Becoming a professional athlete doesn’t always mean leaving college rivalries behind.
Early in the second quarter of the Indiana Fever’s June 17 matchup against the Connecticut Sun, Caitlin Clark shoved Sun guard Jacy Sheldon following a verbal exchange between the two. Then, later in the third quarter, Clark drove left with Sheldon defending when incidental contact to Clark’s face left the Fever star visibly frustrated.
A foul was called, and Clark shoved Sheldon again as she confronted her, which led Sun forward Marina Mabrey to jump in and push Clark down to the floor. The tension continued into the final minute of the contest when Sheldon made a steal and was driving on a fast break with Fever guard Sophie Cunningham defending her. As Sheldon went for the layup, Cunningham wrapped her arms around her and threw her to the ground, likely in retaliation for Sheldon’s earlier foul on Clark.
Sheldon and teammate Lindsay Allen immediately confronted Cunningham as both teams got in a brief scuffle. The officials were finally able to de-escalate the situation by handing out more fouls, and the Fever would go on to win 88-71, to improve to 6-5 on the season.
“I think it was pretty obvious that stuff was brewing, right?” Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White said postgame. “You’ve got competitive women who are the best in the world at what they do, and when [the officials] allow them to play physical, and you allow these things to happen, they’re going to compete, and they’re going to have their teammates’ backs.”
Not the first time Caitlin Clark and Jacy Sheldon have feuded on the court
While it might have seemed like a one-off incident to some WNBA fans, diehard Iowa and Ohio State supporters know the rivalry between the two young guards dates back to their college days.
Clark and Sheldon faced each other seven times while members of their respective college teams between 2020 and 2024 (Sheldon missed one of the matchups during the 2022-23 season due to an injury). The Hawkeyes struggled against Sheldon and Ohio State early in Clark’s collegiate career. The West Des Moines native went 0-3 against the Buckeyes to start her collegiate career and didn’t pick up her first win against Ohio State until her junior season.
Iowa went 3-1 versus Ohio State in Clark’s last two seasons with the team. In their last matchup against each other in college in March 2024, Clark lightly shoved Sheldon after the two were diving for a loose ball.
Clark and Sheldon entered the WNBA together as members of the 2024 draft class, with Clark going No. 1 and the Ohio native going fifth to the Dallas Wings (Sheldon was traded to the Sun before the 2025 season). Clark holds a 3-2 record against Sheldon in regular-season games.
Despite the sometimes bad blood between the two, both Clark and have said positive things about each other in the past.
“[Clark’s] a really good player, everybody sees it,” Sheldon said last September. “You just look forward to those matchups when you’re a competitor … She can pass the crap out of the ball. That’s what makes her so hard to guard.”
“I’ve gone against Jacy for quite a while now in my career,” Clark said after first facing Sheldon with the Wings. “She’s always consistent. She’s always going to step up to the plate and guard whoever she needs to guard. And, you know, I’m happy for her.”
USA TODAY reporter Jordan Mendoza and IndyStar reporter Chloe Peterson contributed to this report.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Caitlin Clark, Jacy Sheldon reignite Iowa-Ohio State rivalry with scuffle during WNBA game
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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