Ahead of her official visit with the Iowa women’s basketball team over Labor Day weekend, the Hawkeyes‘ prized 2026 five-star power forward recruit, McKenna Woliczko, detailed in a recent interview which program qualities stand out to her as important in her recruitment process as she narrows down her decision.
The 6-foot-2 wing from Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, California, is ranked as the No. 6 player nationally by ESPN, On3, and 247Sports. According to 247Sports, Woliczko is the country’s No. 2 power forward and the No. 2 player from California. On3 rates Woliczko as the nation’s top shooting guard and as the No. 2 player from California.
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During an August 27 interview on the Big East Energy Network’s “On Target with EJay Arrow” podcast with EJ Arocho, Woliczko spoke on all four of her potential landing spots, which include South Carolina, USC, Ohio State, and Iowa.
In terms of what characteristic she believes to be Iowa’s biggest strength in the recruiting realm, Woliczko chose the Hawkeyes’ connected culture as a quality she personally finds extremely important, specifically her ability to have positive relationships with the coaching staff and players while also feeling comfortable divulging information both inside and outside of basketball.
Despite an ACL injury that ended her junior season, Woliczko has put up impressive numbers during her prep career. She averaged 20.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during her freshman season and 22.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game with Archbishop Mitty High School during her sophomore campaign.
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In a post on X that radiates positivity from the Woliczko family, her father, Aaron Woliczko, shared a photo of their flight from San Jose on Thursday morning, complete with smiles, ahead of their trip to Iowa City.
For Iowa, the program will essentially be rolling out the “Black and Gold” carpet for Woliczko as the Hawkeyes are her last official visit.
If Iowa can land a commitment from the 6-foot-2 wing, her immense offensive skill set would not only immediately elevate the Hawkeyes’ future potential by pairing Woliczko alongside the high-end talent already present within the program but also continue Iowa’s strong reputation of attracting and developing elite women’s basketball players.
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With Woliczko’s senior year already underway at Archbishop Mitty High School, her final decision on her recruitment will come at some point in September, with the Gamecocks, Trojans, Buckeyes, and Hawkeyes fans tuned in to her eventual announcement.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Elite Iowa women’s basketball target previews official visit
