Hawkeyes' Monika Czinano announces she'll be back in 2022-23

Posted February 20, 2022 6:00 am

The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Monika Czinano, one of the top offensive players in the Big Ten, announced Sunday she would return for a fifth season at Iowa in 2022-23.

Czinano is shooting a conference-leading 64.9% and averaging 20.5 points per game for the Hawkeyes (17-7, 11-4).

'œBeing a Hawkeye has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, not only because of basketball but also because of the people that have surrounded me with love and support,'ť Czinano said. 'œ I'm really excited to see where the remainder of the season takes us because we've still got a lot to prove."

The 6-foot-3 senior from Watertown, Minnesota, said she wanted to announce her decision to return because people have been asking her about her future. The NCAA did not count 2020-21 as a year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing athletes the option to play a fifth year.

'œThese have been the best four years of my life,'ť she said, "so why switch things up now? I'll be back again next year.'ť

Czinano has scored 465 points this season, and her 1,572 career points ranks 12th on Iowa's all-time scoring list.

Iowa plays a rematch with fifth-ranked Indiana on Monday night in Iowa City. She led the Hawkeyes with 22 points in a 96-91 win at Indiana on Saturday.

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More AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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