, she chose to hang up her boots after her college career and didn’t enter the draft. Instead, she decided to attend the University of North Carolina to pursue a Master’s in Occupational Therapy. Even so, we’ve still seen Marshall show up for Caitlin Clark, attending several Fever games to support her close friend.

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News broke a few months ago that Marshall was heading to Indianapolis after her partner, now fiancé, Spencer Touro, revealed on Instagram that he’d accepted a Director of Operations role at ETS Performance. With Marshall and Caitlin Clark now in the same city, we can probably expect the Fever star — along with familiar Iowa faces like Kate Martin — at the wedding.

That said, we’re still watching the Hawkeyes bring that same intensity, even without Clark, Marshall, and Martin on the roster, and it’s something the Fever guard especially seems excited about.

Caitlin Clark reacts to Jan Jensen’s historic feat

Along with Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall moving on, we also saw coach Lisa Bluder step away from the program and retire, which led to assistant Jan Jensen taking over as head coach. Without a metronome like Clark, everyone knew reaching another championship game would be tough, but even then, the Hawkeyes have managed to stay relevant.

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At 22–5 overall and 13–3 in conference play, the Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten behind UCLA. We can tell this group has the makeup of a deep tournament team, and that statement win over No. 6 Michigan likely strengthened their case for hosting rights. Either way, this season has already turned historic for coach Jan Jensen.

Coach Jensen made history by becoming the first Iowa women’s basketball head coach to record 20+ wins in each of her first two seasons, a feat that earned her a spot on the 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Watch List. We even saw Caitlin Clark react to the milestone, posting a tweet that read “Aura.” Short as it was, the message spoke volumes about her admiration for Jensen’s leadership.

The Hawkeyes’ first season post-Clark ended in a second-round exit. Now, it looks like they might be built for more, but as we know, March Madness rarely follows a script. So, how far do you think they’ll go? Drop your thoughts in the comments.