Miss Indiana uses pageant to pay homage to Caitlin Clark – Basketball – Sports

Miss Indiana, Sydney Shrewsbury, honored WNBA and Fever superstar Caitlin Clark during the preliminary rounds of the Miss USA pageant.

In an early round of the pageant, known for its state-inspired costumes, 24-year-old Shrewsbury made a striking entrance in an outfit dedicated to Clark. Crowned Miss Indiana earlier this year in April, Shrewsbury dazzled in a sparkling shorts-and-jersey set prominently featuring Clark’s iconic number 22. It comes after Clark issued a statement after confirming her sporting return 

She completed the ensemble with a basketball-shaped purse and a robe decorated with a basketball net draped over her shoulders, a nod to the Fever’s semifinal run in the 2025 WNBA playoffs, which Clark missed due to injury. On Nate Spangle’s podcast, Shrewsbury gave a sneak peek of the outfit.

“There’s a state costume portion of the competition,” Shrewsbury explained. “It’s something that Indiana has never worn on the Miss USA stage before.”

Shrewbury’s costume choice was met with overwhelming approval on social media. “Fit goes crazy, can I borrow it?” one user commented. “You are making Indiana proud!” another chimed in. “Let ’em know what Indy is all about, girl,” a third responded.

Clark’s sophomore year didn’t unfold as anticipated. The two-time WNBA All-Star appeared in 13 games during the 2025 WNBA season with the Fever, sitting out a total of 22 games due to various injuries, including a left quadriceps strain, a left groin injury, and a right groin injury.

Her season concluded early in September when she was sidelined for the rest of the year. She was absent for the Fever’s playoff push, which ended with a loss to the eventual WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces, in the semifinals. “So much to be proud. shoutout the fans for staying with us all year,” Clark responded to the Fever’s 2025 campaign.

Clark’s reputation alone wields tremendous power. Whether it’s in the WNBA, during collective bargaining discussions, or in advertising campaigns for different brands, her name alone can create extraordinary buzz. Fever coach Stephanie White compares Clark’s influence to that of another megastar-Taylor Swift.

“It literally is like Taylor Swift 2.0, and because of that, her name gets thrown into a lot of conversations that have absolutely nothing to do with her, or her interests, and or our team or sport, or whatever,” White told IndyStar on a Fever Insider Podcast episode.

DON’T MISS…

“And she is a 23 year-old kid who loves to play this game, who loves her teammates, who loves to compete, you know, at a high level.

“Her name grabs attention,” White added. “Her name is clickbait. Her name is utilized in a way that very few people and athletes are. It’s in the same sphere as LeBron (James), as Serena Williams, as Tiger Woods, as Taylor Swift.

“I wish that Caitlin was able to just live her life however, but with the things that she’s accomplished, there’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of attention that comes, because she’s elite at what she does.”