Freshman season As a highly touted freshman, Joens appeared and started in all 35 games the Cyclones played that season, averaging nearly 12 points per game. She scored double figures in 20 games, and was named to the Big 12's All-Freshman team at the end of the season.
Sophomore season In her sophomore season, Joens saw a more expanded role as she led the
Big 12 Conference in points per game with 20.5, and also added 10.9 rebounds per game to average a
double-double. She scored a career-high 41 points against
Wright State on December 11, 2019, tied for second for a single-game scoring record by an Iowa State player.
Junior season Joens continued to improve as she broke the Iowa State program's single-season record for points per game with 24.2, training in the barn of a family friend during the
COVID-19 pandemic to stay in shape. She scored 36 points in a loss to
South Dakota State, also earning her 19th double-double of the season. In the opening round of the
NCAA tournament, Joens scored 33 points to help lead the Cyclones past
Michigan State 79–76. In their next match against
Texas A&M, Joens recorded a
double-double with 32 points and 18 rebounds in an overtime loss, becoming the 4th player from the Big 12 Conference to record 30+ points and 15+ rebounds in an NCAA tournament game. In addition to being named to the first-team All-Big 12 Conference team, Joens gained national recognition at the end of the season as she was named the 2021 recipient of the
Cheryl Miller Award, given to the best small forward in college basketball, as well as a third-team
All-American by the
United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
Senior season As a senior in
2021–22, Joens became the Cyclones' all-time scoring leader, averaging 20.3 points and 9.5 rebounds while the Cyclones reached the Sweet Sixteen of the
NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010. and repeated as the Cheryl Miller Award recipient. Joens was named to all three major
All-America teams, making the Associated Press and USBWA second teams and the 10-member team chosen by the
Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
"Super senior" season Shortly after the Cyclones' 2022 NCAA tournament run ended, Joens announced that she would forego the WNBA draft and return for a fifth season at Iowa State. Because the 2020–21 basketball season had been extensively disrupted by COVID-19, the NCAA had ruled that said season would not be counted against the athletic eligibility of any basketball player, giving her the option of an extra college season. She went on to lead the Big 12 in scoring and rank third in rebounding during the conference season, and was named the
conference player of the year. During the
Big 12 tournament, Joens became the 14th player in NCAA Division I women's history to
score 3,000 career points, and was named the tournament's most outstanding player after leading the Cyclones to the title. In December 2022, Joens completed her bachelor's degree in elementary education. After the end of the 2022–23 academic year, Joens and
TCU football star
Max Duggan were announced as the inaugural recipients of the Big 12 Conference's Bob Bowlsby Award. The award, voted on by Big 12 athletic directors, honors on- and off-field leadership and excellence across all sports and is described by the Big 12 as "the Conference's most prestigious individual accolade". ==Professional career==