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NWSL 2023 mock draft: Projecting every first-round pick

Florida State’s Emily Madril is forgoing the rest of her NCAA eligibility. (Erin Chang/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

NWSL Draft day is nearly upon us, and all the players available to be selected have submitted their names.

A few picks appear to be set in stone, but more twists and turns that will shape the 2023 draft class may be awaiting us on Thursday night. Here’s a look at some of the top talent available, and how I think the first round of the draft could shake out.

No. 1: Angel City FC

Alyssa Thompson, F, Harvard-Westlake Prep

This pick is all but finalized, with multiple reports linking Thompson to Angel City after the Los Angeles club traded for the No. 1 pick last week. The 18-year-old officially registered for the draft the day after the trade, opting to go pro rather than attend Stanford. Thompson has huge upside, including the potential to become a USWNT mainstay for the next 15 years. With Angel City, she’ll be able to develop near home under the mentorship of players like Christen Press, Sydney Leroux and Simone Charley.

No. 2: Gotham FC

Michelle Cooper, F, Duke

Gotham needs goals: Enter Michelle Cooper. Cooper would likely be the No. 1 pick without Thompson’s surprise entry into professional soccer, and for good reason. The rising sophomore’s conversion rate in college was scorching, and she has intangibles in spades as the former captain of the USWNT U-20 squad. Inserting Cooper alongside Midge Purce and Ifeoma Onumonu could radically change Gotham’s fortunes in 2023.

No. 3: Orlando Pride

Jenna Nighswonger, M, Florida State

The Pride could go in many different directions with this pick, but they’ll be tempted to pick up Nighswonger, who has the ability to reshape the way the team moves the ball and connects with the attack. More than anything, Orlando’s progress in 2023 could hinge on shoring up the defense. If I were the Pride, I’d take a hard look at Emily Madril or Reyna Reyes, but I think Nighswonger will be too enticing to pass up.

No. 4: Racing Louisville

Emily Madril, D, Florida State

What Louisville should consider with this pick is an offer to change places with Orlando in front of them to ensure they grab Madril, who has Louisville youth connections. But if the Pride are assured in their decision to go for a playmaker, Madril to Louisville makes sense for both sides. The defender fills a major team need and is already familiar with the organization.

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NWSL prospect Penelope Hocking played for the U-23 USWNT this past year. (Amanda Loman/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

No. 5: Portland Thorns

Penelope Hocking, F, Penn State

The Thorns should go with an attacker at No. 5, no matter what. There’s a tempting toss-up between Hocking, Alexa Spaanstra and Izzy D’Aquila, though each player has slightly different playing profiles. D’Aquila has had one of the hotter seasons going into the draft, but Hocking is a known product at the U.S. youth levels and was a standout in two different college systems, first at USC and then at Penn State.

No. 6: North Carolina Courage

Alexa Spaanstra, F, Virginia

The Courage currently have three picks in the first round, which gives them some flexibility with their selections. North Carolina will have to figure out how to make up for the loss of Debinha’s output, and they may target a forward right away. Spaanstra is a versatile winger who could work well with Kerolin and former UVA teammate Diana Ordoñez.

No. 7: Chicago Red Stars

Sophie Jones, M, Duke

If Jones makes it to No. 7, Chicago fans will be one of the happiest groups coming out of the first round. Jones has the ability to set the tempo of a game, is a strong player off the ball and is coming off one of her best seasons as a senior. The Red Stars need to shore up their spine as much as they need to add playmakers, and Jones has the potential to be another great defensive midfielder in Chicago.

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Reyna Reyes has earned four caps with the Mexican women's national team. (John Blackie/USA TODAY Sports)

No. 8: Houston Dash

Reyna Reyes, D, Alabama

Reyes making it to No. 8 would be a gift to Houston. In this case, the Dash should be quick to select the best player available. It’s unclear exactly how new manager Sam Laity wants to progress the ball, but Reyes is an elite left back who can also play in the midfield and would bring versatility to the Dash that is difficult to defend.

No. 9: North Carolina Courage

Clara Robbins, M, Florida State

Robbins is a game-changer, and even though she’s only now making the jump to the pros, she’s got plenty of experience: The redshirt senior played 110 games in college, the second most in women’s college soccer history. The Courage are currently in the midst of a midfield rejuvenation project, and Robbins could be the perfect fit for their new system.

No. 10: Kansas City Current

Jyllissa Harris, D, South Carolina

With Kristen Edmonds off to Gotham FC, the Current need center-back depth, and Harris is one of the top prospects at the position. South Carolina conceded only 15 goals in 2022 with Harris as the cornerstone, and in an aggressive wingback system, the Current can use a defender with a calm head under pressure.

No. 11: North Carolina Courage

Messiah Bright, F, TCU

North Carolina could use this space for a defender, but with Kaleigh Kurtz’s contract extension and Abby Erceg’s retirement from international play, the Courage also have room to go all-in on attacking talent. Bright is a TCU standout with a consistent track record, having averaged a goal every other game throughout her college career.

No. 12: Portland Thorns

Summer Yates, M, Washington

For their second pick in the first round, the Thorns could stay relatively close to home. Summer Yates was a standout midfielder at the University of Washington, leading the team in goals and assists in 2022. As a hybrid attacking midfielder/forward, she could provide a spark when Portland’s internationals are away during the World Cup period.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

2025 NCAA Softball Kicks Off as Oklahoma Hunts 5th-Straight World Series Win

Oklahoma and Texas line up on the softball field before the second game of the 2024 Women's College World Series.
Oklahoma will pursue their fifth-straight NCAA softball title this season. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

College softball is back, with a new-look Oklahoma team kicking off the 2025 NCAA season in pursuit of a fifth-straight Women's College World Series win.

Despite Oklahoma's ongoing dominance, 2025's lineup does promise significantly higher parity than seasons past.

Having graduated a number of last year's stars — including a senior class that snagged four straight national titles — the Sooners enter the season ranked third.

Instead, 2024 runner-up Texas takes the top spot, followed by perennial contenders Florida at No. 2. Both teams enter 2025 with the majority of their rosters from last season intact, earning them an edge over the revamped Sooners.

Texas star catcher Reese Atwood blasts a double during a 2024 NCAA Softball Regional game against Northwestern.
Star slugger Reese Atwood is back to lead the Texas softball offense. (David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Texas on top as SEC looms

Still hunting a first national championship, Texas returns with six starters and four of their five 2024 pitchers — including then-freshman phenom Teagan Kavan, who led the team with 20 wins last year.

Meanwhile, last season's Big 12 Player of the Year, junior catcher Reese Atwood, is back to lead the Longhorn offense.

After joining rival Oklahoma in flipping to the SEC this year, Texas is gearing up to meet their new conference foes with the No. 1 target on their backs.

"It's a great honor, to tell you the truth," Texas head coach Mike White said about the preseason ranking. "And now we got to back it up. We’ve had a team that's been called young in the years past, and now we're a little more mature."

"We have a tough slate of games ahead of us, and then, of course, the gauntlet of the SEC is ahead of us," White noted. "We’ve really just got to go play good softball now."

The impact of conference realignment will extend beyond the SEC this season. The sport's historic dynasty No. 6 UCLA is now competing in the Big Ten while No. 4 Oklahoma State is taking over the top spot in the Big 12 rankings.

Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady winds up from the circle during a 2024 NCAA Softball Super Regionals game against LSU.
A $1 million NIL deal convinced 2024 National Player of the Year NiJaree Canady to transfer to Texas Tech. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

2025 NCAA softball season takes the field

As multiple teams travel to warm-weather destinations to start the season, the first week of competition showcases a slate of top-ranked matchups.

With a top-tier win already in the books, No. 4 Oklahoma State opened their 2025 campaign with a bang at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on Thursday. Buoyed by a trio of home runs, the Cowgirls handed No. 12 Florida State a 9-6 loss.

Waiting on deck at this week's NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida, are two ranked games featuring superstar pitchers.

First, No. 16 Nebraska ace Jordy Bahl — a two-time NCAA champion with Oklahoma — will likely take the circle against No. 5 Tennessee on Thursday. If she gets the start, it will mark her first game in nearly a year, as the Cornhusker transfer suffered a season-ending ACL injury in last year's opener.

Then on Friday, a revamped No. 10 Texas Tech side will face No. 25 Mississippi State, with former Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady likely leading the charge.

The 2024 National Player of the Year transferred after her sophomore season with the Cardinal, as Texas Tech sealed the deal via a record-shattering $1 million NIL contract.

Oklahoma softball pitcher Jordy Bahl winds up during the 2023 Women's College World Series against Florida State.
Star transfer Jordy Bahl is back with Nebraska softball after missing 2024 play with an ACL tear. (Grace Bradley/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's Top 25 NCAA softball games

Look for Bahl to lead No. 16 Nebraska against No. 5 Tennessee at 7 PM ET on Thursday, before No. 25 Mississippi State will contend with Canady and No. 10 Texas Tech at 5 PM ET on Friday.

Both games will stream live on the GameChanger app.

Unrivaled Basketball Drops 1v1 Tournament Bracket

Napheesa Collier and Stefanie Dolson tip off an Unrivaled basketball game.
The winner of the Unrivaled 1v1 tournament will earn $200,000 in prize money. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball's 1v1 tournament is fast approaching,​ with the offseason league dropping the competition's official bracket on Wednesday.

The head-to-head showdown tips off on Monday, February 10th, with the semifinals and three-game final series all tipping off on Friday, February 14th. 

Fan votes determined the seeding for the debut league's first-ever in-season tournament. Those ballots gave the Mist's Jewell Loyd and Vinyl's Arike Ogunbowale first-round byes, moving them straight into Tuesday's quarterfinal round.

Meanwhile, the other 28 competitors have four rounds to overcome to claim the trophy — not to mention $200,000 in prize money.

Breaking down the Unrivaled 1v1 bracket

Some early battles will be tougher than others, as Unrivaled co-founder and current scoring leader Napheesa Collier takes on fellow UConn alum Katie Lou Samuelson. The winner of that matchup then faces either Jackie Young or Rickea Jackson.

Collier's fellow co-founder Breanna Stewart — also a UConn product — drew 2024 UConn standout Aaliyah Edwards in Monday's first round. The winner subsequently earns a second-round date against either Marina Mabrey or Kate Martin.

Despite her first-round bye, Ogunbowale's bracket quadrant appears to be a gauntlet.

The guard will first battle either fellow Notre Dame alum Skylar Diggins-Smith, who has four game-winners under her belt so far this season, or Vinyl teammate Dearica Hamby.

The Olympic 3×3 bronze medalist trails only Collier and Laces star Kayla McBride on Unrivaled's score sheet, averaging 21.2 points per game. Additionally, Hamby's 10.4 rebounding average has her sitting fourth in the league.

Should they advance, either McBride or Satou Sabally will await Ogunbowale in the quarterfinals.

Ultimately, every matchup is stacked considering the star-studded league's depth.

"I just want the top dawgs to knock each other out," joked Courtney Williams ahead of her own first-round clash with Tiffany Hayes, with the winner set to square off against either Rhyne Howard or Lexie Hull.

"[If] your shot's falling, really anyone can win 1v1," she continued. "It's all about who figured it out in that moment."

An official game ball rests on the Unrivaled basketball court in Miami, Florida.
The three-day 1v1 tournament will tip off on Monday. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

How to watch next week's Unrivaled 1v1 tournament

The inaugural contest's first round tips off at 2 PM ET on Monday, with live coverage on truTV. The evening session begins at 7 PM ET on TNT.

Both the second round and quarterfinals will air on truTV starting at 7 PM ET on Tuesday, with the semifinals and finals taking over both truTV and TNT on Friday beginning at 7:30 PM ET.

No. 1 UCLA Downs No. 8 OSU in Top 10 NCAA Basketball Action

UCLA center Lauren Betts lifts a shot over Ohio State during Wednesday's Big Ten basketball game.
UCLA center Lauren Betts registered 19 points and 14 rebounds in Wednesday's win. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

No. 1 UCLA added another Top 10 NCAA basketball win to their 2024/25 resume on Wednesday, tallying their second of the season after holding off Big Ten foe No. 8 Ohio State 65-52.

Despite Buckeye freshman Jaloni Cambridge's game-leading 21 points, Ohio State fell to a tough UCLA defense. The Bruins clamped down in the second and fourth quarters, relinquishing just 18 points to the Buckeyes across those two periods.

Meanwhile, UCLA junior Lauren Betts continued her National Player of the Year campaign, scoring a team-high 19 points plus 14 rebounds after clinching the double-double before the first-half buzzer.

Star junior guard Gabriela Jaquez narrowly trailed Betts, posting 17 points to help push UCLA over the line.

The victory marks a program-record 22nd consecutive win for the still-undefeated Bruins — their longest winning streak since 1978.

"I told the team after the game that these games are fun when they're close," Jaquez said afterwards. "This might have been one of the first games where it got close."

Top 10 NCAA upset rattles the Big 12

Wednesday didn't pan out as smoothly in the Big 12, where No. 12 Kansas State upset No. 9 TCU 59-50 in the Wildcats' first Top 10 win of the season. The victory broke the pair's tie atop the conference standings, putting Kansas State firmly in control of the Big 12.

While the Wildcat defense stifled TCU top scorers Sedona Prince and Hailey Van Lith, holding them to a respective 14 and 10 points, Kansas State senior Serena Sundell showed out on offense. The guard scored a season-high 27 points — 15 of which came during the Wildcats' third-quarter surge.

"[Sundell] lived at the rim," TCU head coach Mark Campbell told reporters after the game. "She absolutely destroyed us in the post. She just shot layups and layups and layups. That's what makes her unique is she's a 6-foot-2 versatile playmaker.... We didn't have an answer for that one."

UConn guard Azzi Fudd controls the ball against Tennessee during the rivals' 2022 basketball game.
Tennessee hosts historic rival UConn in a Top 20 matchup tonight. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

How to watch Top 20 NCAA basketball on Thursday

The NCAA action continues with historic rivals No. 5 UConn taking on No. 19 Tennessee at 6:30 PM ET tonight. That's when Paige Bueckers and the Huskies will take aim at Jewel Spear and the Vols, with live coverage on ESPN.

USWNT Star Midge Purce Signs One-Year NWSL Contract Extension with Gotham

Gotham winger Midge Purce holds the ball before a set piece during a March 2024 NWSL match.
Purce earned NWSL Championship MVP with Gotham in 2023. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

USWNT attacker Midge Purce re-signed with Gotham FC on a one-year deal Wednesday. The move quieted speculation about the star's future with the club.

The 29-year-old announced her return in classic fashion. She simply adding a two-word quote to Gotham's press release on Wednesday: "I'm back."

Purce played a major role in Gotham's 2023 title-winning run. She earned NWSL Championship MVP honors after assisting on both goals in NJ/NY's trophy-clinching match. However, she was sidelined for much of the subsequent season — her fifth at Gotham — after a late March 2024 ACL tear.

"Midge brings a number of great qualities to our team, and her dynamism and experience are great additions to our talented attacking group," Gotham GM Yael Averbuch West said in a statement. "We are very excited to welcome her back into the mix."

Purce signing helps ease Gotham's 2025 concerns

Securing the striker eases some fears about Gotham's plans for 2025. This offseason saw a number of high-profile exits including USWNT stars Lynn Biyendolo (née Williams), Crystal Dunn, Jenna Nighswonger, among others.

"We fully understand our journey won't always follow a straight path, and we are realistic about the time, fortitude, and effort required to achieve our goals," Averbuch West recently told fans in an open letter.

"I know this offseason has been a time of uncertainty for our fans, and I want you to know we've worked tirelessly to build a team you’ll be excited to stand behind in 2025 and every season after."

Ultimately, Purce's return rounds out a still-solid Gotham squad. Of course, the roster remains punctuated by USWNT mainstays Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett, and Tierna Davidson.

The team is currently in Spain for preseason training. They'll play a pair of closed-door scrimmages before returning to New Jersey to kick off the 2025 NWSL season.

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