Kate Martin, a former star of Iowa women’s basketball, has signed with Sports Management.

After making it through the team’s first round of cuts on Thursday, former Iowa women’s basketball star Kate Martin will continue to battle for a spot on the roster of the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.

The forward Brea Beal, an honorable mention AP All-American in 2023 and a significant member of South Carolina’s 2022 national championship squad, and guard Morgan Jones were waived by the Aces.

Megan Gustafson, a former Hawkeye star, is still a member of the team after agreeing to a two-year contract on February 1.

On Thursday, Excel Sports Management also confirmed Martin’s signing on their social media platforms. In October 2023, Caitlin Clark, her previous colleague, also signed a contract with the agency.

Martin was selected on April 15th, 18th overall, in the second round of the draft, however he is not assured a spot on the squad. Arguably the hardest professional sports league to get a franchise into, the WNBA has just 12 teams and a maximum of 144 roster spaces overall in the organization.

During training camp, teams are allowed to have up to 18 players, but on May 13, the day before the season begins, they must reduce to just 12. There are 14 players on the Aces right now.

Merely 15 out of the 36 players selected in the 2023 draft were active during the previous season, and only eight cracked the starting lineup. Martin already had a slim possibility of placing in the top 12 on the list of the league’s defending champions, but in recent days, her prospects have increased.

Martin’s chances got a boost when WNBA icon and eventual Basketball Hall of Famer Candace Parker declared her retirement on April 28. Now that two more players have dropped out, the former Hawkeye may be able to lock up a berth in the next few days.