Just Women’s Sports is proud to announce the Just Women’s Sports Varsity Squad, a one-of-a-kind program that gives student-athletes the opportunity to work in tandem with the team at JWS.

As part of the program, 13 student-athletes will learn about the media profession while working to elevate and grow women’s sports coverage alongside JWS. These athletes will also have the chance to build their brands with an assist from industry insiders as they use their voices and platforms to promote JWS’ mission.

Get to know the 13 student-athletes representing the inaugural JWS Varsity Squad.

Katie Meyer, Soccer, Stanford University

A redshirt junior goalkeeper at Stanford, Meyer was part of the 2019 NCAA championship team. Majoring in international relations, Meyer has been working with the JWS team as a marketing and production intern.

Sophie Jones, Soccer, Duke University

The 2018-19 Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year, Jones made her way to Duke and was named to the ACC All-Freshman team in 2019. Jones is excited to be a part of the JWS team, where she will look to grow her knowledge in writing and interviewing.

Lexie Hull, Basketball, Stanford

A senior at Stanford, Hull played a key role during Stanford’s national championship run last season. With a major in management science and engineering, Hull is in the process of starting a camp business and will be working with JWS to learn more about the industry.

Hensley Hancuff, Soccer, Clemson

A senior goalkeeper at Clemson, Hancuff trained with the NWSL’s Orlando Pride during her senior year of high school. Look for Hancuff, a big fan of JWS, to be doing some social media takeovers.

Jocelyn Alo, Softball, Oklahoma

Alo has been a dominant force in college softball since arriving at Oklahoma, most recently being named the 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. A redshirt senior, Alo will work with JWS to grow her social media presence.

Jayda Coleman, Softball, Oklahoma

Coleman had a breakout freshman season with the Sooners, finishing in the top three for National Freshman of the Year. The 2019-20 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year, Coleman will also look to grow her social media presence with the help of JWS.

Erin Matson, Field Hockey, UNC

A senior at North Carolina, Matson has been dominating since her freshman season, when she led UNC in goals and assists. With a major in advertising and public relations, Matson is stoked to be a part of the JWS team and will have her hands in everything she possibly can.

Rachel Jones, Soccer, UNC

A senior at UNC, Jones was named to the 2021 College Sports Information Directors of America All-District Team two years in a row. After graduating early in May, she now attends the UNC School of Law while still tearing up the pitch.

Zoe Hasenauer, Soccer, Oregon

A senior at Oregon, Hassenauer is ecstatic to join the JWS Varsity Squad. With an interest in writing and social media, Hasenauer will focus on diversifying her knowledge of women’s sports media while working with JWS.

Kalyany Steele, Gymnastics, UCLA

A star on the bars, Steele is a junior at UCLA with a career-high score of 9.925 in the bars event. An English major with a Creative Writing concentration, she’s excited to improve her writing with JWS.

Abigail Forbes, Tennis, UCLA

A junior at UCLA, Forbes was most recently named the Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year and Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year with Jada Hart. One of her relatives is Karina LeBlanc, the former professional soccer player who was recently named general manager of the Portland Thorns. Forbes, who has an interest in business, will work with JWS on money-making opportunities.

Logan Eggleston, Volleyball, Texas

A junior at Texas, Eggleston was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Year in 2020. With an interest in sports media, Eggleston is eyeing a career in broadcasting and will work with JWS on a multitude of projects.

Erica Sullivan, Swimming, Texas

Sullivan is no stranger to JWS, having already made an appearance on the Just Women’s Sports Podcast. A freshman at Texas, Sullivan won an Olympic silver medal in the 1500m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics this past summer. With a passion for film, Sullivan is interested in exploring the bigger picture for women in sports.

US skiing icon Lindsey Vonn is officially back, clinching her spot on Team USA's 2026 Winter Olympics roster this week behind stellar recent performances on the sport's World Cup tour.

The 41-year-old made headlines two weekends ago when she became the oldest Alpine Ski World Cup winner since the circuit's 1967 inception, taking first in the downhill race in St. Moritz, Switzerland on December 12th — her 83rd World Cup victory.

"Every single thing that I could do to be faster, I did," said Vonn after winning the downhill event. "And now, now this is what happens. You get the reward."

Vonn is continuing to rack up the rewards, claiming podium finishes in four of the five total races she's competed in so far this season, earning another second-place downhill finish in St. Moritz before taking third in both downhill and the Super G in Val-d'Isère, France, last weekend.

As for her fifth World Cup race, Vonn clocked in at a still-impressive fourth.

"Four podiums in five races, I couldn't really be any happier," the Olympic gold medalist said in response.

Those finishes have the US ski legend sitting at No. 1 in the World Cup downhill standings and No. 3 in the Super-G — with her downhill ranking putting her far enough ahead to guarantee Vonn one of the four Team USA roster spots at the 2026 Olympics.

"Lindsey qualifying for the 2026 Olympic team is a testament to her resilience and dedication," said US Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, confirming Vonn's Team USA qualification in a Tuesday statement. "She's proven once again that elite performance isn't just about past success, it's about rising to the moment, race after race."

Success spurs Vonn to extend final competitive season

Returning to competitive skiing in November 2024 following her retirement in February 2019, Vonn spent part of her five-year hiatus undergoing and recovering from a titanium knee replacement that ultimately returned her to the slopes.

Though Vonn previously planned to retire immediately after February's Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, she's now setting her sights on completing the World Cup circuit in March — though that will officially be the end of the road for the US icon.

"I feel like I'm rolling the dice enough as it is, being 41 and putting myself through this," Vonn told The Athletic. "So this is a one-season, final season."

That said, she'll look to add to her trio of Olympic medals before hanging up her competitive skis.

"For Cortina, things are looking pretty f—ing awesome."

The No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks are calling in roster reinforcements, announcing Monday that French forward Alicia Tournebize will join the NCAA basketball team after the holidays.

"Alicia has an incredible skill set and basketball IQ," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said in a news release. "She has great touch around the rim, can shoot it out to the 3-point line and is a shot blocker."

While they've only dropped one game so far this season, the Gamecocks' roster has been running thin due to injuries — including losing star forward Chloe Kitts to a season-ending ACL injury in October.

With the continued absence of forward Ashlyn Watkins, who is out this season as she continues to rehab a January ACL tear, South Carolina has suffered additional temporary roster losses this month as injuries forced forward Madina Okot and guard Agot Makeer into concussion protocol.

Though Okot, who is currently averaging a double-double, returned to play last Thursday, Makeer remains out, as the Gamecocks and their traditionally deep bench continue a 2025/26 campaign that's seen just three games played with a healthy 10-player roster.

The midseason signing of Tournebize will add both depth and height to bolster South Carolina, as the 6-foot-7 freshman rivals Chicago Sky forward Kamilla Cardoso as one of Staley's tallest-ever players.

The 18-year-old daughter of French basketball Hall of Famer Isabelle Fijalkowski — one of the inaugural WNBA players for the Cleveland Rockers — is already making a name for herself in Europe, leading the France's youth squad in both scoring and rebounding as they claimed bronze at last summer's 2025 FIBA U18 EuroBasket.

Tournebize also packs professional experience, coming to Columbia from French club Tango Bourges Basket.

The young star will likely make her NCAA debut as South Carolina kicks off SEC conference play in early 2026.

Monday's AP Top 25 Poll featured few dramatics, as the Week 8 tally reflected another consistent slate from the 2025/26 NCAA basketball elite with only one shift in the Top 10 and marginal movement at the bottom.

Undefeated TCU keeps making gains, rising one spot to tie Oklahoma at No. 8 after taking down Big 12 foe Kansas State 77-55 behind senior guard Olivia Miles's 29-point performance on Saturday.

On the other hand, a 90-64 loss to No. 1 UConn on Saturday saw Iowa skid three spots, with the now-No. 14 Hawkeyes falling to a 1-2 record against ranked opponents this season.

Outside the relatively stationary Top 10, some blue chip programs are threatening to exit the AP Poll entirely after dropping ranked games last weekend.

Baylor experienced the greatest slide, dropping seven spots to No. 22 after falling 61-60 to Big 12 rival and rankings newcomer No. 21 Texas Tech on Sunday — the Bears' third loss in their season's four ranked games so far.

Tennessee saw a similar dip, plummeting six spots to No. 23 after losing to a surging No. 13 Louisville 89-65 on Saturday.

How to watch Top 25 NCAA basketball this week

The ranked action returns on Sunday, as No. 4 UCLA visits No. 19 Ohio State at 2 PM ET, live on the Big Ten Network.

2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 8

1. UConn (12-0, Big East)
2. Texas (14-0, SEC)
3. South Carolina (12-1, SEC)
4. UCLA (11-1, Big Ten)
5. LSU (13-0, SEC)
6. Michigan (10-1, Big Ten)
7. Maryland (13-0, Big Ten)
T8. TCU (13-0, Big 12)
T8. Oklahoma (12-1, SEC)
10. Iowa State (13-0, Big 12)
11. Kentucky (12-1, SEC)
12. Vanderbilt (12-0, SEC)
13. Louisville (12-3, ACC)
14. Iowa (10-2, Big Ten)
15. Ole Miss (12-2, SEC)
16. UNC (11-3, ACC)
17. USC (9-3, Big Ten)
18. Notre Dame (9-2, ACC)
19. Ohio State (11-1, Big Ten)
20. Nebraska (12-0, Big Ten)
21. Texas Tech (14-0, Big 12)
22. Baylor (11-3, Big 12)
23. Tennessee (8-3, SEC)
24. Michigan State (11-1, Big Ten)
25. Princeton (12-1, Ivy)

USWNT star Catarina Macario could be on the move, with ESPN reporting Monday that numerous interested NWSL teams may make a play for the 26-year-old Chelsea FC forward in 2026.

Macario's contract with the reigning six-time WSL champions expires on July 1st, though FIFA regulations allow her to sign with a new club as early as January, with other European clubs expected to join hopeful NWSL teams in the race.

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Despite leading the USWNT with eight goals in 2025, Macario did not dress for Chelsea's recent UWCL league-phase finale against Wolfsburg last week, with the attacker starting just six of the Blues' 11 WSL matches so far this season.

Should an NWSL club make an offer, its viability could hinge on the league's current salary cap dispute, with the Board of Governors suggesting the adoption of a "High Impact Player" rule to help teams keep or attract big names.

However, the NWSL Players Association came out against the mechanism last week, pushing instead to raise the overall cap to match any potential special relief.

Though a Macario NWSL deal is mere speculation at the moment, leagues on both sides of the Atlantic are beginning to grapple with the demands of retaining or drawing top talent in the increasingly competitive — and expensive — global women's game.