NCAA denies eligibility waiver request for Iowa State women's basketball star Stephanie Soares
Stephanie Soares' career at Iowa State is officially complete.
Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said Wednesday that Soares' waiver request to the NCAA to gain another season of eligibility was denied, effectively ending her college career.
The 6-foot-6 forward/center for the Cyclones had been trying to gain another season after she suffered a torn ACL just minutes into her 13th game with Iowa State during the 2022-23 season. She had injured the same knee while playing at The Master's University in California, where she was named the two-time NAIA Player of the Year.
Soares was a star in her brief time at Iowa State. She averaged 14.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game to give Iowa State a big post presence it had rarely had before. Her arrival in Ames helped make Iowa State a preseason top-10 pick and the favorite to win the Big 12 Conference.
But Soares, was injured on Jan. 8 and underwent season-ending surgery.
Iowa State wasn't the same without her, and the team's season ended with a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to 12-seed Toledo.
Soares' attempt to get an extra year was a longshot. She had played in 13 of Iowa State's 32 games this season (41%). To be eligible for a waiver, athletes cannot have played in more than 30% of their team's games in a season or the second half of the campaign.
Despite Soares no longer being on the court, interest in her continued to buzz in pro circles. Even if Soares was able to get the waiver approved, there was no guarantee she'd return to Iowa State. Fennelly was expected to get feedback from WNBA teams on when or if Soares would be selected in this year's WNBA draft. If the feedback was good, Soares could have opted not to return.
There appears to be plenty of interest in Soares already. An ESPN mock draft released Tuesday had Soares being selected fourth overall in this year's event.
More:Two Iowa State women's basketball players projected for first round in WNBA mock draft
Fennelly and his staff were hoping to at least have the option of Soares returning if she wanted. Instead, they're forced to move on without Soares and a growing list of other Cyclones who won't be back next season. Guard Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw and post player Maggie Vick entered the transfer portal this week. Fennelly has said that another post player, Morgan Kane, won't be back.
The Cyclones are bringing in some size to help around the basket, though. Bishop Garrigan High School star Audi Crooks, one of the nation's top recruits, is part of Iowa State's incoming recruiting class. Crooks is expected to play a prominent role right away, especially with Soares and Kane not coming back.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Stephanie Soares' waiver to play another season at Iowa State denied
