Rachel Garcia is a pitcher and infielder for Team USA. In 2019, playing for UCLA, Garcia was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, NFCA National Pitcher of the Year, and was both the Pac-12 Player and Pitcher of the Year. A First Team All-American, she led the Bruins to a College World Series championship, where she was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player after going 5-0 in the circle with a 1.75 ERA (and hitting a walk-off, three-run homer to send the Bruins to the Championship Series). After being named to Team USA, Garcia decided to redshirt this season in order to focus on preparing for the Olympics. 

I wanted to start with last year’s national championship, UCLA’s first in nine years. How was that team’s mentality different than in years before?  

The fall started out really rough for us. It’s always a struggle trying to find who you are as a team and identifying your core values. You have to get the freshman acclimated to the program. And we had lost Kylee Perez to graduation. She was our glue, our leader, our veteran, and we needed someone to step into that role. Things didn’t really begin to click till the season started, and it really took a group effort. We also started seeing a sports psychiatrist as a team, which really helped us. He was just super instrumental in guiding us through the process, and though we talked with him as a team, we could also individually see him off to the side if we wanted. Eventually, we were able to come together with a unified mindset, and we started playing for something that was bigger than ourselves. It was special, and you could definitely feel the “BruWin Magic.”

A WALK OFF TO HEAD TO THE 'SHIP!

Player of the year Rachel Garcia took matters into her own hands in the 10th ???? pic.twitter.com/5pMm71w7Qn

— ESPN (@espn) June 2, 2019

You hit a walk-off, extra-inning home run against Washington to put your team into the finals. Do you remember what was going through your mind then? 

You know, I honestly thought I was going to do it at the bat before. But when I did hit the walk-off, and I was running around the bases, all I could think about was my grandpa. I had lost him at the beginning of the season. I felt his presence there with me as I rounded the bases.

I’m sorry to hear about your loss. I can imagine that was quite a powerful moment against Washington. What’s it been like watching UCLA from afar this season? 

It’s exciting. And then also sometimes I miss it. But I am able to cheer them on. I recently went to watch the team play against Texas, and I was amazed at how the younger girls have stepped up to take on bigger roles since me and Bubba left. And I think it’s just going to be an exciting season for the Bruins. They have such a loaded hitting lineup, it’s going to be tough for other teams.

What were your thoughts when you heard that you made the Olympic roster?

The first person I actually contacted was Bubba Nickles, my former UCLA teammate, as she also made the team. That process was very emotional, because it’s something that you dream of when you’re a little girl, and then to think that softball was taken out of the Olympics for so long, there’s a missing generation that never got to experience this journey. So I just feel very honored and very humbled to be a part of it all.

Once you made the Olympic roster, did you already know you were going to take time off from UCLA? 

I didn’t know I would take time off. I tried to keep an open mind, and I weighed the pros and cons of sitting out a year. But when I made the initial roster, I was already enrolled in about three classes, and I had already missed the first two weeks of school. So I was so behind on everything. I decided to drop two classes and just be a part-time student for the fall. And then I just was like, you know, this is too much. I was playing too much catch up. So that was when I decided to defer this year of eligibility in order to focus on training with Team USA.

Is your plan to return to UCLA and the team next year after the Olympics? 

The plan is to definitely go back and finish school, but for now my plan is to focus on what’s in front of me. And the priority is to represent my country and win the gold medal.

Team USA just played in a couple of tournaments in preparation for the Olympics. How did that go?

It was fun. It was definitely a grind in the beginning, but once they kinda got going, things kind of slowed down a little bit and kind of got into the rhythm. And I got to play against some of my old teammates. But it’s been a journey.

What has the dynamic been like on the team given the mix of older players, younger players, players still in college? 

I think the best part about our team is that that age doesn’t really matter. I mean, you’re getting the opportunity to play at that next level so everyone is all in. It’s a great opportunity for the younger girls getting to experience it for the first time and for the older girls getting the opportunity to experience this again. Sharing that all together is pretty cool for everyone.

How would you define your personal role on the team? 

For me, it’s about being prepared to go in at any moment. It’s a lot different than in college, where things are a little bit more planned out. But with this team, it’s just a different mentality. The pace is a lot quicker.

Okay, last question, and it’s a big one: what does softball mean to you and how has it inspired your life? 

Softball has provided so much for me in my life. I mean, I never thought I’d be getting a full ride to UCLA. When I was younger, it was always a dream school for me, since they were the first collegiate softball game I ever saw. So the sport has provided me with a scholarship and an incredible college degree. It’s allowed me to play internationally and represent my country. And now it’s giving me the opportunity to play at the Olympics.

So I feel very fortunate, and I know it’s now time for me to start giving back to the sport. Whenever I get an opportunity, I go out to the local fields in my hometown to watch games or give lessons or help out with practice. Anything I can do to give back, especially since I come from such a small town, where it’s very rare to see athletes come out and be successful.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.

For the first time in history, three different WNBA teams have completely sold out of season ticket plans well before the league's May 14th kick-off.

Call it the Caitlin Clark effect, attribute it to this year’s tenacious rookie class, or look to the skyrocketing visibility of veteran players across the board. But no matter the cause, facts are facts: Tickets to the 2024 WNBA season are selling like never before. 

On Monday, the Dallas Wings became the third team to sell out of season ticket memberships in the league’s 27-year history. The announcement from Arlington came shortly after the Atlanta Dream issued their own season ticket sell-out statement, also on Monday, and almost seven weeks after the back-to-back WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces made headlines by becoming the first-ever WNBA team to sell out their season ticket allotment.   

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According to the Wings, season ticket memberships will fill nearly 40% of the 6,251 seats inside their home arena, College Park Center. The club also said that their overall ticket revenue has ballooned to the tune of 220% this year, spanning not just season tickets but also a 1,200% increase in single ticket sales. There’s currently a waitlist to become a Dallas season ticket holder, a status that comes with extra incentives like playoff presale access and discounts on additional single-game tickets. 

In Atlanta, season tickets aren't the only thing flying off the shelves. The Dream also announced that they broke their own record for single-game ticket sales during a recent limited presale campaign. Sunday was reportedly their most lucrative day, with five different games totally selling out Gateway Center Arena. Individual tickets for all upcoming matchups will hit the market this Thursday at 8 a.m., while a waitlist for season ticket memberships will open up next Tuesday at 10 a.m.

"Excitement around women's sports, particularly basketball, is at an all-time high and nowhere is that felt more than here in Atlanta," Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in the team’s statement. "We’ve continued a record-setting growth trajectory over the past three years under new ownership — both on and off the court — and 2024 is shaping up to be our best season yet."

As of Tuesday, season ticket sales revenue for Caitlin Clark’s hotly anticipated Indiana Fever debut haven’t yet been announced by the club. But if these numbers are any indication — not to mention the explosive demand for Fever away games felt by teams around the country — it won’t be long before we see some scale-tipping figures coming out of Indianapolis.

25-year-old American pro golfer Nelly Korda secured her spot in LPGA history on Sunday, notching her fifth-straight title at this weekend's Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as just the third LPGA player to rack up five consecutive tour wins. She is also the third No. 1-ranked player to capture The Chevron Championship victory since the rankings debuted in 2006, accompanied by Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko.

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The Florida native shot three-under 69 in Sunday's final, besting Sweden's Maja Stark despite Stark's valiant come-from-behind attempt in the 18th. Korda finished with a four-day total of 13-under 275, celebrating her two-stroke win by cannonballing into Poppie's Pond, much to the crowd's delight. She left The Club at Carlton Woods with $1.2 million from an overall purse of $7.9 million.

It wasn't long ago that the two-time major champion's current winning streak seemed unimaginable. After maintaining her No. 1 position for 29 weeks, Korda underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her left arm in 2022. She returned to the course not long after, but failed to win a single tournament in 2023 before seeing a surge in form during the first four months of 2024. As of today, she hasn't lost a tournament since January.

Korda will attempt a record sixth-straight win at next week's JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, where she'll vie for a cut of the $3.75 million purse.