American Gold Sports Alliance

Women's Sports

Caitlin Clark Makes History With 3,000 Career Points

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MADISON WILLIAMS | Sports Illustrated

Caitlin Clark made college basketball history on Wednesday, scoring her 3,000th point. Now, the Iowa superstar sits in a class all by herself.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark needed just 22 points when entering Wednesday’s game vs. Iowa State to make NCAA Division I basketball history.

In the third quarter, Clark hit a three-pointer to score her 3,002nd point in her Iowa career.

The shot made her the first basketball player, either men’s or women’s, in NCAA Division I history to record 3,000 points along with at least 750 rebounds and 750 assists. She is the 15th player in NCAA history to hit at least 3,000 points.

It was fitting that Clark reached this historical mark in Ames, Iowa, which is just 41 miles from her home town of Des Moines.

Clark has never won at Iowa State in her career. But, since she was at an opposing arena, the crowd wasn’t as electric for her accomplishment than if she was at home.

Clark and the Hawkeyes played in front of a sold-out crowd at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa games tend to be sold out in every location the Hawkeyes play at, in part thanks to Clark’s popularity. The Hawkeyes even started their season with an exhibition game in Kinnick Stadium in front of over 55,000 fans.

SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON NAMED 2023 USATF FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

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Danteé Ramos | Blavity

A significant award was given to LSU track star Sha’Carri Richardson at the 2023 USATF Night of Legends on Saturday in Orlando in conjunction with the USATF Annual Meeting. The night honored several athletes and their remarkable performances this year.

Richardson was named USATF Jackie Joyner-Kersee Athlete of the Year. For women, the top honor bestowed by USATF is the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Female Athlete of the Year award. Since its inception in 1981, the award has been given yearly to honor the most exceptional female athlete. Votes from the media and fans are combined to choose the winner.

“With the God that I serve, everything happens when it’s supposed to happen. So when I stand here today as the world champion, that’s because now was the time for that to happen. Now is the most impactful it would be, the most powerful it would be, and the most sincere it would be,” Richardson said in her acceptance speech.

“I understand the influence that I have, I understand the responsibility that I have to USATF and as a top female USA athlete, and to my country, and to my black family, to my beautiful women, to everybody that has been misunderstood for trying to be their best selves and not be put into a category because they do track and field and have been put in a bubble,” she added.

Throughout the 2023 season, the 23-year-old had 12 wind-legal sub-11 times in the 100 meters. Her best result came in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, when she won gold in 10.65 seconds, placing her fifth on the list of all-time performers worldwide, according to 710 Keel.

Richardson won the 100-meter championship at three different Diamond League events this season, and she also took home the 10.82 USATF Nike Women’s 100 title.

Richardson became the first American woman to win a medal in both the 100 and 200-meter sprints at the World Athletics Championships since Carmelita Jeter won gold and silver in 2011. Richardson also claimed bronze in the 200.

The 23-year-old is proof that everything will happen when it’s supposed to. She also serves as an example for other young people to keep going despite failures.

300 Matches and Counting: Celebrating Drea Casillas’ Legendary Footy Journey

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By: Tara Miller | AGSA

Groundbreaker. History Maker. Legend.

October marked a monumental occasion for the New York Magpies as they celebrated Drea Casillas’ incredible achievement of playing her 300th Aussie Rules footy match. A true pioneer in the sport, Casillas etched her name into the annals of history as a trailblazer, an inspiring athlete, and an absolute legend on the field.

Meet Andrea “Drea” Casillas

Hailing from Albuquerque, NM, and having called Brooklyn, NY home, Drea Casillas stood tall at 5’07” and weighed 135 pounds. Her journey in Aussie Rules football commenced in 2005, marking the genesis of a remarkable career that transcended boundaries and redefined limits.

A Remarkable Journey

Casillas’ dedication to the sport had been unwavering since her inaugural year, blossoming as a player and becoming an integral part of the New York Lady Magpies. Her resilience and commitment saw her don the number 11 jersey, standing firm in the defense position, showcasing remarkable skills and an unwavering passion for the game.

Notably, Casillas had been an invaluable asset to the USA Freedom, representing her country at prestigious events such as the 2011 International Cup, 2010 49th Parallel Cup, and the 2009 Tour Down Under. Her contributions to the national team had been monumental, solidifying her reputation as an exceptional athlete and a symbol of sporting excellence.

Casillas’ love for footy was palpable, evident in her dedication to her team and the sport itself. Her infectious enthusiasm for the game transcended borders, evident in her anticipation for her upcoming journey to Australia, a place where her distinctive accent became a conversation starter.

In the words of Chris Adams, “Casillas loves her footy,” a sentiment echoed by all who had witnessed her grace the field with her remarkable skills and unyielding spirit.

A Legacy in the Making

As Casillas geared up for her 300th match, she stood as a testament to perseverance, dedication, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Her unwavering commitment to Aussie Rules footy had not only shaped her journey but had also inspired countless individuals within the sport and beyond.

Her milestone was not merely a numerical feat but a testament to her enduring love for the game and her enduring impact on the sport’s landscape. Casillas’ legacy as a groundbreaker, history maker, and true legend of Aussie Rules footy was etched in the hearts and minds of all who had had the privilege to witness her remarkable journey.

The New York Magpies, alongside the footy community, saluted Drea Casillas on this momentous occasion and extended heartfelt congratulations on her incredible achievement of 300 games. Here’s to the legacy of a true sporting icon and many more milestones to come!

Erin Matson, 23, becomes the youngest college head coach to win a national championship

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By Ben Church, CNN

Erin Matson became the youngest college head coach to win a national championship, according to the NCAA.com, after the 23-year-old guided the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNC) to the field hockey title on Sunday.

In what one US newspaper touted as “arguably the greatest story in college athletics,” the Tar Heels needed a double-overtime penalty shootout to beat the Northwestern Wildcats 2-1 at the Karen Shelton Stadium, securing the program’s 11th national championship and its fifth in six years.

“I don’t know how to put it into words,” Matson said, having won the same competition as a UNC player last year.

“I don’t know what more you’d want in a national championship matchup than tied at the end of regulation, two overtimes, sudden death shootout, just a phenomenal atmosphere.

“Northwestern gave it their all. It was a great game, so props to them.”

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 19: Head Coach Erin Matson of the North Carolina Tar Heels can't look after defeating the Northwestern Wildcats for the national title during the Division I Women's Field Hockey Championship held at Karen Shelton Stadium on November 19, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The Hollywood storyline started during Maston’s five years as a player, where she won four national championships at UNC, before taking up the head coach role this season shortly after graduating.

She replaced Karen Shelton who retired in December 2022 after a successful 42 years in charge of the program.

The 23-year-old’s coaching journey comes off the back of an impressive playing career, in which she was part of three undefeated seasons with the Tar Heels.

She had played for the US national team since she was 17 and was awarded the Honda Sport Award for Field Hockey – given to the best female collegiate player – three times.

Matson has sporting success very much in her blood. Her mother played softball and hockey at Yale University, her father played baseball for Delaware and her younger brother plays baseball at Havard, according to UNC.

Tense night

According to the UNC, 3,200 people – the biggest crowd in the program’s history – were in attendance to watch the nail-biting encounter.

Freshman Charly Bruder opened the scoring for UNC in the third quarter, but the Wildcats hit back through Peyton Halsey’s penalty stroke.

The scores remained 1-1 through two periods of overtime as the match went to a penalty shootout.

The tension racheted up with the shootout heading into sudden death. UNC goalkeeper Maddie Kahn then made an important block to allow sophomore Ryleigh Heck to win UNC a consecutive national championship.

“Right then and there my mind just went blank,” Heck said.

“I don’t even remember spinning or scoring, I just remember being with my teammates just cheering. One of the greatest feelings ever.”

Like CNN, NCAA.com is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

Record Setting 1.659 Million TV Viewers for Women’s Volleyball Match Continues Historic Season For Big Ten Women’s Sports

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BIG 10 Sports

ROSEMONT, Illinois – Big Ten women’s volleyball averaged 1.659 million viewers Sunday afternoon on FOX — the largest TV audience on record for a college volleyball match. The regionalized coverage of Wisconsin women’s volleyball hosting Minnesota, and Ohio State taking on Michigan, nearly tripled the previous record established just one week ago when #1 Nebraska defeated the #2 Badgers. 

“The profile of women’s athletics in the Big Ten Conference is at an all-time high, with some of the biggest names and brands anywhere in sports,” said Commissioner Tony Petitti. “The collaboration between our staff, our schools, and our broadcast partners has been critical in elevating the platform we provide. With the introduction of strategic scheduling principles overseen by Chief Operating Officer Kerry Kenny and Senior Director Television Administration Grace McNamara, the future of Big Ten women’s sports has never been brighter.”

Sunday’s historic viewership is the latest highlight in an exciting fall for Big Ten women’s sports. Earlier this month, 55,646 fans filled Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium for a women’s basketball exhibition between the Hawkeyes and DePaul Blue Demons, the largest crowd in the history of women’s basketball.

In August, Nebraska volleyball hosted the University of Nebraska-Omaha inside Memorial Stadium in front of the largest crowd to ever witness a women’s sporting event in the United States – 92,003 – breaking the previous record of 90,185 established at the 1999 World Cup soccer final between the U.S. and China at the Rose Bowl.

This undeniable momentum is expected to continue into the winter season when Big Ten women’s basketball tips off in November, with all 126 conference games to be nationally produced and distributed for the 10th consecutive season. The 2023-24 campaign marks the most coverage on nationally distributed platforms in Big Ten women’s basketball history, including six Big Ten regular-season games televised on a broadcast platform, the most in conference history. In addition, the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Championship Game will air on CBS, the event’s first appearance on broadcast television.

Hometown Hopefuls: Jennifer Lozano, “La Traviesa”, brings family and Texas pride to every punch

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Throughout the summer, in a series called Hometown Hopefuls, NBC is spotlighting the stories of Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls from all fifty states, as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, as they work towards the opportunity to represent their country at the Paris 2024 Games next year. We’ll learn about their paths to their sports’ biggest stage, and the towns and communities that have been formative along the way. Visit NBCSports.com/hometownhopefuls for more stories from across America as these Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls prepare for Paris in summer 2024.

U.S. boxer Jennifer Lozano wears the nickname of “La Traviesa” (the troublemaker) with pride. It came from her grandmother – “Abuelita” to Jennifer – whose tragic passing has been one of many powerful forces shaping the life of the Olympic hopeful from the border town of Laredo, Texas.

In a conversation with NBC Sports, Lozano discusses her relationships with the most important women in her life and how she was able to channel an inscrutable level of grief—one that would break most people—into strength, resilience, and motivation as she attempts to make her first Olympic appearance in Paris 2024.

Lozano, who has family roots in Mexico, also shares her reality of life in a border town, her pride in her heritage, how she went from a little girl watching Jackie Nava fights on Saturday nights with her grandmother to a professional making her passion her career, and how she channels her family and her identity into her boxing.

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity. It contains some graphic descriptions that may be difficult for some readers, and reader discretion is advised.

[Read more…] about Hometown Hopefuls: Jennifer Lozano, “La Traviesa”, brings family and Texas pride to every punch

Haley Van Voorhis becomes first woman non-kicker to play in NCAA football game

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By: ALEX SCARBOROUGH | ESPN

Haley Van Voorhis, a safety at Division-III Shenandoah University, became the first woman non-kicker to appear in an NCAA football game on Saturday against Juniata.

She came on in the first quarter with Shenandoah already up 26 points and registered a quarterback hurry on third down.

“It’s an amazing thing,” Van Voorhis said after the game, according to The Washington Post. “I just wanted to get out and do my thing. I want to show other people this is what women can do, to show what I can do. It’s a big moment. I made the impossible possible, and I’m excited about that.”

Shenandoah went on to beat Juniata 48-7.

A 5-foot-6, 145-pound junior, Van Voorhis spent the past two seasons playing on junior varsity. The Plains, Virginia, native went to high school at Christchurch and was a 2019 all-state honorable mention. Her senior season was canceled because of COVID-19.

Van Voorhis is also a member of Shenandoah’s track and field team, running sprints.

In 2014, defensive back Shelby Osborne became the first woman non-kicker to participate in an NAIA program at Campbellsville University. She appeared in one game in 2018.

Multiple women have played kicking positions in college football. In 2003, Katie Hnida became the first woman to score in an NCAA Division I-A football game as the place-kicker at New Mexico. Seventeen years later, Sarah Fuller became the first woman to score in a Power 5 football game as the kicker for Vanderbilt.

In an interview with ESPN in 2021, Van Voorhis said she’s used to people pointing out that she’s the only girl playing football, whether it was during Pop Warner or at high school.

“There’s definitely people out there who see the story and think, ‘This girl’s going to get hurt,'” she said. “I hear that a lot. Or, ‘She’s too small, doesn’t weigh enough, not tall enough.’ But I’m not the shortest on my team, and I’m not the lightest.”

Shenandoah coach Scott Yoder told ESPN in 2021 that Van Voorhis is “very determined” young person.

“What has really helped me has been when you peel everything back it’s about a young person who wants an opportunity, who works for it and has earned an opportunity,” he said. “For 21 years I’ve been fortunate to be on the coaching side of that. And at the core of this, it’s no different.”

Chronicling Coco Gauff’s week as US Open champion

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Anthony Gharib | ESPN

It’s been quite the week for Coco Gauff.

The 19-year-old American won the US Open on Saturday, her first ever Grand Slam victory. She became the youngest American to win a major tournament since Serena Williams won the US Open in 1999 at 17.

From a phone call with President Joe Biden to another primetime showing in New York, here’s a look inside Gauff’s whirlwind week since becoming champ:

Saturday: Gauff thanks New York crowd

Since her US Open debut in 2019, Gauff’s been the crowd favorite in the Big Apple. It became even more evident during her championship run this year, the fans showing their support throughout each match.

Gauff paid them back moments before lifting the trophy, showing how much the fans in New York meant to her.

“Last but not least, thank you to New York,” she said. “Thank you to you guys. You guys pulled me through this gas fire. The supporters that I have mean so much to me, so thank you all. And thank you to everyone who made this tournament possible.”

Saturday: Presidential congratulations

The 46th President offered his congratulations on X, formerly known as Twitter, but also made a phone call to the teenager. Gauff shared a snippet of their conversation in a video on TikTok. “Coco, this is Joe Biden,” the President said. “Congratulations.”

Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama also congratulated Gauff on X:

“The support I have gotten is incredible,” said Gauff, according to the Associated Press. “Obviously, from President Obama and former First Lady Michelle is crazy that they were here my first-round match, and now I’m a different person now.”

Sunday: Prime-time football in the Big Apple

From the hard court to the gridiron, Gauff took in “Sunday Night Football” between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. Gauff, a Miami Dolphins fan, posed on the field with Saquon Barkley and Eli Manning before the game.

Monday: Appearance on NBC’s “Today Show”

After a night at MetLife Stadium, Gauff had a quick turnaround for a live interview on Monday morning’s “Today Show.”

She touched on the emotions of becoming a Grand Slam champion in her home country, how her brothers missed her call after winning and what it felt like laying on the hard court after being champion.

“It felt like it hit all at once because I didn’t want to tell myself it was match point on the match point. I didn’t want to start shaking,” Gauff said. “So when it happened and … it was over, my previous matches it’s taken me six, seven match points to win and that was on the first one, so I was a little bit shocked. And I couldn’t breathe either.”

Sha’Carri Richardson stamps a comeback with a 100-meter world title

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Peter Granitz | NPR

Sha’Carri Richardson ran past a heat of the fastest sprinters in the world Monday to win the women’s 100 meter at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest.

She ran from behind and past Jamaicans Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the defending world champion, to win with a time of 10.65 seconds.

Richardson’s run – from the disadvantageous outside lane – catapults her back into the elite ranks of women’s track and marks a major comeback after two years of disappointment.

“I would say never give up,” Richardson said after Monday’s race. “Never allow media, never allow outsiders, never allow anything but yourself and your fate to define who you are. I would say always fight. No matter what. Fight.”

Richardson was poised to contend in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, but after testing positive for marijuana, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspended her from competition for a month, which prevented her from competing in the games.

Her suspension set off a debate over the fairness and equal application of anti-doping tests, a debate Richardson herself joined, after initially and immediately accepting her suspension. At the time, President Joe Biden said of her suspension, “The rules are the rules, and everybody knows what the rules were going in, whether they should remain the rule is a different issue.”

Richardson said she took marijuana in Oregon, where it is legal, after learning of the death of her mother. The ban marked the start of two years in the track and field wilderness.

She finished last in the 100 meters in her return after the suspension at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic. Then she failed to make last year’s worlds team.

But 2023 marked a new lap. In May, at the LA Grand Prix she said she “went through a tough time,” in track and field, and that in the previous years “It just was me that was standing in my way.”

There was little standing in her way in Monday’s finals.

The two Jamaicans were running from the middle and ran out of the blocks to an early lead. Richardson trailed until the final meters of the race and pulled far enough ahead to cross the line with outstretched arms.

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On Monday, she repeated a message she said she’s been saying all year.

“I’m not back. I’m better.”

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