Iowa State women's basketball star Audi Crooks announced her entry into the transfer portal Thursday, ending her college career after a 37-point performance in a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Syracuse. Crooks, the nation's top scorer averaging 25.8 points per game this season, joins nine other Cyclones in seeking new opportunities. Her decision follows speculation after she declined to commit to Iowa State last month, despite being eligible for the 2026 WNBA draft.

Crooks expressed gratitude to Cyclone Nation in a social media post, stating she wanted to 'take root again in new ground' after establishing deep community connections. The 6-foot-3 junior, named an AP and USBWA second-team All-American, finished second in scoring nationally. Iowa State, a preseason top-15 team that went 22-10 and reached the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed, lost 65-61 to Syracuse, ending its season in the first round.

Crooks' departure leaves the program without its most prominent player as it looks ahead to rebuilding efforts.