From lightning-fast rookies to strong-footed veterans, the nominees for this year’s NWSL awards all have put up outstanding seasons for their squads.

But who are the front-runners in each category? Just Women’s Sports breaks it down.

MVP: Mallory Pugh

Nominees: Debinha (NC), Naomi Girma (SD), Alex Morgan (SD), Mallory Pugh (CHI), Sophia Smith (POR)

Last year’s runner-up for MVP, Mallory Pugh has followed up her stellar 2021 season with another one in 2022.

She entered the year with 14 goals in her NWSL career, and she nearly doubled that with 11 this season. She showcased her abilities as a runner as well – in one instance taking the ball 90 yards up the field for a goal while nutmegging two players in the process against one of the league’s top teams.

Winning 80 percent of her tackles and passing with 77.3 percent accuracy, Pugh also has been among the best in the game at helping her teammates get on the score sheet. She finished the regular season with a league-leading six assists.

Mal Pugh turned on the 𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙧𝙤 ⚡ to speed things up!

What. A. Goal. 🤯@MalPugh | #CHIvKC pic.twitter.com/oP7YsUdZo0

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 15, 2022

Defender of the Year: Naomi Girma

Nominees: Alana Cook (RGN), Naomi Girma (SD), Sofia Huerta (RGN), Carson Pickett (NC), Becky Sauerbrunn (POR)

From a statistical standpoint, Naomi Girma has been far and above the best defender in the league this season. She started all 19 games she played as a rookie, and she made more clearances and blocks than any other defender in the category. She was also third in interceptions.

The rookie anchored the Wave’s defense en route to a playoff berth — the first for an expansion club in NWSL history. Girma won 70.8 percent of her duels, the most among the nominees. She was also the second-best passer behind Becky Sauerbrunn with an 83 percent success rate.

A case also could be made for Becky Sauerbrunn, who made 55 clearances, 23 interceptions and nine blocks, while also being the best passer with an 88.2 percent success rate.

However, one snub arguably could have risen above the rest: Tatumn Milazzo. The Red Stars defender made 100 clearances, a league-leading 50 interceptions and eight blocks on the season while recording a 78.7 percent success rate on her passes.

Goalkeeper of the Year: Phallon Tullis-Joyce

Nominees: AD Franch (KC), Kailen Sheridan (SD), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (RGN)

Here’s a doozy: Neither AD Franch nor Phallon Tullis-Joyce have been called up to the USWNT this year. And while Alyssa Naeher has undoubtedly earned her spot on the roster, it’s worth wondering why USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski hasn’t given either of these NWSL stars an opportunity as he continues to flesh out his World Cup team.

Tullis-Joyce has been one of the best goaltenders in the league all season long. While it’s her first year as starting goalkeeper for OL Reign, one wouldn’t know that by the way that she’s played. She’s been a force, playing all 1,980 minutes of the season and recording nine clean sheets through 22 games – including in each of the team’s final three matches of the season.

Additionally, the goalkeeper made 65 saves on the season, allowing a league-low 19 goals all season long. (Sheridan allowed just 17 goals, but she played in just 18 games). Tullis-Joyce also ranks first in save percentage (81 percent) and goals against average per 90 minutes (0.86).

Franch and Sheridan also deserve a look in the tight race for this award. As noted above, Sheridan allowed just 17 goals for a Wave team that has exceeded expectations. Franch, meanwhile, has been a brick wall – she’s made 66 saves on the season while allowing just 25 goals through 20 games.

Rookie of the Year: Naomi Girma

Nominees: Sam Coffey (POR), Naomi Girma (SD), Diana Ordóñez (NC)

While Diana Ordóñez and Sam Coffey have both put up incredible rookie campaigns, Naomi Girma has shown that she has what it takes to become the face of the league for years to come. After all, the defender isn’t just nominated for this award — she’s also nominated for NWSL Defender of the Year and MVP, which is indicative of the season she’s had.

The Stanford grad was twice named to the NWSL’s Best XI of the Month and was once named Rookie of the Month. With eight USWNT call-ups under her belt this year, including a start against England, Girma has gained valuable experience and even worn the captain’s armband for San Diego. She’s also passed with 83 percent accuracy, won 68 percent of her duels and made 85 clearances, 12 blocks and 24 interceptions.

In short, no rookie – and perhaps no defender – has had a better year than Girma.

For the second time this season, @naomi_girma is the @ally Rookie of the Month! pic.twitter.com/30Qlb21S9B

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 14, 2022

Coach of the Year: Casey Stoney

Nominees: Laura Harvey (RGN), Matt Potter (KC), Casey Stoney (SD)

Both Laura Harvey and Matt Potter did an outstanding job leading their teams this season, but neither did a better job than Casey Stoney.

Stoney had a tall task managing a first-year expansion club, but she led the Wave to the postseason — making them the first expansion club to achieve that feat. For comparison, Racing Louisville finished ninth in their inaugural season, while the Current finished 10th out of 10 teams. The Orlando Pride finished ninth out of nine teams in their inaugural season in 2016.

The Wave’s fellow expansion team Angel City FC finished eighth this season. San Diego, meanwhile, finished third in the league after topping the table for the first half of the season and amassing a 10-6-6 record.

Through 22 games, the club had nine clean sheets, earning Sheridan a nomination for Goalkeeper of the Year. Forward Alex Morgan has been one of the league’s best scorers, while the team boasts five total nominations for NWSL awards, including three from rookie Naomi Girma.

UCLA-bound high school senior Sienna Betts led the West team to a decisive 104-82 victory over the East in the McDonald's All-American Girls Game held last night at New York's Barclays Center.

The 6'4" forward contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, earning MVP honors for her performance. ​

Betts is currently the class of 2025's No. 2 overall recruit. Only Texas-based point guard Aaliyah Chavez, who recently committed to the Oklahoma Sooners, ranks above her.

Betts to join sister Lauren Betts at UCLA next year

Betts's performance is a good indicator of her potential impact at UCLA next year. There, she'll join forces with her sister Lauren Betts, the senior currently leading the Bruins to this season's NCAA Final Four after transferring in from Stanford.

The Betts sisters' arrival is highly anticipated, with Lauren opting to forgo the 2025 WNBA Draft in order to play out her final year of college eligibility alongside her little sister.

“For me, it [committing to UCLA] was a lot about how the coaches care about you off the court, and the coaches at UCLA, they really care about your mental health,” Betts told The Flagler College Gargoyle after committing last year. “Every team that I’ve ever been on, we’ve been a family… So, they really cared about that part of basketball for me, and they showed me that on my visits and when I called to talk to them.”

Betts in good company as McDonald's All-American Game MVP

In Brooklyn, Betts showcased her ability among the sport's best high school talent. Recent McDonald's All-American MVPs have all gone onto fuel prominent NCAA programs, including top-ranked recruits UConn's Sarah Strong, South Carolina's Joyce Edwards, USC's JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo, and UCLA's own Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez.

The McDonald's All-American Game has a storied history of highlighting promising players, with past MVPs subsequently laying the foundation for future superstars.

Less than a day after Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles shocked the women’s basketball world by opting to enter the transfer portal rather than declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Irish’s transfer fall-out has continued.

Sophomore guard Emma Risch and freshman forward Kate Koval have also entered the portal, with Koval — who started in 10 games this season — leading the Irish in blocks.

Between transfer moves and graduating seniors, sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo remains Notre Dame’s only returning starter — a sharp turn for an Irish squad ranked No. 1 in the country just six weeks ago.

Other top NCAA programs see transfer portal movement

Notre Dame isn’t the only top-tier program experiencing a roster shakeup after exiting the 2025 NCAA tournament.

LSU sophomore forward Sa'myah Smith entered the transfer portal after the Tigers’ season ended in Sunday’s Elite Eight. USC sophomore guard Aaliyah Gayles subsequently followed suit after the Trojans fell to UConn on Monday.

Schools like TCU have become national contenders via the transfer portal, with the Horned Frogs recruiting both Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince ahead of their first-ever Elite Eight run. Former Kentucky center Clara Silva is the latest transfer to commit to TCU, as the team comes off their best tournament finish in school history.

The modern era of NCAA roster-building is upon us, with top players taking the reigns as ambitious teams scramble to fill offseason gaps.

The NWSL is looking to sign a new Sunday night TV deal, according to a Sports Business Journal report published this week.

The league is targeting a two-year deal starting in 2026, with both new and existing TV partners interested in picking up additional NWSL games.

NWSL looks to build on multimillion dollar TV deal

The NWSL is currently two years into a four-year, $240 million TV partnership with ESPN, Prime, ION, and CBS Sports. However, the current contract doesn’t cover the entire schedule. And with league expansion planned for 2026, even more inventory is on the way.

SBJ notes that the market for this season’s lineup has been strong. In fact, all four media partners have already sold out all their 2025 advertising slots.

“You cannot find a place to spend right now,” IMG’s Hillary Mandel said at a recent Business of Soccer event hosted by SBJ. “We know what’s motivating interest is the fact that there’s no place to invest. That’s a phenomenal story in such a short period of time."

ESPN spotlighted for TV network-owned Sunday lineup

ESPN could be a prime candidate for a Sunday package, with the network set to move on from Sunday Night Baseball after the 2025 MLB season.

The NWSL has traditionally leaned into network-owned nights, with Prime airing Friday night matchups and ION running Saturday double-headers.

The NWSL’s most recent contract subsequently added serious value to the league. And the returns have networks coming back for more, setting up a potential bidding war and easing growing pains as new teams join the fold.

UCLA will hit the court for their first-ever NCAA Final Four on Friday, but as they extend the most successful season in program history, the Bruins have looked anything but green.

“We said talent was going to be our floor,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said after Sunday’s Elite Eight win over LSU. “Our character, our chemistry, our habits were going to be our ceiling.”

With just two losses on the season, UCLA’s status as a first-rate NCAA title contender has actually been years in the making.

Roster-building paves the way to the Final Four

In 2022, the Bruins signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, stacking their roster with top high school standouts Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, and Londynn Jones.

UCLA then upped their game even further last year, when 2022 No. 1 overall recruit Lauren Betts transferred in from Stanford — a move that fueled the Bruins all the way to the Sweet 16 with the promise of even greater success.

“Everyone came to UCLA for this reason: to do something we haven't done in a really long time,” Jaquez said on Sunday. “[I’m] just really proud of my teammates, the staff, the coaches, just continuing to get better every day and grow from each season prior.

With Lauren Betts at center, UCLA leans on depth

As one of the most dominant post players in college basketball, Betts is at the literal center of every UCLA performance. But that doesn’t mean the Bruins lack the depth it takes to handle a team like Final Four opponent UConn.

“When we have a deep team, I don’t have to be in the game at all times,” Betts said. “I have a team full of players who are just amazing and talented in their own right, and they put in the work.”

All in all, UCLA is coming into their own after developing much of its squad from the ground-up. Now it's time to make the case that patient roster-building can pay off on NCAA basketball’s biggest stage.