Caroline Marks – Surfing

For this 19-year-old, Florida-born surfer, the Tokyo Olympics have arrived at the zenith of her ascent up the ranks of the pro surfing world. Growing up with four brothers and a sister, Caroline had plenty of built-in competition and self-proclaimed critics to push her on the waves at the beach across from her family home. At age ten, the then-barrel racing horse lover decided surfing was her biggest passion and told her dad she wanted to start competing. Three years (and a west coast relocation) later, Marks became the youngest surfer to ever qualify for a World Surf League Championship Tour event. 

In 2018, during her first full season on tour, she earned Rookie of the Year and an impressive seventh place overall finish in the championship. And in 2019, in only her second year on tour, not only did she qualify to represent Team USA for the Olympics, but she finished the season in an astounding second place overall, just behind fellow USA surfer and four-time World Champion Carissa Moore. The goofy-footed Marks, now touted as the future of women’s surfing, will have the opportunity to capitalize on that heavy hype when the global spotlight shines on surfing for the first time this summer.

Sha’Carri Richardson – Track and Field, 100m

Sha’Carri Richardson is all the content the running world needs and more. Not only has she exploded onto the scene as the newest hope of ending the USA’s gold medal drought in the 100M, but she has a boldness in her presence both on and off the track that can draw in casual fans by the truck load. And much of her story has yet to be told. She has shared publicly that her mom left when she was very young and that she later attempted suicide as a teen, but the details of her troubled upbringing in Dallas, Texas are largely untold. What is well-documented is her jaw-dropping speed on the track. 

REMEMBER THE NAME.

Let us introduce you to the newest member of the U.S. Olympic Team: Sha'Carri Richardson.@usatf | #TrackFieldTrials21 x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/O2wvaRgI8X

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 20, 2021

After winning several age-group state titles in school, Richardson broke onto the national scene when she took first place in the 100M at the 2016 AAU Junior Olympics. The following year, she was a member of the gold medal winning 4x100M team at the Pan American U20 Championships. But the most notable day of her career came at the end of her freshman year at LSU during the NCAA National Championships. In the 100M final Richardson ran a 10.75, setting a new U-20 world record with the fastest NCAA time in the event in 30 years. Less than an hour later, she set another U-20 world record in the 200M, sending her name on a trending spree and catching the deserving attention of pro sponsors. Four days later, she declared for the professional circuit and left her college career behind. With a solid but shortened first pro season in 2019 and a non-existent 2020 season, everyone is anxious to see how Richardson compares to the world’s best. Having already clocked a mind blowing 10.72 in the 100M this spring and winning the 100m race at the Olympic trials, Richardson’s career is primed to explode at the Tokyo Olympics.

Regan Smith – Swimming (100M Backstroke, 200M Fly)

When the first day of 2020 arrived, Regan Smith was a senior in high school who woke up with Tokyo very much on her mind. In a sport like swimming, where the Olympics happen to fall in your development and timeline is monumental. And for Smith, it was looking pretty perfect. In 2019, at just 17 years of age, she set new world records in both the 100M and 200M backstroke, with the latter still standing today. 

Luckily for Smith, an extra year of training seems to have paid off. While she fell just short of qualifying in the 200M backstroke, she managed to make the Olympics team for both the 100M and the 200M butterfly, her third strongest event.

WATCH: Regan Smith wins the Women's 100 Backstroke in 58.35 and is headed to Tokyo.pic.twitter.com/rbaPOjrZfg

— Kyle Sockwell (@kylesockwell) June 16, 2021

“I think I was a lot more in my head about it last year, whereas this year we’ve all had plenty of time to get a grip on things mentally,” Smith told NBC Sports in early 2021. “Instead of being worried about how quickly they’re coming up, I’m really just trying to be excited and be like it’s finally go-time and treat it like that instead of treating it like it’s some big scary thing, because it’s not. It should be exciting.” 

The excitement in Tokyo might be even bigger due to the postponement, as the young Aussie swimmer Kaylee McKeown recently notched a 100M backstroke time just .06 seconds shy of Smith’s record. If all goes to plan in Tokyo, these two could give the fans some thrilling finishes come July.

Katie Lou Samuelson – 3×3 Basketball

The post-pandemic world is looking bright for Katie Lou Samuelson. Back in February, the third year WNBA player was traded from the Dallas Wings to the Seattle Storm in exchange for the first overall draft pick of 2021. The news of the trade furrowed many brows, as Samuelson’s first two seasons in the league have been largely underwhelming. She spent her rookie season with the Chicago Sky before being traded to Dallas for 2020, and was averaging just 3.7 points per game prior to her trade.

The long-range sharp-shooter from UCONN may have had difficulty finding her footing at the pro level. But things seemed to shift while playing overseas in Spain with Perfumerias Avenida. Playing alongside her older sister Karlie for the first time since high school, Samuelson averaged 15.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and was named to the All-EuroLeague team. 

As she explained last month to the Connecticut Post, “I was really given a lot of freedom on my overseas team to develop back into where I feel comfortable, strong, confident in myself and my game. I think that really was the main difference for me, just seeing myself having success.” 

That confidence carried over into Samuelson’s efforts with Team USA’s 3×3 squad. Alongside Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray and Kelsey Plum, Samuelson helped the team qualify for the inaugural Olympics tournament in Tokyo. All four players were subsequently named to the Olympics squad. After struggling to make her name in the WNBA, Samuelson (who’s still just 24 years old) could be hitting her stride at just the right time.

The FIRST EVER U.S. Olympic Women's 3x3 Team 🙌

Let's go get that gold @bigmamastef @Graytness_15 @Kelseyplum10 @33katielou

🇺🇸 @TeamUSA x #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/lgbH4xJfso

— USA Basketball 3x3 (@usab3x3) June 23, 2021

Hannah Roberts – BMX Freestyle

Another sport making its Olympic debut this summer is BMX Freestyle. While other forms of women’s cycling have been part of the games for decades, this skate park style, course-based sport is catching fire among young women across the US. The woman leading that charge at the moment is 19-year-old Michigan native Hannah Roberts. 

Following in the footsteps of an older cousin who rode in the upper ranks on the men’s side, Roberts took up the sport at nine and at seventeen became the first-ever BMX Freestyle World Champion in 2017. After a third-place finish to the season in 2018, Roberts reclaimed the top pedestal again in 2019 and was the first American to qualify for Tokyo in the event. The year-long postponement definitely had its challenges.

“Being already qualified was a blessing and a curse,” she told Fox Sports, “I started putting more pressure on myself because I felt like I had something to prove since my spot was already solidified and we had to wait another year, which kind of put me in a weird position where riding wasn’t as fun … because I was weighing myself down with all the pressure.” 

To offset the performance pressure, Roberts shifted her focus to her personal life and mental health. She got engaged, married, and purchased a new home with her wife. For someone not yet twenty, she’s making big moves and is approaching the upcoming competition with a healthy combination of excitement and humility. 

“I’m just excited to see what everybody else is doing, and I know there are a few riders I’m riding with that are just going to go and kill it. They are going to definitely hold their own, and I have to go hold my own.”

South Carolina boss Dawn Staley became the highest-paid coach in women's college basketball history on Friday, when the three-time national champion inked a contract extension worth over $25 million to remain with the Gamecocks.

At an annual salary of $4 million — plus a $500,000 signing bonus and a yearly $250,000 escalator — the deal locks in Staley through the 2029/30 season.

A significant bump from her previous $3.2 million annual payday, the new contract sees Staley leapfrog over UConn legend Geno Auriemma and LSU's Kim Mulkey to top the league in compensation.

Calling her "a once-in-a-generation coach," athletic director Jeremiah Donati noted that Staley "has elevated the sport of women's basketball on the national level and here on campus, and I am excited that she will be representing our University for many years to come."

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Locking in a South Carolina legend

Since taking the helm in 2008, Staley has led South Carolina to 630 wins, 16 SEC titles, and 12 straight NCAA tournament appearances including five Final Fours and three national championships.

After taking South Carolina to an 128-4 record since her previous contract extension in 2021, this new agreement all but squashes any rumors about the coach's departure.

Despite a clause releasing Staley from an early departure penalties should she exit for a WNBA or NBA job, the legendary college leader has no intentions to leave Columbia.

"I will never leave here to go take another college job," Staley told reporters after the No. 2 Gamecocks' Sunday win over then-No. 13 Oklahoma. "[And] I don't have a passion for the next level. I don't. I would've been gone."

As the Hall of Famer continues setting the on-court NCAA standard in her 17th season with South Carolina, Staley's record-breaking contract both reflects the sport's overall rising stock and pushes for even more investment in the game.

Pledging to prove the impact of supporting both her and the game itself, Staley committed "to continuing to be an example of how an investment in women’s basketball is one that will pay off for everyone."

World No. 3 Coco Gauff exited the 2025 Australian Open on Monday night, falling 7-5, 6-4 to Spain's No. 11 Paula Badosa in the Grand Slam's quarterfinal round.

Gauff's recent improvements seemed to fade in her first loss of the year, which saw the 2025 United Cup champ record 41 unforced errors, including 28 missed forehands and six double-faults.

As a result, Badosa advances to her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal, a marked comeback after a 2023 injury nearly ended her career.

"I would never think that, a year after, I would be here," Badosa said post-match. "I've been through a lot."

Sabalenka looms after quarterfinal victory

Badosa moves on to face back-to-back defending champion Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday, as the world No. 1 sets her sights on becoming the first three-peat Australian Open women's champ this century.

Sabalenka advanced past No. 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in an early Tuesday morning quarterfinal to reach her 10th major semifinal in her last 11 Grand Slams.

The 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory didn't come easily, though, as Pavlyuchenkova managed to snap the 26-year-old's 25-set Australian Open winning streak which dates back to her 2023 final win.

"I’m really glad that at some point I was able to put myself back together," said Sabalenka about the tough match. "I was able to keep fighting, keep trying, and I was able to turn around this match. It was a really difficult one."

US players to close out Australian Open quarterfinals

The Melbourne Slam's remaining two quarterfinals each place a US tennis star in the spotlight on Tuesday.

Fresh off ousting No. 10 Danielle Collins and No. 6 Elena Rybakina in the third and fourth rounds, No. 19 Madison Keys will square off against No. 28 Elina Svitolina for a shot at the semis. This will be Keys's first match against the Ukrainian since taking a two-set victory over Svitolina in Adelaide in January 2022.

The nightcap pits three-set specialist No. 8 Emma Navarro against perennial contender No. 2 Iga Świątek, marking the second-ever meeting — and first since 2018 — between the 23-year-olds.

The Polish phenom has yet to drop a set all tournament, and has seemed near-unbeatable after losing just four games across her last three matches. That said, Navarro has proved she just won't quit, leading the WTA in three-set contests over the last year — and gritting out a 24-9 record in the same span. Consequently, the longer Tuesday's match runs, the more it will likely favor the US star.

How to watch the 2025 Australian Open this week

No. 19 Madison Keys will clash with No. 28 Elina Svitolina starting at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, with No. 8 Emma Navarro's bout against No. 2 Iga Świątek beginning at 9 PM ET.

Both Tuesday quarterfinals will be broadcast live across ESPN’s platforms.

This weekend's NCAA basketball action saw unranked Penn State earn their first ranked win in almost four years against Big Ten foe Ohio State on Sunday, ending the then-No. 9 OSU's unbeaten run.

Though Ohio State forward Cotie McMahon and guard Chance Gray led the back-and-forth battle with 19 and 18 points, respectively, it wasn’t enough to hold off the Nittany Lions, who snapped a seven-game losing streak with the 62-59 victory.

"We had no fight. We had no grit," McMahon told reporters after the game. Subsequently, Ohio State skidded to No. 12 in yesterday's AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll update.

The Buckeye loss also narrows the DI undefeated team list down to two. Only No. 1 UCLA and No. 5 LSU remain unbeaten this season.

Big Ten teams tackle Top 25 clashes

Monday's inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic featured two Big Ten/Big 12 matchups, opening with top-ranked UCLA welcoming No. 25 Baylor back to the AP Poll with a 72-57 defeat.

The Bruins took off to 17-2 lead in the first quarter. The Bears then failed to get past star UCLA center Lauren Betts, who put up a game-high 24 points, nine rebounds, and a program-record nine blocks.

The weekend's top-ranked match closed out the Classic, with No. 7 Texas star Madison Booker posting 28 points to lead the Longhorns to a dominant 89-51 win over No. 8 Maryland.

While the Terrapins’ 26 turnovers and silence from beyond the arc didn’t help the Big Ten team's case, injuries to top scorers accounted for at least some of Maryland's downfall. The Terps lost junior Bri McDaniel to a season-ending ACL tear last week, before senior Shyanne Sellers exited Monday's second quarter with a knee injury of her own.

How to watch top-ranked NCAA basketball games this week

In a battle for redemption after tough weekend losses, Big Ten foes No. 8 Maryland and No. 12 Ohio State will face off at 6 PM ET on Thursday, with live coverage on BTN.

Though the week's marquee matchup belongs to two teams atop the SEC. Undefeated LSU will take on defending NCAA champions No. 2 South Carolina at 8 PM ET on Thursday, live on ESPN.

AP Top 25 NCAA Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 12

1. UCLA
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. USC
5. LSU
6. UConn
7. Texas
8. Maryland
9. TCU
10. Kansas State
11. Kentucky
12. Ohio State
13. North Carolina
14. Duke
15. Oklahoma
16. West Virginia
17. Tennessee
18. Georgia Tech
19. Alabama
20. NC State
21. Michigan State
22. California
23. Minnesota
24. Michigan
25. Baylor

Sophia Smith isn't much of a gamer. 

"It just does not come naturally to me," the Portland Thorns and USWNT forward tells Just Women's Sports with a laugh. "I think with more practice, I could get good."

Whatever skills Smith may lack on the virtual pitch are made up in full by her talent on the actual one. And that talent has ironically earned her an outsized on-screen role in the popular soccer video game EA Sports FC.

Earlier this week, the 24-year-old earned her second-straight spot on EA Sport's Team of the Year. The honor that places her alongside international heavyweights like Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati, Chelsea's Lauren James, and Lyon's Wendie Renard.

While gaming might not have been front of mind when Smith won Olympic gold in Paris last summer, she has noticed how FC 25 has become an essential way for soccer fans to get to know their favorite players. The franchise only started fully integrating NWSL teams in 2023, but Smith's rise to in-game prominence was swift. 

Her avatar is regularly featured in national TV commercials, scoring in both a Thorns and a USWNT jersey alongside men's soccer stars like Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham. It might be just a video game, but FC 25 feels increasingly like one of the few platforms that views both sides of the sport as having equal potential.

The phenomenon is not lost on Smith. She says that from time to time fans will recognize her not from the Olympics or an NWSL championship appearance, but from the video game. "When people have the ability to play with women in a game that they've played all their life, it opens a whole new door for us," she says.

"It's so great for women in sports, because it shows that we also deserve to be in a game," she continues. "We also deserve to have that platform, to have our names out there at the same level as the men."

EA FC levels the playing field

While the EA FC 25 Team of the Year is voted on by fans, the breadth of leagues in this year's lineup also calms some of the debates currently raging within the women's side. It's no secret that NWSL players sometimes have trouble gaining traction in top European awards. This is a tension that Smith herself has faced before her US national team breakout.

"I do think the NWSL isn't recognized enough," says Smith. "People have a lot of opinions on it, maybe people who don't even watch any games. That can be frustrating because it's a very challenging league to play in — every game is competitive."

To prove her point, she references the time it's taken for her USWNT teammate and fellow Stanford alum Naomi Girma to gain recognition on the international stage. If there were any player she could add to EA FC's Team of the Year, she adds, it'd be the San Diego Wave center-back — "and not just because she's my best friend." The growing global market for NWSL-based players like Girma and Smith likely won't silence critics promoting European-style football over American. But Smith sees differences across leagues as an asset for a player, not a problem.

"Either league could be good for any player for a number of reasons," she explains. "You can learn something in Europe that you can't learn here, and vice-versa. That's why players go back and forth."

"I believe that every league that exists can be challenging in its own way, and we're all just trying to figure it out," she continues. "FC having women in the game — women from the NWSL and European leagues — just puts us all as equals as we should be. It allows you to determine someone's game based off someone's game, not if they play in Europe or the NWSL."

Focusing on USWNT growth in 2025

Smith's game speaks for itself. Coming off a disappointing 2023 World Cup, the forward scored three goals and registered two assists during the USWNT's Olympic run, leading the team to their first major tournament trophy since 2019. Her club contributions were similarly impressive. She scored 12 regular-season goals alongside six assists despite Portland's failure to make it past the 2024 quarterfinals.

But the year took a toll, and Smith says that prioritizing rest has been essential to preparing herself for everything 2025 has to offer.

"I feel like this offseason was very much needed for me," she says. "While it was a great year, it was a long year — we just gave everything 110%, 24/7, so when we got to the offseason, it kind of just smacked us in the face."

Smith says she's physically bouncing back after a lingering ankle injury limited her playing time in the later half of 2024. "Most offseasons I'll take a few weeks and I'll start training," she says. "This offseason I took a little longer. I knew that in order to start this next year off right, I needed to give my body what it needed while I could."

With no major US tournaments set for 2025, Smith is looking forward to seeing the national team continue to gel and evolve. She's a big believer in USWNT manager Emma Hayes's "If it's not broken, break it" ethos. It makes her excited to push herself and her team to take things to the next level. 

Bringing the EA FC Team of the Year energy back to Portland

Smith also has work to do in the NWSL. She's rejoining a Portland club that saw multiple legends of the game step away after 2024's uncharacteristic sixth-place finish. As a leader, she wants to see the Thorns back at the top of the table. And she hopes to carry on the legacy of retired stars like Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Meghan Klingenberg.

"Since I arrived in Portland, every year there's been change. I'm just used to it at this point," she says. "The best thing we can do as players is stick together, really just show up for each other every day. And work towards the same goal, which is to win."

"It's easier said than done," she admits. "I'm used to being one of the younger players on the team. I still am, but I have more experience. I feel like I can be a leader in a different way."

With 2024's triumphs behind her, Smith views the new year as an opportunity to improve without the intense pressure of a major tournament. As always, the goal comes down to one simple thing: growth.

"I'm not the loudest person," she says. "But I can lead by example and show up every day, trying to be the best version of myself and helping those around me get better, too."

Making connections on and off the screen

One thing Smith can guarantee is that she'll continue to connect with fans. That goes whether it's signing autographs after a match or finding the back of the net in EA FC 25. 

"It wasn't that long ago that I was that little kid, watching people I grew up looking up to," she remembers. "If they took a minute out of their day to say hi or to sign something, that stuff means a lot." 

"So I try to be that person for people. If I can do that through FC, if I can do that in real life, I always take the opportunity."