The second season of Athletes Unlimited lacrosse has arrived, with the four week season running from July 21 through August 14.

This year’s rookie class is stacked with names like Charlotte North and Jamie Ortega entering the ranks. But others like Sam Apuzzo and Caylee Waters are back in the fold. Just Women’s Sports has three athletes to watch as the season heats up

Charlotte North

Raise your hand if you’re surprised Charlotte North is on this list. 

One of this season’s rookies, North enters this season having cemented her legacy as one of the greatest collegiate lacrosse players of all time. The NCAA all-time leader with 358 career goals, she brings the firepower every time she steps onto the field. 

A two-time Tewaaraton Award winner, she is also fresh off of winning gold with Team USA at the World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship (as are many of those competing with Athletes Unlimited this season). At those championships, North led Team USA in goals with 23 total – good for ninth in the tournament. 

She appears to be bringing those stats with her, having scored three goals in her first AU game against Team Waters, with two of those goals being two-point goals. She added three assists and won two draw controls, showcasing just how balanced she can be on the scoresheet.

Another @charlotteocho8 goal!! Are we surprised⁉️#AULax | 📺: ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/m0tuUBNR53

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) July 22, 2022

Look for North to find the back of the net even more this season – and find herself at or near the top of the leaderboard.

Lauren Gilbert

A two-time IWLCA All-American First Team selection, Lauren Gilbert made noise with a very good Northwestern program in college. The fourth-leading scorer in program history with 225 career goals, she helped lead the Wildcats to two Big Ten Conference titles and three NCAA semifinal appearances.

Her first time out with Team Apuzzo ended well last night, with Gilbert rocketing to the top of the leaderboard. She notched the first goal of the Athletes Unlimited season – her first of four on the night against Team Glynn.

First goal of the season, first goal of Lauren Gilbert's AU career 🙌#BeUnlimited | #AULax pic.twitter.com/92e5wzn3MC

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) July 21, 2022

While there are still plenty of games to be played, Gilbert is no stranger to leading the way, having led Northwestern last season with 79 goals and 106 points. With 27 assists, she’s also capable of creating chances for teammates, making her a threat all around.

Marie McCool

Another player fresh off of a gold medal win at the world championships, Marie McCool ranked second on Team USA with 20 goals, including the opener in the gold medal game against Canada.

She also contributed 17 draw controls and had five hat tricks in eight separate games. The former No. 2 overall selection in the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League draft and a 2019 WPLL champion with Baltimore, McCool is a winner.

McCool as the other side of the pillow. @mariemccool4 🥶 pic.twitter.com/4n8jZhJfMR

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 6, 2022

After finishing ninth last season with 1,517 points, the midfielder is back and ready for more. Look for her to improve on her draw controls from last season (49, good for second in the league) and continue her goal scoring tear from the world championships. Already she has two from Team Waters’ 12-8 loss to Team Read, which was tied for first on her team with attacker Kenzie Kent (2G, 2A).

Light work for @mariemccool4 🤩

Team Waters is up by2️⃣after the first quarter!!#AULax | 📺: ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/d84tFQj2Eb

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) July 22, 2022

The Athletes Unlimited lacrosse season continues Saturday beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

The host of the 2022 Men's World Cup is back in the headlines, with Middle East nation Qatar reportedly in talks with FIFA to house the inaugural Women's Club World Cup in January 2028.

Despite recent gains on the men's side, the Qatar women’s national team is currently unranked due to a lack of official matches — founded in 2009, the squad has not competed in any official capacity in 12 years.

The lack of support for the nation's women's team is unsurprising given Qatar's concerning human rights record — one that the soccer world has long called into question, particularly concerning the treatment of women, migrants, and the LGBTQIA+ population.

The reported aim to host the 2028 Women's Club World Cup would constitute another example of Qatar sportswashing those international human rights concerns using the country's close relationship with the international soccer governing body — one bolstered by the fact that FIFA president Gianni Infantino resides in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Despite this week's reports, FIFA said they have yet to receive a formal bid for its first-ever women's club competition.

With 16 teams expected to compete from January 5th through 30th, 2028, European clubs are already bracing for calendar disruptions thanks to the Women's Club World Cup's winter kick-off.

At least five teams from Europe and two each from Asia, Africa, South America, and North America will compete, with the remaining three clubs determined by a 2027 qualifying tournament.

US Figure Skating is hoping to make Olympic history this year, naming powerhouse trio Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, and Isabeau Levito to the official 2026 Winter Games roster on Sunday as Team USA aims to end a 20-year medal drought in Milan next month.

Glenn earned her spot after winning her third-straight national title on Friday, with reigning world champion Liu and 18-year-old 2024 Worlds runner-up Levito chasing her onto the 2026 US Figure Skating Championships podium.

"Just so grateful. That was terrifying," Glenn said after her win. "And I had to skate after two incredible ladies brought down the house."

Liu is the only US women's singles skater returning with Olympic experience — at just 16 years old, she took sixth place in Beijing — but the group's national podium tally adds to Team USA's renewed confidence.

"All we've got to do, is do our job," said 26-year-old Glenn. "I think the US ladies have come so, so far in the last two decades that if all three of us do our jobs in Milan, then more than likely someone's going to be up there [on the Olympic podium]."

How to watch the 2026 Olympic figure skating competition

While the US women will first take the ice in the team competition on February 6th and 8th, the trio will begin contending for individual glory by skating their short programs at 12:45 PM ET on February 17th, airing live on USA Network.

The 2026 Olympic podium will then be finalized in the free skate competition at 1 PM ET on February 19th, with live coverage on NBC.

Incoming Denver Summit FC rookie Jasmine Aikey capped her Stanford career by earning the top honor in NCAA women's soccer, lifting the 2025 MAC Hermann Trophy last Friday.

Aikey is now the sixth Cardinal to win the award, joining fellow alums and USWNT standouts like Kelley O'Hara (2009), Christen Press (2010), Catarina Macario (2018, 2019), and Andi Sullivan (2017).

"I am so happy that Jasmine's hard work and dedication paid off, as she is one of the most talented and competitive student-athletes I have ever coached," said Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe in the school's Friday announcement.

The 20-year-old topped both Stanford and the ACC in goals scored this season with 21, tallying 11 assists as she led the Cardinal to both the 2025 ACC Championship and last month's College Cup Final.

Even more, her dominant season saw Aikey claim the 2025 MAC Hermann Award over fellow finalists and ACC stars Jordynn Dudley, a junior forward for reigning NCAA champion Florida State, and Izzy Engle, a Notre Dame sophomore attacker and the 2025 ACC Offensive Player of the Year.

With her Friday win, Aikey also made history as just the second student-athlete to win both the Hermann Trophy and the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year, joining Portland alum and international soccer's all-time leading scorer, Canada legend Christine Sinclair.

The forward won't be resting on her laurels for long, however, with Aikey now gearing up for next month's NWSL preseason after signing a two-year deal to join 2026 expansion side Denver Summit last Thursday.

"I'm ready to get to work and help set the standard in Denver," remarked the newly minted pro in a club statement.

As top tennis talents turn toward the 2026 Australian Open, this week's WTA rankings refresh hints at the drama to come as the year's first Grand Slam nears.

Following her strong 2026 United Cup showing against world No. 2 Iga Świątek, Team USA favorite Coco Gauff jumped to No. 3, leapfrogging fellow US star No. 4 Amanda Anisimova along the way.

Meanwhile, reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys hit a slight skid, falling two spots to No. 9 after unwavering No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka ousted her from last week's Brisbane Open quarterfinals.

Sabalenka aside, Switzerland's No. 10 Belinda Bencic might have the hottest hand heading into Melbourne, busting into the Top 10 after winning all five of her 2026 United Cup singles matches — including a dominant three-set victory over Poland's Świątek.

Bencic also made history in this week's rankings update, becoming the first returning mother to crack the WTA's top tier since US tennis icon Serena Williams did so in 2021.

"I think it's been a huge goal, maybe a huge ride after the whole comeback, to come back and prove this to myself, that it's possible," Bencic said this week.

How to watch top WTA ranked tennis players this week

Next up for the WTA rankings' elite will be the record-breaking 2026 Australian Open, with the main draw of the season's first Slam kicking off down under on Sunday.

Live coverage from the Melbourne hardcourt will air across ESPN platforms beginning at 7 PM ET on Saturday.