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Naismith Awards Names 2024/25 NCAA National Player of the Year Finalists

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Dee Lab | Just women’s Sports

The Naismith Awards sliced their already elite 10-athlete National Player of the Year (POY) list down to four finalists on Tuesday, narrowing the race for the 2024/25 NCAA basketball season’s top individual honor.

Earning spots in the final tally are two sophomore phenoms, USC’s JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, as well as UCLA junior Lauren Betts and UConn senior Paige Bueckers.

“The brilliance of these athletes and their unrelenting passion for college basketball are evident in their outstanding accomplishments,” noted Atlanta Tipoff Club president Eric Oberman, whose organization bestows the annual award.

Three of the finalists have already claimed some POY hardware for their 2024/25 performances, with Hidalgo, Bueckers, and Watkins all earning the honor for their respective conferences. Hidalgo and Betts also bagged Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) awards from the ACC and Big Ten, respectively.

Double-dipping on the national stage are Betts, Hidalgo, and Watkins, whose POY finalist status comes just four days after the Naismith Awards named the trio to its four-athlete DPOY final list.

Buoyed by their individual contributions, all four players have helped their programs become veritable contenders to claim the 2024/25 national championship trophy.

Betts’s Bruins entered March Madness as the overall No. 1 seed, with Watkins’s Trojans also claiming a top spot in the 2025 NCAA bracket. Behind team-leading contributions from Bueckers and Hidalgo, UConn and Notre Dame snagged No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively.

“Their efforts have been instrumental in their teams’ successes this season. Recognizing any of these extraordinary student-athletes with the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy would be a fitting tribute to their excellence.”

POY race reflects parity-filled NCAA season
Unlike past seasons with arguably clear-cut frontrunners, the 2024/25 NCAA season is stacked with both parity and standout performers, giving each member of the exclusive POY finalist quartet a strong case to snag the prestigious award.

With her third time as a POY finalist, Bueckers — a playmaking guard who shoots over 54% from the field — could add a second Naismith trophy to her shelf, bookending her UConn career after becoming the only freshman winner in the award’s now 42-year history in 2021.

That said, she’ll have stiff competition from fellow 2023/24 finalist Watkins, whose prolific scoring surpassed the two-season tally notched by the all-time Division I points leader, back-to-back POY winner-turned-WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark.

Star center Betts has anchored the Bruins in the paint all season, setting a UCLA record for blocks while shooting over 64% from the floor and averaging a near double-double with 9.7 rebounds per game.

As for Hidalgo, who currently sits third in the league with over 24 points per game, the Irish guard has yet to register a single collegiate appearances with less than 10 points.

The four finalists will have one final weekend of March Madness competition to impress voters before the POY winner is announced on April 2nd — two days before the NCAA tournament’s Final Four tips off.

Unfortunately, after suffering a season-ending ACL tear on Monday, Watkins’s POY bid rests on her already complete 2024/25 campaign.

How to vote for the 2024/25 National Player of the Year
While the majority of the Naismith Awards’ final counts rest with coaches, conference commissioners, journalists, and former winners, fans account for 5% of the total vote.

With POY candidates, DPOY finalists, and Coach of the Year nominees on the ballot, fans can vote once per day online for the NCAA’s top basketball personnel. Voting closes at 12 PM ET on April 1st.

Aaliyah Chavez, top-rated women’s hoops recruit in the county, commits to Oklahoma

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By: Associated Press

Aaliyah Chavez, the top-rated women’s basketball recruit in the county, committed to Oklahoma on Tuesday.

She made her announcement the day after the Sooners advanced to the women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013.

Chavez, a 5-foot-11 point guard who recently led Lubbock Monterey High School to a Texas state championship, picked the Sooners over power programs South Carolina, Texas, LSU and her hometown university Texas Tech.

“I’m ready to give my all to make this my home and bring a national championship to the city of Norman,” Chavez said in a televised news conference from her high school campus.

Chavez is rated by ESPN HoopGurlz as the No. 1 recruit in the nation in the class of 2025. She was the Naismith and Gatorade national player of the year and a McDonald’s All-American. She averaged 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals as a senior. She scored nearly 4,800 points in her high school career.

Oklahoma has a legacy of success in the NCAA Tournament with 11 trips to the Sweet 16 and three Final Fours in 2002, 2009 and 2010. The No. 3 seed Sooners continue their March Madness run against No. 2 UConn on Saturday in Spokane, Washington.

Vienna native named first female Division I college baseball general manager

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John Domen | WTop News

Only a few colleges nationwide have elected to have a baseball general manager on staff. Now, a 25-year-old woman from Fairfax County, Virginia, is stepping up to the plate.

Sam Gjormand became the first general manager of the baseball team at the College of Charleston in South Carolina earlier this year.

She’s believed to be the first woman to join a college baseball coaching staff.

The Virginia native has been around baseball diamonds her entire life. Well, at least since she was two days old.

Her dad, Mark, was the head varsity baseball coach at James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia, since well before she was born. As such, she’s always grown up around the game.

Sure, she tried softball when she had to give up baseball, but it wasn’t something she was passionate about. Gjormand admitted she always found herself wandering back to her dad’s field every chance she got.

Gjormand served as a team manager of the baseball team at James Madison University while she was a student there.

That’s how she got on the radar of College of Charleston’s head baseball coach, Chad Holbrook, who quickly hired her upon graduation.

The college announced her promotion to general manager late last month.

Even though college sports are becoming more professionalized, a GM at the collegiate level still carries different responsibilities compared to what you see from a GM in Major League Baseball.

“I’m helping out with our support staff, making sure everybody has what they need, kind of as a liaison between our coaching staff and them,” Gjormand said. “I’m overseeing equipment, travel. I’m overseeing, basically, everyday team needs, making sure everybody is taken care of, from the baseball staff outward.”

Those are the same responsibilities she had in years past. But as times change in college sports, her ability to help discern talent gives her added responsibilities.

“With this new GM title, I’m going to take over some of the ‘NIL’ (name, image and likeness payments) responsibilities, working with our collective, the Charleston Edge, to get our players taken care of, and working with some of our donors to make sure we’re bringing it in on that end as well,” she added.

Working behind the scenes with the Northern Virginia College League, as well as the prestigious Cape Cod League, gave her a lot of practice handling administrative roles.

“I really like being the cog that makes the motor turn, is how I put it to people,” Gjormand said. “I like being behind the scenes. I don’t need to be the face of a program, but I like knowing that when I show up every day, I have the opportunity to really make something special happen with this program.”

‘Get your foot in the door’: Breaking new ground on college baseball diamonds

It’s an opportunity that’s much more common in professional baseball, especially at the minor league level, though more and more women have been hired for front office roles in the major league, too.

In fact, Gjormand always figured if she was going to work in baseball, it might have to be on the pro ball side of things. She certainly hadn’t imagined a career in college baseball before she was offered one.

She said other women are now seeing there are footsteps they can follow as well.

“When I get to hear from young women trying to break through the game or seeing what I’m doing on the college side of things, and saying, ‘I didn’t know there was a spot for me in college baseball. I just thought it was big league or bust,’” Gjormand said. “That is cool for me to hear.”

Only one other college program has its own general manager. When Gjormand’s new position was announced, Coach Holbrook offered the kind of praise anyone would want to hear from their boss, regardless of their job or gender.

“Sam has proven to be invaluable to our baseball program,” Holbrook said in a February statement. “She is much more than an administrator; she has an incredible and vast knowledge of the game and provides our coaches incredible baseball insight to all things Cougar Baseball. She is simply great at her job and these new responsibilities will only make our program much better. We are lucky to have her at The College.”

Asked what advice she’s given other women who are trying to work their way into college baseball, Gjormand said, “Just get your foot in the door, and then that’s your opportunity to start running.”

“Once you start running, nobody’s telling you when you have to stop or how far you’re allowed to go. You just keep on going,” she added.

And while the overall number of women involved in baseball is minimal, the bond and sisterhood that exists between them is strong.

“I think the cool part about it is seeing how different all of our stories are,” Gjormand said. “But the one common theme is … our ambition and just knowing that there’s a place for us, and not taking no for an answer.”

Davidson Captains New-Look Gotham FC Roster Ahead of 2025 NWSL Kick-Off

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Just Women’s Sports

Gotham FC set the scene for NWSL club’s 2025 season on Tuesday, dropping their official 24-athlete roster and new player-led leadership group while handing longtime USWNT defender Tierna Davidson the captain’s armband ahead of Saturday’s regular-season kick-off.

At 26 years old, the 2019 World Cup champion and 2024 Olympic gold medalist succeeds retired goalkeeper Michelle Betos as the NJ/NY squad’s captain, heading up Gotham’s leadership alongside fellow defenders Jess Carter and Mandy Freeman, as well as midfielders Rose Lavelle and Nealy Martin.

Gotham also removed star forward Midge Purce from her season-ending injury designation on Tuesday, opening the door for the 29-year-old USWNT standout to return to the NWSL pitch for the first time since tearing her ACL in last season’s opener.

The 2023 NWSL Championship MVP tallied 16 goals across her 46 career appearances for Gotham before sitting out the entirety of the 2024 season.

Gotham FC midfielder Nealy Martin warns up before an NWSL match.
Gotham midfielder Nealy Martin will serve on the club’s 2025 leadership group. (Ira L. Black – Corbis/Getty Images)

Gotham aims for successful 2025 behind refreshed roster

Following last year’s third-place finish, the 2023 NWSL champs saw a handful of big-name departures, prompting the club to adopt a more measured approach to this season’s roster rebuild.

“Change is normal in this environment, right?” Martin told JWS in January. “People have got to do what’s best for their career, but it hurts losing your friends on your team just personally, selfishly.”

“Professionally, you have to take it in stride and see how all the new pieces can fit together,” she continued. “How you can highlight new people’s best talent in the system that you’re playing.”

Once considered a superteam, Gotham definitely looks a little different this time around, but early season moves display the club’s interest in transforming steady consistency into a winning squad — with or without massively deep star power.

Gotham FC forward Midge Purce prepares a corner kick during a 2024 NWSL match.
After missing the 2024 season with injury, Midge Purce could make her Gotham return shortly. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Gotham FC’s official 2025 team roster

  • Goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger, Ryan Campbell, Shelby Hogan
  • Defenders: Bruninha, Jess Carter, Tierna Davidson, Mandy Freeman, Lilly Reale, Emily Sonnett
  • Midfielders: Sofia Cook, Jaelin Howell, Rose Lavelle, Nealy Martin, Stella Nyamekye, Taryn Torres
  • Forwards: Esther Gonzalez, Khyah Harper, Cece Kizer, Gabi Portilho, Midge Purce, Sarah Schupansky, Jéssica Silva, Ella Stevens, McKenna Whitham

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament Champions Put March Madness on Notice

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The Power Four wrapped up their 2024/25 NCAA basketball seasons on Sunday, with newly minted conference tournament champions punching their tickets to the March Madness tournament.

While the Big 12’s weekend was all chalk as No. 8 TCU added their first tournament title since 2005 to their 2024/25 regular-season conference trophy on Sunday, the ACC capped their contest with chaos.

No. 11 Duke put the conference — and the NCAA selection committee — on notice, upsetting both No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 7 NC State en route to their first ACC tournament championship in 12 years.

In the SEC, No. 5 South Carolina had the last word against No. 1 Texas. After splitting their two 2024/25 meetings and sharing the regular-season title, the defending national champion Gamecocks turned the SEC tournament final into a defensive masterclass, defeating the Longhorns 64-45 to claim the conference trophy.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s Big Ten finale saw No. 4 UCLA enact revenge on their crosstown rivals, No. 2 USC. After dropping both their matchups and ceding the conference’s regular-season title to the Trojans, the Bruins held USC to just 34.3% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc to snag the tournament crown with a 72-67 win.

South Carolina basketball head coach Dawn Staley and forward Sania Feagin lift the 2025 SEC tournament trophy as the team cheers.
South Carolina’s resume makes them a possible overall No. 1 seed in March Madness. (John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Conference winners eye NCAA tournament seeding

With their Sunday wins and their automatic entries into the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament, conference champions are now eyeing their shots at top national seedings.

While TCU and Duke each made strong cases for increasing their seeds, UCLA and South Carolina fully cemented themselves as frontrunners to top the 2024/25 bracket.

“When you win this [SEC] tournament and play the schedule that we play, I do think we’re the No. 1 overall seed,” remarked South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. “There isn’t anybody in the country that has played the schedule that we have played, that had share of the regular-season title, won this tournament and beat the No. 1 team in the country.”

The stats back up Staley’s claims. South Carolina played more Top 25 opponents this season than any other currently ranked squad, winning 12 of those games — seven against Top 10 teams. The only three losses they logged all season came against No. 1 Texas, No. 3 UConn, and No. 4 UCLA, with the Gamecocks handing the Longhorns two defeats in return.

UCLA head coach Cori Close took a more diplomatic approach when asked about top seeding after winning the Big Ten title.

“I think it would mean a lot for us [and USC] both to be No. 1 seeds,” Close told ESPN. “And I hope we do get the chance to do it [in the Final Four] in Tampa a fourth time.”

The final decisions rest with the selection committee, who will reveal their 2024/25 NCAA tournament bracket this Sunday.

Washington Spirit Kicks Off 2025 NWSL Season with Challenge Cup Win

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The Washington Spirit booked themselves some sweet revenge on Friday, lifting the 2025 Challenge Cup after taking down 2024 NWSL Championship foes Orlando in a penalty shootout.

The Pride were hunting an exclusive claim to all NWSL hardware entering the match, hoping to kick off the 2025 season holding the league’s Shield, Championship trophy, and Challenge Cup.

Instead, the Spirit snagged some early-season momentum, buoyed by yet another penalty save by Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury.

“We’re looking to write a new story — we were upset about how last year ended, but this is about this team, this year, and this is a great first step,” Kingsbury said after the game.

Penalty kicks fuel injury-hampered Spirit to Challenge Cup title

Washington’s win came in the wake of mounting early-season injuries, though Spirit star forward Trinity Rodman did enter as a second-half sub — despite her lingering back issue.

Pride defender Rafaelle opened scoring late in the first half, slotting a second-chance ball into the side netting through a flood of Spirit defenders to put Orlando on the board.

Washington equalized in the 72nd minute, as Spirit midfielder Leicy Santos made NWSL history by launching the second-ever direct free kick goal in any final.

The match ended 1-1 in regulation. According to the contest’s rules, there are no overtime periods in the Challenge Cup, forcing the Pride and Spirit to decide the result from the penalty spot.

The game-deciding shootout saw Washington outpace Orlando 4-2, allowing the Spirit to avenge their 2024 championship loss by immediately earning a 2025 trophy.

Notably, the Spirit are enjoying a unique penalty kick run, tallying their third shootout win in a knockout game — more than any other club in NWSL history.

While the regular season doesn’t officially start until Friday, the NWSL’s top two clubs hit the ground running — with Washington already proving just how quickly the tide can turn in the world’s most competitive league.

Rugby-US women’s grassroots flourishes after Olympic sevens heroics

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by Georgina McCartney | MSN

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Grassroots women’s rugby has blossomed in popularity in the U.S. as thousands of new players lace up their boots after being inspired by the country’s stellar performance at the Paris Olympics last year.

Membership of women’s rugby clubs is already at 95% of last year’s total, according to USA Rugby, with a vast number more expected with the spring and summer seasons yet to fully kick off.

Membership is set to exceed previous seasons by a good margin after women and girls watched in awe as the U.S. women won the country’s first Olympic sevens medal, stunning former champions Australia in the final seconds of their playoff to claim bronze.

“Watching Team USA smash through those girls, it was just amazing,” said Jazzmin Jones, 28, who has signed up for her first season after watching the Paris Olympics.

“The way my body is built, you don’t see a lot of that in women’s sports, but watching Team USA, I saw that they look like me, they’re strong, and I’m strong too,” said the proud new member of Houston Athletic Rugby Club.

ILONA MAHER EFFECT

“When I was growing up, there were really no contact sports for girls, I feel like I lived in a rugby desert for my whole upbringing,” said former U.S. international, Alycia Washington, who started playing rugby at

“I am in awe of the growth of the game,” said Washington, now retired from international rugby and playing at Stade Bordelais in Bordeaux, France.

One woman in particular has helped boost that growth, rising to international stardom after Paris. With more than eight million followers on Instagram and TikTok, Ilona Maher is the biggest social media star in the game – men or women.

“The Ilona Maher effect is a real thing,” Washington said of the player whose arrival at English club Bristol this year has sparked record crowds.

Whether she is scattering opponents on the pitch, wearing a sparkling dress on Dancing with the Stars or flexing on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Olympic medallist Maher is a force to be reckoned with, on and off the field.

“Ilona is creating so much momentum for the sport but it’s not going to sustain itself,” Washington said.

Wendy Young, editor of Your Scrum Connection and involved in grassroots U.S. rugby for the last 24 years, said: “There are thousands of youth players headed for college and club level rugby hot off the heels of Paris 2024, but with teams few and far between in many states there is work to be done.”

ALL EYES ON LA 2028

“It is a day-in, day-out fight to grow the game here in the U.S., but we’re seeing growth and we have a lot of great support across the country,” said USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren.

The U.S. will host the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031, and the women’s in 2033, sparking more investment in the country from the sport’s governing body World Rugby.

“You’re going to see more athletes getting into the game of rugby and competing at a world-class level,” said Goren.

They will be helped by the establishment of a new professional league, Women’s Elite Rugby (WER).

Starting in March and funded by small independent investors, it consists of six new teams based in California, Massachusetts, Chicago, New York, Minnesota and Colorado.

“When fans look at the WER players, the point is to see their sisters, neighbours, their gutsy best friends and everything in between in those athletes,” said Katherine Aversano, acting Vice President of the WER.

“The Olympics drew back the curtain to show people we’re here, we are accessible, authentic and raw,” Aversano said.

The trailblazers of the Paris Olympics helped to mainstream women’s rugby in the U.S., and from new players to veterans, the community is nurturing that momentum.

“If you have a ball and a patch of grass, you could start playing some rugby,” Washington said.

“The high schoolers of today will be playing in the World Cup of 2033, and we need to develop those athletes now to really push for the podium.”

Star Athletes Serena Williams, Sabrina Ionescu Invest in Pro Women’s Sports Leagues

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JWS Staff

The WNBA and NWSL welcomed some new high-profile owners on Monday, as Serena Williams and Sabrina Ionescu announced investments in the country’s leading pro women’s sports leagues.

Tennis icon Williams is purchasing a stake in the Toronto Tempo. There, the 23-time Grand Slam winner will subsequently weigh in on the 2026 WNBA expansion team’s visual elements like jersey designs, merchandise deals, and more.

“Serena is a champion,” noted Tempo president Teresa Resch. “She’s set the bar for women in sport, business, and the world — and her commitment to using that success to create opportunities for other women is inspiring.”

Meanwhile, 2024 WNBA champion and Bay Area product Ionescu also padded her portfolio. Ionescu bought into 2024 NWSL addition Bay FC, where she’ll serve as an official commercial advisor.

“Sabrina is the ultimate innovator and creates new pathways for aspiring and current professional athletes,” said team CEO Brady Stewart. “Adding her passion and vision to what we are building at Bay FC will allow us to further disrupt the sports landscape.”

Athlete investors lead the way in growing women’s sports

Both current and retired athletes are increasingly buying into the business side of women’s sports. The list includes USWNT alums Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, and Abby Wambach backing Angel City FC and WNBA legend Sue Bird buying into the Seattle Storm and Gotham FC.

Earlier this year, 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark threw her support behind Cincinnati’s recent NWSL expansion bid.

“This moment is not just about basketball,” said Williams. “It is about showcasing the true value and potential of female athletes — I have always said that women’s sports are an incredible investment opportunity.”

“I whole-heartedly understand how important investment really is and obviously you can talk about it and be about it, but you really have to want to be committed to it and invest to be able to see what you believe in come to light,” echoed Ionescu.

Ownership doesn’t only keep legends in the game. It also proves that women’s sports are a booming business.

“It hasn’t happened overnight for us. It’s been years and years for us of athletes kicking down the door, voice what it is that they want to see. It’s taken investment, and now expansion,” added Ionescu.

“To see it now in real-time — viewership, attendance, sponsorships — everything is at an all-time high.”

Juju Watkins named Big Ten Player of the Year

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Adam Bradford | Trojans Wire

It didn’t take very long for USC women’s basketball to rise to the top of the Big Ten. Nor did it take Juju Watkins very long to establish herself as the top player in the league. On Tuesday, Watkins was officially named the Big Ten Player of the Year. Obviously, she is the first Trojan to ever do so, since this is USC’s first year in the conference.

During the regular season, Watkins led the conference in points per game with 24.4—nearly five points ahead of the second place finisher. She also finished top five in the league and blocks and top 25 in rebounds, despite primarily playing as a guard.

In addition to being named the Big Ten Player of the Year, Watkins was unanimously named to the All-Big Ten First Team and Defensive Team. Teammate Kiki Iriafen joined her on the First Team, while Rayah Marshall also made the Defensive Team. Both Marshall and Kennedy Smith—who was also named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team—earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors.

Overall, Tuesday was a loaded day for the Big Ten regular season champs, who continue to add more hardware to their collection. USC will now set its sights on the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, where they will open play on Friday.

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