The NCAA announced last week that it was providing eligibility relief to all spring-sport student athletes whose seasons were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. And while the NCAA will allow universities to temporarily exceed their scholarship limit to account for returning players and incoming freshmen, it’s been left to the individual universities to decide how much financial aid they give out to players who come back. Just Women’s Sports spoke with three senior athletes who now have to decide if they’ll return for a final year do-over. 

What are your thoughts on the NCAA approving an extra year of eligibility?

“I think it’s great that the NCAA has granted an extra year of eligibility because athletes had put a lot of hard work into their 2020 seasons, and it was heartbreaking for them to not be able to compete. I think many people don’t understand the amount of work that goes into a full season of training. We have been training every day (and sometimes twice a day) since September, preparing for the moment when we get to step on the field in the spring and compete for a conference and NCAA championship. I am glad that spring-sport athletes get another chance to finish what they started.” — Genesis Lucero, Stanford Lacrosse

“I had kind of expected the NCAA to grant us another year before the decision was officially made. I mean, we were so early into our season when everything was canceled that it almost felt necessary for spring-sport athletes to get that year back. Ultimately, I’m very grateful the NCAA felt that same way and has decided to do what’s best for student athletes.” — Hope Anhut, USC Lacrosse 

“It was definitely a hard decision for the NCAA to make, but at the end of the day, I think it’s what’s best for the students. Not being able to end your career the way you had always hoped, especially after years in the making, was really hard for seniors to grapple with in the midst of an already horrific pandemic. So just allowing athletes another year to play the sport that they love, at least for me, has given me hope and something to work towards in this horrible time. It is a silver lining, if you will.” — Kyra Pelton, Stanford Lacrosse

Do you plan to take advantage of the extra year?

“I do plan to come back to Stanford to play my final season while pursuing a master’s degree. It was an easy decision for me, especially since I feel like I have some unfinished business on the field.” — Genesis Lucero

“I would absolutely love to return to USC for another year, but I have a job lined up for after graduation. I’m hoping that my company will be flexible and grant me the ability to join them a year late, but if not I’ll have to weigh both options and decide which is best for my future.” — Hope Anhut

“For me, I was already planning on staying in school for a master’s program in mechanical engineering with a product design concentration. I already applied to grad schools and was accepted at Stanford and a few other schools. I definitely want to remain at Stanford to complete my fifth year, but it will all come down to scholarship details. I hope it works out. I would love one last go around to show what Stanford lacrosse is really made of.” — Kyra Pelton

What are you hearing from your teammates in terms of their plans?

“In talking through the next steps with my teammates, the biggest concern is whether or not Stanford will honor our scholarships for a fifth-year. The NCAA has provided eligibility, which is half the battle. The other half is decided by the individual schools. For my teammates hoping to come back and play this next season, their decisions could be based on the financial aid that Stanford is willing to provide since the NCAA stated that the schools do not have to match the scholarships for these athletes coming back to play. I truly hope that Stanford will make the right decision for their spring programs.” — Genesis Lucero

“The thoughts of my teammates have been varied. I think there’s this mentality for your entire senior year that this is the last go around and you grow accustomed to that reality — some girls might be fine with that regardless of how the season went and want to move on. Others might want to take the year to explore a new school, and we obviously fully support them in that as well. And finally there are some of us that are sure about returning to USC or who are definitely considering it. We’re all just kind of waiting for more information to be available regarding academics, scholarships, and how next year will go. Until then, we won’t be able to make definitive choices.” — Hope Anhut

“About 50% of our senior class is committed to the idea of returning to Stanford next season. That being said, nothing is definitive yet. We are all waiting to hear what Stanford has to say about scholarships, as the discretion of individual scholarships is up to them. The financial side of things is still up in the air for a lot of players. Because unlike fall sports, where a fifth-year means only paying for one semester or quarter of school, playing out another season for a spring sport means committing to another full year of tuition. And Stanford is one of the most expensive schools in the country. So at the end of the day, everyone’s individual decision will probably come down to the kind of scholarship options we get.” — Kyra Pelton

Stakes are sky-high for Wednesday night's Cy-Hawk Series clash, as undefeated No. 10 Iowa State welcomes unbeaten No. 11 Iowa to Ames for the highest-ranked NCAA women's basketball matchup in the cross-state rivalry's history.

"[If] you grew up in the state, just there's nothing like it," Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said of the historic series. "You've dreamed, you've watched those big football matchups when you're little, you watched the basketball games when you were little, and to get to be in one — boy, it doesn't get much better."

"[It's] one of those things where it truly is a rivalry, because teams [go] back and forth and have their streaks and wins and losses," echoed Cyclones boss Bill Fennelly.

The red-hot Hawkeyes enter Wednesday's game with the head-to-head advantage having won three straight against the Cyclones — and eight of the last nine in the series.

That said, the Cyclones have the nation's leading scorer on their side, with junior center Audi Crooks's 27.6 points per game showcasing unmatched efficiency in the 2025/26 NCAA season.

"Audi's tough," Jensen said about the Iowa State star. "She's just really, really incredible…. When you let her get it, she's pretty accurate."

How to watch Iowa vs. Iowa State in the 2025 Cy-Hawk Series

The No. 11 Hawkeyes will visit the No. 10 Cyclones in the 2025 edition of the Cy-Hawk Series at 7 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.

The Washington Spirit are all in on forward Trinity Rodman, with club GM Nathan Minion telling reporters that the 2025 NWSL runners-up are working "pretty much daily" to re-sign the free agent despite salary cap concerns.

"I think everyone's trying to work together to get a deal in place," said Minion, acknowledging that the NWSL and the Spirit are actively working with each other to retain the 23-year-old star. "[We're] trying to figure this out and trying to get a resolution that can hopefully keep Trinity here with us for a long time."

"The reality is our current salary cap structure — it was built for a different era of women's soccer," said the DC club's recently hired president of soccer operations Haley Carter. "We're going to need mechanisms that allow NWSL clubs to compete for not only players from overseas, but our own players."

The NWSL vetoed the multi-million dollar offer from the Washington Spirit to keep Rodman last week, with the NWSLPA subsequently filing a grievance claiming the league violated the USWNT attacker's free agency rights by blocking the deal.

"These are nuanced conversations, and I would love to just toss the salary cap out the window and pay the players," said Carter. "But we also have to appreciate that, pragmatically, it isn't always payroll that's going to keep our athletes here. It's investment in other things as well."

"We are going to have to start getting creative, I believe, because it's bigger than just one team," continued Carter. "It's bigger than just one player. It's about the league's ability to keep its best players in this league as we continue to grow."

The NWSL transfer and hiring market is ramping up, with both the 14 existing clubs and two incoming expansion teams busy bolstering their 2026 ranks just weeks into the offseason.

Last week, Bay FC announced that England U-23 head coach Emma Coates will become the 2024 expansion club's second-ever manager, with fellow England youth national team and WSL staffer Gemma Davies joining Coates's NWSL crew as an assistant coach.

"I'm truly honored and super excited to build on the strong foundations that have already been established and to implement a clear identity both on and off the pitch," Coates said in Thursday's statement. "[Bay FC] shares my passion for people, performance, and culture, which I believe are fundamental to sustained success."

"Emma is not only an excellent coach, but she also has a proven track record of developing players to compete at the highest levels of both the domestic and international game," remarked Bay Collective CEO Kay Cossington. "Emma has consistently demonstrated an ability to bring players and teams to the next level with clarity, care and purpose. She understands what it takes to build environments where people thrive and perform at their best."

"Bay FC is gaining not only a great coach, but also someone that understands women's football and our athletes inside and out."

While Coates will wrap up her nearly three years at England's U-23 helm to join Bay FC in the coming days, three other NWSL teams are still searching for permanent sideline leaders this offseason, as the Kansas City Current, North Carolina Courage, and Portland Thorns continue to conduct coaching searches.

The Thorns joined the leaderless ranks in late November, parting ways with manager Rob Gale following the team's NWSL semifinals exit.

Reigning WNBA champion A'ja Wilson picked up yet another honor this week, as TIME crowned the four-time league MVP its 2025 Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.

The Las Vegas Aces center became the first player in WNBA history to win a championship, Finals MVP, league MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, with the 29-year-old sweeping the league's awards this year.

"This year, I collected everything," Wilson said in her TIME interview. "I don't really talk much sh-t — I mean crap. I kind of let my game do it."

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Wilson described the Aces' midseason slump as a focusing agent in her 2025 TIME Athlete of the Year feature, with the skid launching the team on course to their third championship win in four years.

"I think 2025 was a wake-up call that I needed, to let me know that I can't be satisfied with anything," said Wilson. "There's somebody out there that's going to try to take your job. You need to make sure you're great at it, every single day."

Wilson also spoke to the strained relationship between players and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, whose leadership came under fire in October as CBA negotiations kicked into high gear.

"I only know Cathy by when she hands me trophies," Wilson said. "If that's her true self, thank you for showing that. Thank you for saying those things. Because now we see you for who you are, and now we're about to work even harder at this negotiation."

With the latest CBA extension expiring on January 9th, Wilson promised that the players are all-in on negotiations through the holiday season.

“All of us are going to be at the table, and we're not moving until we get exactly what we want."