Claire Till's Fighting Spirit Shown Through Iowa Basketball

In the midst of an up and down season for the Hawkeye women and a Department of Education investigation, it’s beneficial to remind ourselves of the best part of the athletic program at the University of Iowa. That is quality student-athletes who have been given chances to fulfill their dreams because of Hawkeye athletics, and have done all they can to take advantage of those opportunities.

One such student-athlete is Iowa senior forward Claire Till. Till’s on-court basketball career with the Hawkeyes recently ended due to knee surgery, but what she has gained from and contributed to Iowa basketball will endure for years to come.

Perhaps it’s partially her pedigree that has enabled her to be such a success on the hardwood and as a person. Till’s mother, Shelley, played basketball at Drake with Hawkeye assistant coaches Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald. It was those connections and growing up an Iowa fan in Dubuque that formed Till’s dreams of playing for the Hawkeyes.

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Nothing was handed to Till, however, and participating in athletics has been a battle against injuries for her since high school. Despite battling through injuries throughout her high school career, Till still finished third on Dubuque Wahlert’s all-time scoring list, was named All-State twice and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee.

As a junior in high school, Till received offers from several smaller schools along with offers from the University of Missouri and the University of Wisconsin. Late in her senior year, however, she got the offer that she had been waiting for.

“I really wanted to play at a BCS school, so I told the smaller schools that. When I got the call from (Iowa head) Coach (Lisa) Bluder, I verbally committed right there on the phone,” Till explained.

Thus a Hawkeye was born, and Till set about starting her education and basketball career at the University of Iowa. True to the constant narrative throughout Till’s athletic career, injuries unsuccessfully attempted to slow her down.

A stress fracture in her right femur kept her out of six games, but Till still appeared in 16 games during her freshman year determined to log the on-court time necessary to adapt to the game at the Big 10 level.

“The pace was the hardest thing to adjust to,” Till said. “Everyone in the Big 10 is so much bigger, faster and stronger. The other big adjustment I had to make was realizing that I didn’t have to make a move or do it all when I got the basketball. I had to slow down my game to adjust to how fast the game itself was moving.”

Till made the adjustments, as evidenced by a healthy sophomore season. She played in all 36 games, and averaged 14 minutes per game as one of the Hawkeyes’ key reserves. That season, she helped Iowa pull off one of the biggest road upsets in program history, play for the Big 10 tournament championship, and win its first-round game of the NCAA tournament.

As a junior, Till helped the Hawkeyes get the first win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on the road in decades, and get even further in the NCAA tournament.

“I have so many great memories from all the years,” Till stated. “Some of the best times that I will always remember are the locker rooms after certain games. After we beat Penn State on their court my sophomore year, beating Nebraska on their court for the first time in forever, the tournament wins, the locker rooms were great all those times. Even after we lost the tournament championship game my sophomore year, we felt like we should have won that game. We got a taste of what it was like to be Big 10 champions, and it was disappointing that we didn’t win the game, but the locker room with my teammates was still awesome.”

Till returned to her role with the Hawkeyes this season, but soon the injury bug that she had successfully fought with for years reared its ugly head again.

“About four weeks ago, there was a day that I knew something was wrong with my knee,” Till commented. “The pain was different than normal, and I couldn’t even finish my gait of walking. I got x-rays done, and they showed that I had no cartilage left in my knee. My femur was rubbing on my patella. We tried some specific taping and some rehab. Eventually, it got to the point where I had to face the reality that structurally I was broken. I didn’t want to be on the court and hurt my team because I couldn’t move the way I needed to.”

Till informed her coaches and teammates that she had opted for the surgery to repair her right knee, knowing that it would end her collegiate career.

“My coaches and teammates were very supportive,” Till said. “Coach Bluder said that she admired me for my decision and that the impact I had on the rest of the team was significant. My teammates all said that they understood and were very encouraging.”

Till’s surgery was a success, and she is currently in rehabilitation as the Hawkeyes play their final game of the regular season tonight at home against Illinois. That will also be the last time that Till, Kali Peschel and Nicole Smith all suit up for Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“Of course I’ve thought about it,” Till stated. “That tonight will be the last time that I come out of the tunnel and hear the fight song played for us. Carver has been a great place, the fans and the support of the school has been special throughout the years. I will definitely miss it.”

Till is hoping that there will be many more games played on neutral courts this season, however.

“We are in a mindset of this could be our last game in every game,” Till explained. “The Big 10 tournament is coming up and that’s a brand new season. None of us want this season to end, especially the other seniors and me. We know that we can play well and win, so why not do it?”

It’s that kind of attitude that has fueled Till through injuries to accomplish her dreams. Another dream that is about to be fulfilled is completing her education. Till will graduate this spring, majoring in human physiology with an exercise and wellness emphasis, adding to that an entrepreneurship certificate.

Till now is beginning to reflect on her time at the University of Iowa with gratitude.

“There are a lot of places where making the NCAA tournament and winning in that tournament isn’t even a thought at the beginning of the season,” Till explained. “Here, that’s an expectation. That success makes you feel so relieved and it makes everything easier for you as an athlete and as a student. I’m just grateful that I got to be a part of that.”

Her gratitude for her opportunities and determination to be a success in them regardless of obstacles is evident, and there is no reason to doubt that Till will be successful in her career off the court just as she was on the court. If ever there was a Hawkeye, Claire Till certainly is one.

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