NEW YORK — Cathy Engelbert spent her Monday in an unfamiliar position.

After overseeing the last two WNBA Drafts from her home in New Jersey amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the WNBA commissioner traversed New York City with the prospects and their families Monday morning before calling players’ names and greeting them live on stage in a bustling, intimate draft room. As the selections were made from Spring Studios in TriBeCa, the top of the Empire State Building shone bright orange in honor of the WNBA’s signature color and courtesy of a lighting ceremony with Engelbert and New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney earlier in the day.

Engelbert, entering her third full season as commissioner, embraced the opportunity to send the players into the next phase of their basketball careers with an in-person celebration.

“I get to see and shake hands and hug these players who, as I call them to have them attend the draft tonight, you hear things like, ‘You’re making my dreams come true,’ and you hear things like, ‘It’s an honor. It’s a real honor,’” she said.

“I can see a lot of really powerhouse marketing storytelling opportunities amongst this group. They really have personality.”

Not everyone who heard their name called early in the draft had the chance to shake Engelbert’s hand. The surprises began as early as the sixth pick of the night, when the Indiana Fever selected Stanford guard Lexie Hull, a player many mock drafts had going in the second or third round. Hull was not in attendance Monday, as one of seven players taken before all the prospects who were invited to New York City came off the board.

The draft shake-ups are especially notable this season, when even fewer draftees are expected to make WNBA rosters due to salary cap limitations. The Minnesota Lynx got out ahead of their current roster restrictions Sunday, trading two picks to the Las Vegas Aces in favor of future selections.

From the risers to the fallers, we break down the biggest surprises of draft night.

Lexie Hull: Indiana Fever, No. 6

Given the trades and draft-board maneuvering that ensued in the days leading up to the draft, there were bound to be a few shockers on Monday night. I’m not sure anyone, however, expected it to come this early and this forcefully.

Hull was a standout four-year player at Stanford, helping them win a national championship her junior year and playing some of her best basketball this past year as a senior. She is a lengthy guard at 6-foot-1 and brings scrappy defense and efficient 3-point shooting, but there are questions as to how her game will translate to the speed and physicality of the WNBA.

The Fever had four picks in the first round and seven overall. Could they have waited and scooped up Hull at No. 10 or No. 20? It’s possible — JWS analyst Rachel Galligan had Hull going 16th to the Los Angeles Sparks in her mock draft — but if the Fever wanted her that badly, they avoided the risk by taking her early and still managed to get a potential steal in South Carolina guard Destanni Henderson at No. 20.

Mya Hollingshed: Las Vegas Aces, No. 8
Kierstan Bell: Las Vegas Aces, No. 11

For as long as the odds seemed for Hull to go off the board in the first round, the chances (based on projections) were slimmer for Hollingshed. A third-round pick on JWS’ mock draft, the Colorado scoring star appealed to Aces general manager Natalie Williams because of her ceiling and her fit in first-year head coach Becky Hammon’s offense.

Hammon has said she wants to stretch the floor with a high-pace and high-volume shooting attack. So, after acquiring the No. 8 and No. 13 picks from the Lynx on Sunday, the Aces went out to add length, athleticism and shooting ability to their roster. They liked Hollingshed enough to avoid the risk that she might not fall to them at No. 11.

“Mya Hollingshed is not only an incredible athlete, but her 3-point shooting is hard to come by,” Williams said. “The coaches, the staff, everybody’s super happy.”

The Aces got a bit of a surprise themselves when the draft came back around to them and Florida Gulf Coast guard Kierstan Bell, who was a projected top-five pick in many mock drafts, was still available with the 11th pick. Bell said afterward that she, too, was surprised she was heading to Las Vegas since she hadn’t talked to the team’s staff during the pre-draft process.

Christyn Williams: Washington Mystics, No. 14

The Mystics have a case for being the ultimate winners of the draft. After trading away the No. 1 pick for the third and 14th selections and a 2023 first-round pick, the Mystics took Ole Miss center/forward Shakira Austin, a player they believed was good enough to go No. 1, and Williams in the second round.

Washington coach and general manager Mike Thibault didn’t hide his excitement after the draft, indicating that the Mystics believe they got a steal in Williams. The 5-foot-11 guard was a top scorer at UConn during her four-year career and has traits — speed in transition, ball-handling and long-range shooting — that should translate immediately to the pro level.

“Christyn Williams is the kind of player that we were hoping would be at the 14th pick when we made the trade,” Thibault said. “She is an effective offensive player both on and off the ball. She can create her own shot and get good shots for her teammates. She can also defend all three perimeter positions. This is an exciting pick for us.”

Naz Hillmon: Atlanta Dream, No. 15

Hillmon heard the knocks on her size and offensive skill set as a post player entering the draft. One of the all-time greats at Michigan, Hillmon didn’t let the criticisms or the outcome faze her as she fell out of the first round and to Atlanta with the third pick of the second round.

“This has been a dream of mine for a very long time. So just being picked up by a team, for somebody to believe in me, first round, third round, I’m excited to be where I’m at,” she said from the podium in New York.

Hillmon acknowledged that while she can’t change her 6-foot-2 height, she will continue to expand her game to be able to compete with physical bigs in the WNBA. She worked on her footwork and outside shooting during her four years at Michigan, where she became the first player in program history — men’s or women’s — to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career. Hillmon’s motor and tenacity on the boards are unquestioned, and the rebuilding Dream walked away Monday night feeling pretty good about their selections of Hillmon and top pick Rhyne Howard.

“Everything is motivation. I could have been picked No. 1 and I still would have been motivated to get better, to perfect my craft,” Hillmon said. “I wouldn’t say disappointed, but always ready to work.”

Hannah Withiam is the Managing Editor at Just Women’s Sports. She previously served as an editor at The Athletic and a reporter at the New York Post. Follow her on Twitter @HannahWithiam.

A feeling of quiet exuberance pervaded Gotham FC's postgame press conference on Sunday. It came on the heels of the No. 8 Bats bouncing No. 1 Kansas City, the winningest team in NWSL history, from the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

Despite competing for a top-four finish up until the regular season finale, the New York/New Jersey side slid into the postseason as the lowest-seeded contender — but that was before they pulled off the ultimate upset against the league's best.

"Underdog, my ass — we are not an underdog," Gotham forward Jaedyn Shaw said with a wry smile, taking the mic to discuss the team's belief in one another.

She answered the postgame questions with the same level of confidence as she played, registering both the opening goal and an assist on Katie Stengel's extra-time game-winner. She impacted the match on levels, showing unfettered commitment to the club that made a million-dollar gamble on her midseason.

But Shaw hasn't always been as self-assured as Sunday's performance would bely. Her current tenacity on the pitch is a result of a non-linear journey back to playing with joy. And that's a factor she's always considered her superpower.

Shaw enters her New York era as Gotham picks up speed

Shaw is taking to city life like a natural, she told Just Women's Sports in the lull between the regular season and the playoffs. She found herself adjusting to the change of scenery in September, following a league-record transfer from the North Carolina Courage. It was a move she pursued after seeing her on-field progress stall in her first year in Cary.

"I definitely am a bit more of a city girl," the Dallas-area native said. "It's fun for this part of my life — I'm turning 21 this month. I just feel like my early 20s is going to be a fun era."

After months of uncertainty, Shaw's latest era appears to be in a complete upswing. After landing in North Carolina by way of the San Diego Wave, her playing time and attacking efficiency dwindled. But the 20-year-old has looked like a brand new player since making the jump to New Jersey. She scored in her first match against the Wave, and in October she returned to the ranks of the senior USWNT for the first time since April. 

Of course, her progress hasn't been lost on Gotham. The club recently signed Shaw to a contract extension through 2029.

"Everyone has been so welcoming to me and has made this place feel like home, and it's been a really easy transition for me," she said, days before her standout playoff performance.

Shaw's rising star takes flight in San Diego

One of the pioneers of the NWSL's U-18 entry mechanism, Shaw has always been comfortable following  where the game takes her. But growth isn't always linear, and Shaw faced setbacks that all young footballers battle early in their careers. She burst onto the scene in 2022 at the age of 17, looking like the Wave's next cornerstone creator and immediately gelling with USWNT superstar Alex Morgan. 

But things changed ahead of the 2025 season. San Diego made a swift coaching change, and Morgan rode off into the retirement sunset. That's when Shaw requested a move to the Courage. She wanted to play a higher-possession style that seemed to favor her instincts as a deep attacker or creative midfielder. 

However, Shaw's style and the Courage's philosophy fairly quickly proved not to be a good fit. She struggled to marry her desire for fearless attacking with the club's more methodical approach, seeing less and less playing time. After winning Olympic gold with the USWNT in 2024, Shaw fell out of senior team consideration during the summer. She didn't wait long to request another change.

Gotham took a gamble on Shaw — and it's paying off

Gotham set a new intra-league transfer record bringing Shaw in midseason, betting big on her ability to change the tempo. 

"The staff knew a little bit the way the first part of the season had gone for me as an individual," she said. "They really focused on the delivery of things towards me, making me feel really confident and comfortable in this environment." 

The Gotham locker room presented very few question marks, packed with Shaw's USWNT teammates like Midge Purce, Rose Lavelle, and Emily Sonnett, as well as youth level compatriots like Lilly Reale, Sofia Cook, and Sarah Schupansky. But not only did she find connection off the field, she also took to the faster pace and heightened creativity on the pitch.

"I have freedom once I get to a certain part of the field, playing with risk-takers like Rose and Midge and Esthér," said Shaw. She was impressed by her teammates' bravery in one-on-one situations, not losing confidence even if combinations don't work right away. And the coaching staff supports them all the way.

"Trying [something] again without hesitation and not getting screamed at or pulled off the field, feeling like someone's ready to come in and replace you after you make a mistake, is something that I really feel in this environment," Shaw explained.

And the feeling is mutual. "Jaedyn, for me, is definitely one of the best players in the world," Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amoros said on Sunday. He credited her rejection of the team's underdog status as a feeling that permeated his entire squad. 

"It's been so fun being a part of this club," Shaw told reporters. "We all knew that we were going to come into this game and give everything that we had."

Building a foundation as Shaw's USWNT ambitions rise

Shaw might have found immediate success, but she also stressed that her comfort at Gotham needs to be a foundation rather than a short burst of quality.

"I think this year has been a lot of mental growth," she said. "How do I weather storms? Recover from mistakes? Recover from losses? How do I recover from bad performances? That's the biggest thing for me, to continue growing as a player and a professional." 

She wants to keep excelling with the USWNT, whether at the U23 or senior level, and Gotham has her back there. "I feel like [Gotham's] goals align with mine," she said. "They know how important the national team is to me."

Gotham also knows that much of the club's success hinges their young star's willingness to maintain the mental edge that propelled her initial rise. 

"My style of play is very based on how I feel and how comfortable I am, how much I believe in myself, and confidence in the environment," she added.

Whether or not Shaw's resurgence can take Gotham all the way to their second NWSL championship is yet to be seen. But regardless, the dividends are already paying off for everyone involved.

"[Gotham's] brought me back to how I was when I was younger, the way that I trained and what got me to this place," Shaw said. "I feel like I'm playing with that joy, and that's really important to me."

The USA women's hockey team came out on top over the weekend, kicking off the four-game 2025 Rivalry Series against Canada by dominating their northern neighbors, outscoring them by an impressive 10-2 margin across the pair's first two games.

US forward Abbey Murphy emerged as a series star, scoring a natural hat trick in the team's 4-1 win in Cleveland on Thursday — the first three-goal turn by a USA player against Canada since team captain Hilary Knight did so at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship.

"I told [Murphy], 'You set the bar pretty high,'" said Knight, who added her own hat trick to the mix in Saturday's 6-1 victory in Buffalo.

"I love how we showed up," the 36-year-old continued. "We've been working like dogs since August and to get rewarded for our work, and see situations that we need to work on."

Notably, while the USA brought their entire 2025 world championship-winning roster to the first two Rivalry Series games, Canada chose to evaluate some fresh faces while resting a number of standout veterans, including their No. 1 goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens — a fact that should temper the sting of adding two big losses to their now four-game skid against the US.

With women's hockey taking over Milan at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, the last two 2025 Rivalry Series matchups will more likely see both sides testing their final rosters for Italy.

How to watch the final games in the 2025 Rivalry Series

Canada will welcome the USA for the last two matchups in the 2025 Rivalry Series, with the puck dropping in Edmonton, Alberta, at 9 PM ET for both the December 10th and 13th clashes.

Both games will air live on the NHL Network.

The LPGA is bringing star power to Florida this week, as a wealth of women's golf talent — and one basketball superstar — tee off at the 2025 edition of The ANNIKA.

Kicking off the event on Wednesday was the annual Pro-Am, with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark headlining the field for the second straight year.

World No. 2 golfer Nelly Korda once again joined Clark through her first nine holes, as Fever teammates Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull served as guest caddies.

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The four-day professional tournament will then tee off on Thursday, though current world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul will not be in attendance for the second year in a row.

Korda, however, will lead the charge to both defend her 2024 title and secure her first win of the 2025 LPGA season — as well as add to her full trio of trophies collected at The ANNIKA.

Four other Top-10 players will look to upend Korda's back-to-back bid, including No. 3 Miyu Yamashita, No. 6 Charley Hull, No. 9 Mao Saigo, and No. 10 Lottie Woad.

With the 2025 CMA Group Tour Championship capping the LPGA season later this month, The ANNIKA will also see golfers on the bubble — like US stars Rose Zhang and 2023 champion Lilia Vu — try to snag enough points to make the end-of-year tournament's final 60-player cut.

How to watch The ANNIKA 2025 LPGA tournament

Coverage of the fifth edition of The ANNIKA continues through Sunday, airing live on the Golf Channel.

The No. 3 UCLA Bruins rose to the occasion on Monday, looking like 2025/26 NCAA basketball championship contenders as they took down the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners 73-59 in Sacramento.

Utah transfer Gianna Kneepkens made the difference for the Bruins, leading all scorers with 20 points while opposing defenses limited both UCLA center Lauren Betts and Oklahoma big Raegan Beers to single digits.

Bruins forward Angela Dugalić also put up a standout performance, coming off the bench to score 16 points and snag 15 rebounds on Monday.

"There are so many weapons that I feel like it's hard for the defense to choose what to take away," Kneepkens said ahead of Monday's matchup. "What makes this team special is that any night could be someone's night."

Monday's clash with UCLA also served as the national broadcast debut of Oklahoma freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez, with the No. 1 high school basketball recruit seeing her first Top 10 NCAA matchup as a Sooner.

Chavez had a slow start against the experienced Bruins, registering 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds across her 32 minutes on the court.

How to watch UCLA basketball this week

The heat continues for No. 3 UCLA on Thursday, when the Bruins will host the No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels at 9 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.