For all the agonizing and analyzing McKenna Woliczko did throughout her recruiting process, the magnetic pull of one place was too much to ignore.
Iowa.
Woliczko officially ended a lengthy recruiting battle with her Oct. 1 commitment to Iowa women’s basketball, selecting the Hawkeyes over South Carolina, USC and Ohio State. Ranked as ESPN’s No. 6 overall recruit in the 2026 class, Woliczko is just the eighth top-50 prospect, sixth top-40 prospect and third top-10 prospect to commit to the Hawkeyes since 2008.
“There were days it’d be one school, and days it’d be Iowa,” Woliczko said on a Zoom hours after committing. “And then finally I was like, ‘I know it’s Iowa.’ I just have to go with my gut feeling. We slept on it, sat on it for a couple days — and it was still Iowa. So that’s kind of how I knew.”
For all the elite recruiting accolades Woliczko boasted, the Hawkeyes got this one across the finish line by being nothing but themselves.
Culture continuity, an unwavering fan base, genuine personalities in a recruiting climate where things are moving a million miles an hour — all of it pushed Woliczko toward Iowa more and more as the days went by. It’s fitting that Woliczko’s first official words as an Iowa commit came a mere hours after the program announced season tickets had sold out for a third straight year.
Roughly one month passed between Woliczko’s official Iowa visit the weekend of Aug. 30 and her commitment. The weeks that followed were long and stressful as every element went under the recruiting microscope. Back and forth, Woliczko wavered until a decision became clear.
“It was super hard,” Woliczko said. “It got to the point where it was very stressful, and I didn’t want to talk about basketball or college. So I had to dedicate time at night with my parents just to slowly start talking about it more and more.”
Social media chatter trickled out on Sept. 24, punctuated by an emoji-filled tweet from Iowa assistant Lasondra Barrett, usually reserved for unofficial commitment news. Behind the scenes was a phone call Woliczko will never forget.
The visual of it all came out with Woliczko’s official announcement, which included a video of her FaceTime with coach Jan Jensen during a team photo shoot. Woliczko casually asked — “Is No. 20 available?” — and watched as everyone on the other end exploded with jubilation. Presumably, Woliczko will be the first No. 20 since Kate Martin repped it memorably for six seasons.
“They handed the phone to coach Jensen and you could tell from everyone’s face they were like, ‘What’s happening?'” Woliczko recalled. “It was just so awesome. Seeing everyone’s excitement was so exciting, and I already feel so welcomed to the team. All the girls are awesome. It just makes me even more excited to go to Iowa.”
Between now and when that Hawkeyes jersey first goes on is still an important stretch for Woliczko. After tearing her ACL on Jan. 4 — followed by surgery on Jan. 29 — Woliczko can potentially be cleared for full contact on Oct. 29. Her senior season at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose is loaded with expectations following state runner-up finishes each of the last three years.
“She’s completing all of the activities in the weight room,” said Archbishop Mitty coach Sue Phillips, a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee. “Her linear speed is fantastic. We have to pull the reins back on McKenna because she wants to do more and more. But there’s no rush to get her back because her health and well-being is our priority. But she looks terrific, and we’re really excited for this upcoming season.”
Also on Woliczko’s upcoming to-do list is assuming the role of recruiter. National Signing Day sits roughly a month-and-change away on Nov. 12, and the Hawkeyes are still eyeing a strong closing push in the 2026 class. Priority No. 1 right now is Addison Bjorn, a Team USA teammate of Woliczko’s who is also a consensus top-10 prospect. The Hawkeyes are also scheduled to have top-25 prospect Jenica Lewis, a Johnston star, on an official visit the weekend of Oct. 25.
Iowa theoretically has room to take four more prospects alongside Woliczko. Is it possible?
“I’m definitely going to be heavily recruiting all the girls Iowa is recruiting at this time,” Woliczko said. “Addison, we were friends on Team USA, and she’s definitely someone I would want to play with.
“I will definitely be heavily recruiting her. So don’t worry.”
Woliczko is worry-free as well after wrapping up such a monumental decision.
In the end, it was always Iowa.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Find out how McKenna Woliczko reached her Iowa women’s basketball decision
Reporting by Dargan Southard, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
