GOAT status, confirmed
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
Don’t forget your umbrella!
Or simply check Notre Dame women’s basketball star Hannah Hidalgo’s weather report before heading out. Making it rain, reporting on the rain — what can’t she do?
— Stanford alum, WNBA icon, and ESPN broadcaster Chiney Ogwumike on how NCAA and pro women’s hoops are both driving the game’s momentum in her Players’ Tribune piece last week. From WNBA preseason games in college arenas to tomorrow’s highly anticipated W debut of the legendary 2024 draft class, the college-to-pro pipeline is thriving.
Women's basketball
🏀 Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team
The GIST: As you read, the WNBA season starts tomorrow, and teams must finalize their rosters today…meaning at least six squads must make brutal cuts to reach the league maximum of 12 rostered players. So, before they’re officially pros, let’s check in on the college game’s most recent grads.
Counting the class: How are the 30 NCAA alumni in the 2024 WNBA Draft class faring so far? As of this morning, 15 players remain on rosters, 11 have been waived (aka cut), and one will miss the season due to injury.
- As for the other three — Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes, Columbia’s Abbey Hsu, and USC’s Kaitlyn Davis — their fates are TBD: They haven’t officially been cut, but their names are currently absent from their draft teams’ rosters. *bites nails*
The locks: While No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark (Iowa) was essentially guaranteed an Indiana Fever spot since declaring for the draft, she wasn’t the only one blessed with job security. From the start, fellow first-rounders Cameron Brink (Stanford), Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State), and Aaliyah Edwards (UConn) were safe roster bets for the LA Sparks, Dallas Wings, and Washington Mystics, respectively.
- Even with her cautious early statements, Angel Reese (LSU) was always likely to fly with the Chicago Sky, with Kamilla Cardoso (South Carolina) alongside her — as long as Cardoso’s recent shoulder injury doesn’t, ahem, hurt her chances.
- And though second-rounder Nika Mühl (UConn) worried about making the Seattle Storm’s roster, a confidence boost from former coach Geno Auriemma helped turn her into a lock. Besides, teams don’t usually host surprise graduations for players they’re about to waive.
The heartbreakers: Despite standout college careers, some second- and third-rounders are already seeking overseas playing opportunities: No. 19 pick Taiyanna Jackson (Kansas) is currently the highest-drafted player to fall after the Connecticut Sun waived her on Friday, and other familiar NCAA faces like Charisma Osborne (UCLA) and McKenzie Forbes (USC) were also sent packing.
The anxiously waiting: Fans have been holding their breath for Las Vegas Aces draftee Kate Martin (Iowa), but the No. 18 pick’s outlook is good — she’s even burying college rivalries (no matter how painful). Also sweating? No. 8 pick Alissa Pili, whose standout Utah career should translate well to the W…if the Minnesota Lynx lock her down today. Fingers and toes crossed.
Softball
🥎 Lights, camera, dirt, smile
The GIST: With conference tourney champs crowned and the NCAA bracket finalized, 64 Division I (DI) teams now know their path to June’s eight-squad Women’s College World Series. And as fans process an electric regular-season finale and postseason start, the road to Oklahoma City looks more chaotic than ever.
The automatic qualifiers: Thirty-two squads punched their tickets by winning their conference tournaments this weekend, including three-time defending national champ Oklahoma, whose Big 12 title helped the Sooners secure the No. 2–seed.
- Of all the weekend’s upsets, diving saves, and walk-off wins, No. 4–seed Florida captured the most hype: They plowed through the cutthroat SEC tournament, winning each of their three games by at least four runs.
- As for Dayton, Siena, and Southeastern Louisiana, their conference championships were especially sweet because they clinched each team’s first-ever NCAA tournament ticket. Nothing like a first-selection celly.
The at-large selectees: Despite falling to powerhouse rival Oklahoma in Saturday’s Big 12 title game, the Texas Longhorns still snagged the national bracket’s top seed. In fact, most of the 16 seeds went to at-large squads: Other than the aforementioned Florida and Oklahoma, No. 6 UCLA and No. 10 Duke were the only conference champs to earn a seed.
- And as the only mid-major teams to capture rare at-large bids, No. 13 Louisiana, South Alabama, and Florida Atlantic are feeling extra-special today. As they should.
What’s next: Friday kicks off a veritable softball tsunami, with 112 potential games on deck for this weekend. Hosted by the 16 seeded squads, each three-day Regional pits four teams against one another in double-elimination action, with a trip to the Super Regionals on the line. Only four more sleeps…
🎾 Tennis
This weekend’s women’s Super Regionals were super surprising as No. 1–seed Oklahoma State and defending champ No. 4 UNC were both ousted from the national championship bracket. On the other hand, the men’s Supers were straight-up snoozy: The bracket’s eight top seeds all advanced to Thursday’s quarter-finals.
🥍 Lacrosse
While there were few weekend upsets deciding this week’s women’s and men’s lax quarter-finals, there was one massive moment in the women’s second round: No. 1 Northwestern attacker Izzy Scane became DI’s all-time leading scorer with this beauty of a goal yesterday. GOAT status, confirmed.
🤽 Women’s water polo
Late last night, No. 1–seed UCLA topped No. 3 Cal 7–4 to win their eighth national championship — the Bruins’ first since 2009. Fun fact: This was the first title game that didn’t feature either Stanford or USC since the NCAA established the sport in 2001. Welcome to the parity pool.
🏌️ Men’s golf
Before the women’s final begins later this week, the men’s regional round will tee off: Of the 81 teams and 45 individuals who’ll start swinging today, only 30 teams and six solo golfers will survive past Wednesday. May the odds be ever in your squad’s favor.
Here’s what has GIST HQ buzzing:
🤳 Who to follow
LeagueFits. Where hoops and fashion intersect. Get inspired, appreciate the drip, and share the best fits with your friends
🏓 What to play
Padel. The sport is a blend of tennis and squash and has surged in popularity, attracting attention from luxury brands aiming to tap into its affluent player base, which includes the likes of soccer icons David Beckham and Lionel Messi.
🏀 What to shop
Gear from Hoop York City, a women’s basketball community aiming to close the gender play gap by creating more opportunities for women in NYC to hoop and connect. Hell to the yes.
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