Thanks to her impact on and off the court, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark was named Time Magazine's Athlete of the Year on Tuesday. Clark is the first WNBA player to receive the award and just the second individual woman athlete, joining 2021 honoree Simone Biles.

The 22-year-old's 2024 resume is extraordinary. Clark wrapped up her NCAA career as Division I's all-time leading scorer, helping Iowa reach a second-straight national championship game.

Since becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark's pro debut included claiming the league's single-season assist record and fueling the Fever to their first playoff berth since 2016. Along the way, she picked up both All-Star honors and the WNBA's Rookie of the Year award.

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All eyes on Clark

Clark's on-court skills built a massive following, drawing record viewership and attendance at both the college and professional level. Her ascent into the league helped the WNBA record its most-watched regular season in 24 years.

That surge in fandom has directly contributed to the sport's growth, something venerated South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley acknowledged on the 2024 NCAA Championship podium, saying, "I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport."

More eyes, however, have made the fan-favorite a lightning rod for online discourse, with even minor on-court moments sparking intense national debates.

"I tell people I feel like the most controversial person," Clark says in Time magazine's detailed interview. "But I am not. It's just because of all the storylines that surround me."

While Clark's talent certainly warrants attention, she also acknowledges the role her race plays in commanding the national spotlight.

"I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege," she explains. "A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important.

"I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing."

Ultimately, Clark's 2024 will be remembered as a watershed moment for women's basketball — and women's sports at large. But, as she tells Time, it will also hopefully mark the start of a long and accomplished career. 

The Minnesota Frost are back-to-back PWHL champions, taking down the Ottawa Charge 2-1 in Game 4 of the league's best-of-five Finals to lift the Walter Cup for the second time on Monday.

All bouts in the 2025 PWHL Finals were overtime affairs that finished in 2-1 results, with No. 3-seed Ottawa claiming Game 1 before the No. 4-seed Frost swept the next three games to claim the 2024/25 league title.

Monday's deciding matchup saw forward Kelly Pannek give Minnesota their first lead of the entire series by striking first in the second period before Ottawa forward Tereza Vanišová equalized in the third to force overtime.

Following 12 extra minutes of play, Frost forward Liz Schepers netted the game-winner — doing so for the second year in a row — to secure the Walter Cup in front of a Minnesota home crowd of 11,024 fans. 

"I'll win anywhere. It's always fun — but to get to do it at home is extra special," said Frost defenseman Lee Stecklein following the Memorial Day victory.

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Frost's Stecklein, Charge's Philips top PWHL Playoffs stat sheet

Stecklein finished the postseason as the league's scoring leader, notching four goals and four assists to finish atop the Frost-laden skaters' table with eight points — narrowly surpassing the seven points posted by teammates Sophie Jaques (two goals, five assists) and Taylor Heise (one goal, six assists).

On the other hand, Ottawa goaltender Gwyneth Philips led all net-minders on the PWHL's postseason stat sheet while playing the most minutes between the pipes in league history.

The rookie's failure to drop a single game in regulation throughout the Charge's eight playoff matchups helped earn her the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award, despite Monday's series loss.

Notably, Minnesota's second straight PWHL championship belies the Frost's underdog status.

After needing another team's downfall to even squeak into the playoffs, doing to on the last day of the regular season, Minnesota got hot at just the right time to retain their singular hold on the second-year league's title.

"It's the belief we have in the room," Frost captain Kendall Coyne Schofield said after the win. "It's hard to put into words. I think when you look at the way we won, it takes everybody."

Gotham raised a continental trophy on Saturday, with the NWSL side toppling Liga MX's Tigres UANL 1-0 to claim the first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup crown.

Powered by a goal from star striker Esther González in the match's 82nd minute, the win punched Gotham's ticket to two additional global tournaments: the inaugural FIFA Champions Cup in 2026 and the 2028 debut edition of the FIFA Women's Club World Cup.

"The other day, we talked about the first-ever champions of competitions like the UEFA Champions League, the Euro, the World Cup, and the Olympics," said Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós following Saturday's victory. "Now, forever, the first team to win the Concacaf W Champions Cup will be Gotham FC."

"These players, with this coaching staff — we are incredibly proud of what they've accomplished."

Gotham wasn't the only NWSL club to claim a Saturday victory at the inaugural confederation tournament. Following a 2-0 loss to the Tigres 2-0 in Wednesday's semifinals, the Portland Thorns bounced back with a 3-0 win over Liga MX side Club América in Saturday's third-place match.

Now with hardware in tow, the Bats will have some ground to make up after the current international break, with Gotham slipping to ninth place in the NWSL standings during their absence from the league last weekend.

SEC firepower will fuel the 2025 Women's College World Series (WCWS), as No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee, and unseeded Ole Miss all advanced out of this weekend's Super Regionals to book trips to Oklahoma City.

The SEC's five teams ties the record for most WCWS-bound squads from a single conference, with the additions of former Big 12 powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas notably boosting the league's WCWS roster this year.

Big Ten newcomers No. 9 UCLA and No. 16 Oregon plus the Big 12's No. 12 Texas Tech round out the eight teams entering the double-elimination tournament later this week, all battling for one of two spots in next week's best-of-three championship series.

Despite coming into the postseason as the No. 2 seed, the Sooners are still the team to beat as they hunt their fifth straight NCAA softball title.

With their 18th program ticket to OKC, Oklahoma's consistency in advancing to the national championship's last stop is dwarfed only by UCLA: The Bruins have appeared in 34 editions of the WCWS, missing the final cut only nine times in NCAA history.

In contrast, both Ole Miss and Texas Tech will be making their WCWS debuts after upsetting top seeds last weekend.

The Rebels, who first eliminated No. 13 Arizona in Regionals, outlasted No. 4 Arkansas to book their first-ever WCWS trip on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are flying high behind transfer pitcher and 2024 National Player of the Year NiJaree Canady, emerging victorious in their first-ever Super Regional with two straight wins over No. 5 Florida State.

How to watch the 2025 Women's College World Series

Oklahoma City veterans and debutants alike will begin their WCWS campaigns on Thursday, when all teams will contend in the tournament's initial four games.

Kicking off the 2025 WCWS is an all-SEC afternoon session, with No. 6 Texas facing No. 3 Florida at 12 PM ET before No. 7 Tennessee takes on No. 2 Oklahoma at 2:30 PM ET.

Evening play pits the newcomers against each other as Ole Miss clashes with No. 12 Texas Tech at 7 PM ET, with a Big Ten battle between No. 16 Oregon and No. 9 UCLA closing out the night at 9:30 PM ET.

Live coverage of the afternoon games will air on ESPN, with ESPN2 broadcasting the two evening matchups.

The Seattle Storm made a statement on Sunday, earning an unexpected 20-point blowout win over 2022 and 2023 WNBA champions Las Vegas.

"The effort wasn't there, the discipline wasn't there," Aces head coach Becky Hammon said of her team's struggles on defense during the 102-82 loss. "We're breaking our own rules."

Led by 23 points from forward Nneka Ogwumike and another 21 points off the bench from guard Erica Wheeler, five Storm players posted double-digit performances. Meanwhile, 2025 No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga put up an encouraging eight points and five rebounds in her 12 minutes of play.

The big Seattle win spoiled a homecoming of sorts for new Las Vegas guard Jewell Loyd, who requested a trade that saw her exit the Storm after a decade in the Emerald City this offseason. The three-team deal also sent former Aces guard Kelsey Plum to the LA Sparks.

"Honestly, I wanted to win for Jewell and everyone else that came out and supported us, but it's a part of the game," said 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson.

With the win, the Storm jump to fourth in the early WNBA season with a 3-1 record, while Las Vegas falls to eighth at 2-2 — the Aces' slowest start since 2021.

While the Storm is brewing, last year's finalists Minnesota and New York are still the gold standard, with the Lynx and the Liberty now the only two undefeated teams left standing in 2025 play.

New York held off an upstart Fever team 90-88 on Saturday, with new addition Natasha Cloud sealing the Liberty win with a block on Indiana star Caitlin Clark — who was later announced to be missing the next two weeks with a quad strain.

How to watch Tuesday's WNBA action

WNBA play resumes on Tuesday night, with 10 of the league's 13 teams in action.

Tipping the night off at 7 PM ET are New York, who'll host 2025 expansion side Golden State, as well as the Dallas Wings vs. the Connecticut Sun — two teams still hunting their first 2025 season win.

As for Seattle, they'll have to contend with Minnesota in a road clash with the Lynx at 8 PM ET.

All five Tuesday night games will stream live on WNBA League Pass.