NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Senior guard Jenna Clark (Pittsburgh, Pa.) of the Yale women's basketball team has racked up multiple accolades in the first three years of her career. She is a two-time second team All-Ivy League honoree, and last year she earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition. She was also named one of the top 10 candidates for the Nancy Lieberman Award as the best point guard in the country in 2022-23. 
 
For 2023-24, Clark has already added a new honor: team captain. She was chosen by a team vote in early September.
 
Clark leads a Bulldog squad that has great aspirations in its second season with Dalila Eshe as the team's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Basketball. The Bulldogs return their top four scorers and rebounders from last year, including the Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the year (junior guard Nyla McGill (Charlotte, N.C.)). Five of the six players who started at least 10 games last year return. 
 
Having come within one win of securing a spot in the Ivy League Tournament last year, this year Clark and the Bulldogs are aiming high.

"I am just looking forward to building on last year," said Clark. "We were playing under Coach D for the first year, so I think that we will have a huge leap this season, as it will be our second year with our new identity. I think that we have all the pieces necessary to win an Ivy League title and I can't wait to get to work."

One of the top floor generals in the country, Clark finished last season with 145 assists and averaged 5.4 per game (20th in the nation). She led Yale in scoring at 10.9 points per game. By assisting or scoring, she had a hand in 42.3 percent of Yale's field goals – more than any other player in the Ivy League. 

Eshe has seen Clark's growth from multiple vantage points. In addition to serving as Yale's head coach since the spring of 2022, prior to that Eshe was an assistant at Princeton.

"I'm so proud of the strides Jenna has made not just on the court but also in all facets as a leader," said Eshe.

Clark scored in double digits 19 times last season, including a 13 point effort in the Bulldogs' 71-70 overtime win at archrival Harvard Jan. 8. She points to that game as a highlight of her career so far. Yale trailed by eight with 3:45 to play before rallying to force overtime. Clark had three points and two rebounds in the extra session to help earn the win.

"My most memorable moment was our win at Harvard last year," said Clark. "I've experienced a lot of great wins in my time here, but the energy in that game was palpable. We came ready to go and stuck to our game plan perfectly. I was just so proud of my teammates for their effort and perseverance in that game." 

With one season left in her career, Clark has a chance to keep re-writing the Yale record book. Her 318 career assists rank her seventh in school history; 78 more would move her into second (Kathleen Offer '96 holds the record, 546). She holds two of the top four single-season assist totals in Yale history: 160 from 2021-22 is first, 145 last year is fourth. 
 
Clark is part of a senior class that also includes guard Klara Astrom (Menlo Park, Calif.), forward Brenna McDonald (Natick, Mass.) and forward Haley Sabol (Pittsburgh, Pa.). All four seniors have starting experience, with a total of 231 games played and 101 starts. That typifies the level of experience throughout the Yale roster; eight of the 12 players have been playing together since 2021. 

"In my opinion, our strengths are diverse," said Clark of the 2023-24 Bulldogs. "We have a wide range of skill sets and talents that make us well-rounded. Our commitment to each other is another strength that we have. We want to win for each other and I think that that will be very evident in our play this year."

Clark aims to bring the knowledge that she has gained from previous captains to her new role.

"I've learned so much from my former captains here," said Clark. "I've seen them deal with hard conversations, find ways to bring energy in tough situations, and bring the team together in times of disagreement. I've had three very different types of leaders in my past and I'm grateful for that because watching them lead has made me a more well-rounded leader and player."

A sociology major, Clark is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High. She has had internships in marketing, advertising and media and is considering those fields, along with coaching as a graduate assistant or playing basketball overseas, as options for life after Yale once she graduates this spring.

The Bulldogs open the 2023-24 season in Clark's hometown, taking on Pitt Nov. 7.