SOLON — When the summer heat strikes Solon in full force, many residents look toward Solon Strong Nutrition to quench their needs. On June 14, the drink shop was busy, but not just because of the heat wave. It was the wave that overtook the rest of America this past spring, women’s basketball.
Local star and now Iowa women’s basketball player, Callie Levin, was hosted by Solon Strong Nutrition for a meet and greet. It was a partnership that offered a solution to defending against the heat of the Iowa summer and an opportunity to meet the Hawkeye athlete.
Just days prior, Levin had officially been honored by USA Today as the Iowa girls’ basketball player of the year, adding to the already lengthy list of achievements for her (including being named Miss Iowa Basketball for 2024 by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association). “You work hard every practice and don’t really think about those awards. So after, when you get them, it feels like your hard work has paid off,” said Levin.
Levin began her offseason training regime with the Hawkeye women’s team at the beginning of this week but took time to make the trip home to do this meet and greet.
Levin said, “I just think it’s so cool that the community wants me to get involved in their businesses, I’m all for that. To be able to do it before I even get on the court (at Iowa) just shows how the community supports each other.”
Levin’s time at Solon ended perfectly as the girls’ basketball team brought a state championship back to Solon. She brought a lot of attention to Solon basketball and now the community wants to give back and show their support before she takes on collegiate ball. Owner of Solon Strong Nutrition, Machelle Henneberry said, “Our goal is to get their (Solon athletes) name out there. Callie is a great girl, she is starting her new adventure, and we just want to support her.”
Next up for Levin is college basketball at Iowa. The start was not exactly as she imagined when former Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder surprisingly announced her retirement. But Levin’s faith in the program never wavered as new head coach Jan Jensen took over. Levin said, “Hearing that Jan was going to step in, I was excited for her. Obviously, I was a little sad that Lisa wasn’t going to be staying around to coach. But I’m excited for Coach ‘J’ because she deserves that position.”
The 2024-25 Iowa women’s basketball team will be full of shoes that are impossible to fill. Those shoes being the Lisa Bluder retirement and the loss of the class of 2024, including Caitlin Clark moving onto the WNBA. But the expectation for greatness within the program continues. Levin said, “There’s expectations that outside sources have set on us. So, when you step into the gym and you’re at practice, you’re working for those moments that those girls have been in.”
Solon has been used to seeing Levin rep the number 23. Levin said she chose that number because of Michael Jordan, a part of what inspires her to work hard and be the greatest. However, Iowa junior forward, Jada Gyamfi, has already laid claim to 23, which forced Levin to choose a different number for Iowa. Levin said, “I’m just going to let her have it, I’m going to be 32. I decided to flip around my number. Switching it around will have the same meaning to me, it just looks the opposite.”
It will be a new number, a new coach, and a new lifestyle for Callie Levin as she begins her career at Iowa. While it’s always tough to leave a hometown for college, she leaves a huge impact on the Solon community and will have a strong support group and fanbase just 20 minutes up Highway 1 from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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Iowa Hawkeye Women’s Basketball commit Callie Levin autographs her posters during a meet and greet last Friday at Solon Strong Nutrition.