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Euros 2022: England’s Beth Mead caps stellar run with trophy haul

Beth Mead went on a tear for England during the Euros. (Maddie Meyer/UEFA via Getty Images)

Beth Mead racked up the awards after claiming the Euros title Sunday with England.

The forward was named the best player in the tournament and won the Golden Boot, given to the tournament’s top scorer.

Mead edged Germany’s Alexandra Popp for the Golden Boot. Both finished with six goals for the tournament, though Popp missed the final match with an injury, but Mead added a tournament-leading five assists, which served as the tiebreaker. Popp did not have an assist in the competition.

The success for Mead comes after she was left off England’s Olympic team last year.

“I can’t believe it,” the 27-year-old told BBC Sport. “Sometimes football puts you down, but bouncing back is the best way. I’m speechless, I can’t take it all in… I’m in shock. I’ve had a good cry with my mum and dad. I am so proud of this team, I love this team and I love this country!”

Lena Oberdorf, a 20-year-old midfielder for Germany, was named the best young player of the tournament.

After the Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 in extra time Sunday at Wembley Stadium, Mead and the rest of the team celebrated with fans in London’s Trafalgar Square on Monday.

“I’m just so proud of just being a part of this team,” Mead told Sky Sports. “The player of the tournament means nothing to me. Being part of this team means more.”

Caitlin Clark, Revamped Indiana Fever Gear Up for 2025 WNBA Season

Caitlin Clark holds a basketball and smiles during a 2024 Indiana Fever practice.
Caitlin Clark returned to camp with the Indiana Fever this week. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Last season's WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark returned to the public eye this week, as the 23-year-old rejoined a new-look Indiana Fever roster for training camp following a purposefully restful offseason stretch.

After going straight from the 2023/24 NCAA championship game into her rookie WNBA season, the 2024 No. 1 draft pick turned down numerous opportunities over the winter break, from the NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest to Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball.

"I'm so used to playing basketball," Clark told reporters inside the Fever's Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday. "For basically a year of my life, that's all I did. So the rest was certainly great, and I thought it was going to feel long, it really didn't."

Free from basketball's daily grind, Clark used the down time to focus on strength and conditioning.

"Just getting my body where it needed to be, and really working on things that I needed to work on was super important," Clark said, responding to a recent viral photo of her defined arm muscles.

"It's going to help me offensively, it's going to help me defensively, it's going to help me not get as tired throughout games," she continued. "Even through these two practices, I can certainly feel it."

Deepened Fever roster hunts first WNBA title in 13 years

Clark enters her sophomore season with a refreshed Fever roster surrounding her — and a marked expectation to build on last year's first-round playoff run.

Now helmed by ex-Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White, Indiana's incoming roster highlights include veterans DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sydney Colson, and Sophie Cunningham alongside a returning core of Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell.

That new-look lineup, led by Clark, could be a winning formula for the Fever to bring a title back to Indy for the first time since 2012 — a goal that White feels is well within reach.

"As far as teams that I've coached in the W, it's the deepest, most talented roster that I've really been a part of," said White.

PWHL Taps Seattle for 2nd Expansion Franchise

A view of Climate Pledge Arena during the 2025 PWHL Takeover Tour game in Seattle.
Seattle will be home to the newest PWHL team. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The PWHL officially announced Seattle as the league's newest expansion franchise early Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of teams taking the 2025/26 season's ice to eight.

The move comes exactly one week after the second-year league tapped Vancouver as its seventh market, capitalizing on the natural rivalry between the cross-border Pacific Northwest neighbors.

While Seattle's bid was led by Climate Pledge Arena's Oak View Group alongside the NHL's Seattle Kraken, both new teams will fall under the league's single-entity structure, with the Walter Group continuing to operate as the PWHL's sole owner.

Rising hockey fervor set up Seattle for PWHL bid success

The West Coast ice hockey hubs join the league's original six teams, as demand for women’s hockey continues to escalate throughout North America following the PWHL's 2024 launch.

Minnesota, Toronto, Ottawa, Boston, New York, and Montreal have all seen fanbases grow over the PWHL's first two seasons, in which the league tested interest in additional markets via very successful Takeover Tours across North America.

As for the factors that tipped the scales in the Seattle's favor, the PWHL cites both the city's enthusiastic Takeover Tour turnout — 12,608 fans showed up for this year's January 5th matchup — as well as its long history as a hub for pro women's sports.

"We are looking forward to returning the love, energy, and excitement the Seattle sports community shared with us during the PWHL Takeover Tour," said PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer in the league's announcement.

"It's a joy to have PWHL Seattle join the WNBA's Storm and the NWSL's Reign, who are skyscrapers in the city's towering sports landscape."

With two new teams officially on board, the league next plans to release details regarding both an expansion draft and the roles Seattle and Vancouver will play in June 24th's PWHL Draft in the coming weeks.

NCAA Basketball Stars Take Center Court at 3X Nationals

South Carolina's Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson high-five during a 2025 NCAA basketball game.
South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson will feature at this weekend’s 3X Nationals basketball tournament. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Some of the biggest NCAA stars are heading to Arizona to participate in this weekend's 3X Nationals, a three-day tournament to determine USA Basketball's 2025 3×3 champion.

Sixteen four-player women's squads will take the court when the competition tips off on Friday, with top college programs like South Carolina, TCU, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, Florida, Richmond, and South Dakota State fielding 3×3 teams alongside pro clubs and other organizations.

"With the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 on the horizon, we are looking forward to welcoming 3×3 players, both veterans and those new to the game, to Mesa to compete in this exciting event that features a unique style of basketball," said USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley.

Played in the FIBA half-court style, the tournament also serves as an evaluation tool for USA Basketball's 3×3 rosters, including the group tapped to represent the US at June's 3×3 World Cup in Mongolia.

While pro players are eligible for roster spots, college talents have often dominated international 3×3 teams, including TCU alum and new Chicago Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith, who earned bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This weekend's 3X Nationals could see NCAA standouts like Vanderbilt's All-American freshman Mikayla Blakes as well as South Carolina's Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson, and Chloe Kitts make cases for future USA Basketball roster spots.

How to watch the USA Basketball 3X Nationals

The 3X Nationals tip off at 6 PM ET on Friday, with the first two days consisting of pool play.

The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to Sunday's championship bracket, where the quarterfinal round will begin at 1:20 PM ET and the tournament final is expected to take the court at 5:20 PM ET.

All games will stream live on YouTube.

USA Beach Volleyball Appoints Olympic Gold Medalist April Ross to Head of Coaching

USA beach volleyball legend April Ross passes the ball during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics gold-medal match.
Olympic gold medalist April Ross will take over as Team USA's head coach of beach volleyball. (Li He/Xinhua via Getty Images)

In a bid to return to the Olympic women's beach volleyball podium after failing to medal in Paris last year, Team USA hired three-time Olympic medalist April Ross as the Beach National Teams’ new head of coaching on Monday.

Ross will be responsible for supporting the professional development of all USA beach volleyball national team coaches, with the goal of enhancing training, competition preparedness, and performance prep.

The 42-year-old, who retired from professional play last November, aims to help return the US to the sport's elite echelons following an uncharacteristic 2024 Olympic performance where both USA pairs fell in the tournament's first two knockout rounds.

That Paris podium was the first without a US team since the 2000 Sydney Games.

Despite the uphill climb she faces, Ross is particularly equipped to lead the US contingent, having battled her way to a career-capping gold medal alongside teammate Alix Klineman at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Prior to earning gold, Ross first made the Olympic podium with teammate Jennifer Kessy at the 2012 London Games, snagging silver behind the USA's three-time gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings — the latter of whom Ross paired up with to take bronze at the 2016 Rio Games.

"April brings a unique combination of elite-level experience, deep technical knowledge, and a passion for mentoring," said USA Volleyball's director of beach national teams Sean Scott. "She's competed at the highest levels and understands what it takes to succeed."

"She is a true champion," echoed USA Volleyball CEO and president John Speraw. "We are confident that her expertise will continue to elevate US beach volleyball on the global stage, especially as we look ahead to LA 2028."

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