A’ja Wilson clinched the ESPY Award for Best Athlete in Women’s Sports, beating major names such as Coco Gauff, Nelly Korda and Caitlin Clark to the top honor.

Clark was a strong contender to clinch two awards heading into the ceremony, with the former Iowa star the front-runner to win both Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports and Best Record-Breaking Performance, after she became NCAA Division I basketball’s overall top scorer. However, the fan vote didn’t see Clark as the worthy winner for the overall Best Athlete, with the award instead going to Las Vegas Aces star Wilson.

Wilson wasn’t there to accept the award, but in a video message she said: “Hey y’all, I just want to say thank you so much everyone that voted. Thank you to my fans. I wouldn’t be the player that I am today without you guy’s support and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Thank you all out there. Thank you to my teammates, my coaches. Thank you everybody so much. All love from 22.”

Wilson helped the Aces win a second consecutive WNBA championship last fall and was named Finals MVP. It’s been a heroic year for Clark, but fans chose Wilson due to her performances at the top level. Clark’s major success came in college, although she is the favorite to be named WNBA Rookie of the Year after being selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever.

Clark has had a year that will be remembered in sports forever, let alone just in women’s sports. The basketball star capped off her final year at Iowa by becoming NCAA Division I basketball’s overall top scorer across both men’s and women’s competitions.

She finished her collegiate career with 3,951 points, which surpassed Pete Maravich’s record of 3,667 career points, which stood for over 50 years. Clark is leading the race for WNBA Rookie of the Year as she leads her fellow first-year players in points (16.7), and assists (7.6). But aside from her incredible numbers on the court, Clark has had an incredible influence on women’s sports.

The Hawkeyes product helped bring more eyes to women’s basketball than ever before, and the national championship game between Iowa and South Carolina averaged 18.9 million viewers. The men’s national championship game between UConn and Purdue averaged 14.82 million, marking the first time that the women’s final has out-performed the men’s.

That momentum has continued into the WNBA, with more fans than ever before attending games and subscribing to sports television packages to watch the action at home.

Clark’s impact was summed up by ESPY host Serena Williams, who joked that people are finally starting to realize how exciting women’s sports can be. There has been a major shift in recent years as women’s sports are finally closing the gap on men’s competitions, and Clark helped to fast-track that progress.