WEST DES MOINES, Iowa— Hy-Vee Inc. announced on Wednesday its new sports partnership with University of Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark. Clark, a West Des Moines native, is the first collegiate athlete that Hy-Vee selected to partner with under the NCAA’s new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy.

Matt Nickell, vice president, Sports Marketing at Hy-Vee and Caitlin Clark.

Clark, a sophomore at the University of Iowa, is an NCAA women’s basketball standout. Last year as a freshman, she led the country in scoring and total assists, earning the Dawn Staley Award for most outstanding collegiate guard in the country. Clark earned several accolades including first team All American honors from the Athletic, WBCA and USBWA, and second team honors from the Associated Press. She also was named Big 10 Freshman of the Year, as well as ESPN’s National Player of the Week — the first Big 10 freshman to earn this honor. In addition, Clark earned three gold medals with Team USA and led the team to win the 2021 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup while earning the coveted FIBA U19 World Cup Most Valuable Player distinction.

Hy-Vee currently partners with other notable professional athletes, including Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Kirk Cousins. Clark joins Hy-Vee as its first collegiate athlete partner under the new NCAA policy, which took effect in July 2021, and allows athletes like Clark to hold brand deals and partnerships of their own.

“My family and I decided early on that we were going to be selective about partnerships, we wanted something special,” Clark said. “Hy-Vee was an ideal match because we share so many values. I admire Hy-Vee’s leadership in our communities and how they are committed to giving back, especially in the areas of education and health and wellness.”

“While Hy-Vee has sponsored many collegiate sports programs across our eight-state region, we’re elated to have Caitlin as our first official NCAA athlete partner,” said Donna Tweeten, Hy-Vee’s executive vice president, Chief of Staff and President of Hy-Vee Marketing and Media. “Caitlin has already accomplished so much in the world of basketball. We look forward to being a part of her journey and supporting her as she pursues more accomplishments and continues to break even more records along the way.”

At the partnership announcement with Hy-Vee, Clark stated that she will be involved with several upcoming health and wellness campaigns for the company in addition to promoting some of her favorite go-to items at the grocer on social media.