When Bridget Carleton was a star basketball player on the Iowa State women’s basketball team, she frequently talked about how it was her dream to play in the Olympics.
Carleton first achieved the goal when she was part of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Now she’s getting another shot.
Canada Basketball and the Canadian Olympic Committee announced Tuesday that Carleton, a native of Chatham, Ontario and one of the most successful players in Iowa State history, will play for Canada again at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Carleton played for Iowa State from 2015 to 2019 and was a four-year starter for the Cyclones. She finished her collegiate career by becoming Iowa State’s first Big 12 Player of the Year. She was named the winner of the Cheryl Miller Award, given annually to the nation’s top small forward.
After college, Carleton was selected by the second round of the 2019 draft by the Connecticut Sun. She later latched on with the Minnesota Lynx and has since become a mainstay and steady contributor for the WNBA franchise.
Carleton has been an important part of Canada Basketball for years, first competing for the team in 2013.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.