The Tokyo Olympics were by no means a failure for Team USA in the pool, though it might look that way at first glance.

While the women’s overall medal count increased from 16 to 18 — thanks in part to the addition of the women’s 1500-meter freestyle — the overall gold medal count decreased to just three — in large part due to Australia’s return to dominance. And while in past Olympics, Team USA consistently produced the breakout swimmer(s) of each Olympics (Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel, Missy Franklin, etc.), this year, that title undeniably belonged to Australia’s Ariarne Titmus.

Ariarne Titmus made major waves in Tokyo for Team Australia! 🇦🇺

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🥉 pic.twitter.com/oAKYq3G2oN

— MySwimPro (@MySwimPro) August 10, 2021

In total, Australia won 14 medals — but eight of them were gold.

That doesn’t mean it’s time to hit the panic button for Team USA. While the U.S. didn’t dominate the top of the podium as many are used to, there are plenty of reasons to believe that USA Swimming’s future is bright.

There’s more depth than ever before

Anyone who has watched a collegiate conference meet understands the importance of depth to winning a championship. Even in an ‘individual’ sport like swimming, teams that have depth are simply more successful. This held true in Tokyo, where at this year’s Olympics, there were six events in which the U.S. women got two swimmers on the podium. That’s the most since 1984.

These included events in which, five years ago, the United States failed to medal at all.

The women’s 200-meter breaststroke in Tokyo saw Annie Lazor and Lilly King make the podium. In Rio, King didn’t even make the top eight, placing 12th overall. Fellow American Molly Hannis placed 16th.

In the 200-meter butterfly, the U.S. had no medalists five years. But Regan Smith and Hali Flickinger grabbed silver and bronze, respectively, in Tokyo.

Don’t forget the up-and-comers

All things considered, the USA Swimming team in Tokyo was exceptionally young. Of the 26-person roster, 10 were teenagers. While facing your first Olympics at such a young age can lead to a lot of pressure, many responded well.

Katie Grimes placed fourth in the 800-meter freestyle at just 15-years-old. Torri Huske, at 18, finished one one-hundredth of a second away from a bronze medal in the 100-meter butterfly. 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby could very well be the future of American sprint breaststroke. Bella Sims, who made the Olympic Team on the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, could very well qualify individually in the 200-meter freestyle in 2024.

There are also some that didn’t even make the team but had a strong showing at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha. Gretchen Walsh — the younger sister of Olympic silver-medalist Alex Walsh — finished fifth in the 50 free in a time of 24.74, just off of her personal best. As she heads to college at Virginia alongside her sister, look for her to make strides and potentially make the team in Paris.

This younger generation is poised for success. As Women’s Olympic team coach Greg Meehan pointed out, their experience in Tokyo bodes well for 2024, where these athletes will already have an idea as to how to manage the pressure of the Olympics.

“It is exciting with such a young team,” Meehan told the Washington Post. “But the one thing you’re going to know from the United States is no one is just going to let them walk to their spot in 2024. They’re going to have to earn it.

The best can be even better

Bad meets can happen. And while this was by no means a “bad meet” for the U.S., some of the very best swimmers were not performing at the levels that they are capable of.

Part of that can be attributed to the Covid pandemic, as even the world’s best swimmers struggled to find ideal training conditions. Additionally, the toll the pandemic took on athlete’s mental health has been vast and should not be understated. It can be difficult to train without an end goal in sight. And a year ago, many of these athletes had no idea if the Olympics would even happen.

Consider both Regan Smith and Simone Manuel. Smith is the world record holder in the 200-meter backstroke. She failed to even qualify for the event in Tokyo. And while she had a strong 100-meter backstroke showing, it was still off of her best. But she did shine in the 200-meter butterfly, grabbing silver and showing that she could still reach her potential on the biggest stage in Tokyo.

Then there’s Manuel, the Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter freestyle and silver medalist in the 50-meter freestyle in Rio. Manuel failed to qualify for the final of the 100-meter freestyle at Olympic Trials back in June. She later revealed that she had been suffering from overtraining syndrome, which caused her to take some time out of the pool. Despite this, the Olympic champion was included on the 4×100-meter freestyle relay in Tokyo, and she delivered. She was one of two swimmers, alongside Abbey Weitzel, who swam under 53 seconds for the United States en route to bronze. While she’s capable of much faster, it was a promising performance for one of Team USA’s best sprinters.

There’s also something to be said for the improvements made by both Flickinger and King. Their stories should be cause for hope among those who finished just outside of medal contention in Tokyo, such as Rhyan White in the 200-meter backstroke.

Some of Team USA’s swimmers are at the beginning of their career. Some are in the middle. And some are at the end. And while the team’s performance in Tokyo may not have been as dominant as it has in year’s past, there’s still plenty of reason to believe that the best is still ahead for the women’s swimming team.

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.