The ladies are putting the sports world on notice.
And with March Madness just weeks away, it’s only right that we add some of the young women in College Basketball who have been dominating the sport this season. You already know players like Angel Reese, but there are young freshmen like Juju Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo who are ready to lead their teams on a deep tournament run.
These are the Black women in sports you should be paying attention to.
As a freshman, Juju Watkins is already one of the most exciting players in college basketball (men and women). She’s second in the entire country in scoring, averaging 27 points per game, and has helped the University of Southern California earn a record of 26-5.
Hannah Hidalgo won’t let Juju Watkins take the spotlight. The 5‘6" guard is third in the country in scoring, averaging 23.3 points per game, and also averages 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The freshman also hopes to lead her team to a deep tournament run.
We didn’t forget about you, Angel Reese. She’s still playing great coming off of LSU’s National Championship win in 2023. They have a chance to repeat, ending the regular season with a 28-5 record.
Even though Reese is the biggest star, she may not even be the best player on the team. Aneesah Morrow is a hooper, averaging an impressive 16.5 points and 10 rebounds per game.
UCONN may not be the force in Women’s College Basketball that they used to be in years past, but Aaliyah Edwards is trying her damndest to bring them back to that place. The senior is having a career year, averaging 17 points and 9 rebounds per game.
Coco Gauff is only 20 years old and is already making waves in professional tennis. She won the 2023 US Open and has cemented herself as one of the faces of Women’s professional Tennis.
A’Ja Wilson has succeeded on every level of her basketball career. She was the number one ranked player coming out of high school. While at South Carolina, she was a national champion, NCAA tournament MOP, national player of the year, and a three-time first-team All-American. In 2018, she was drafted first overall in the WNBA draft and has since been a two-time WNBA champion, two-time MVP, a five-time all-star, a two-time defensive player of the year, and rookie of the year.
Despite her controversial past, Sha’Carri Richardson has persevered to become one of the best track athletes in the world. In August 2023, she won the 100m at the World Track and Field Championships in 10.65 seconds—a championship record time.
Breanna Stewart may get all the attention as the best player on the New York Liberty, but Jonquel Jones is no slouch. She’s a four-time WNAB All-Star who won league MVP in 2021. She helped lead the Liberty to 2023 Finals appearance.
Naomi Osaka has been a prodigy ever since she stepped on a professional tennis court. Despite being only 26 years old, she’s already won four majors, (two Australian Opens and two US Opens). Now that she’s back from maternity leave, Osaka is determined to take her place at the top of the sport.
What can Simone Biles not do? She’s the most accomplished professional gymnast in the world. During the 2022 Olympics, she took a stand for athletes with mental health issues after she took a break during the games to focus on herself.
Following in A’Ja Wilson’s footsteps, Aaliyah Boston was also a star college athlete at the University of South Carolina. Currently, she’s the best player on a young Indiana Fever team and was named the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Usain Bolt ain’t the only successful Jamaican sprinter. The fastest woman in the history of the Olympics, Elaine Thompson-Herah set the Olympic record in the Women’s 100 Meters during the Summer Olympics in 2021. She edged out Florence Griffith Joyner’s long-standing record of 10.62 with a time of 10.61.
Before Thompson-Herah set the Olympic record in the women’s 100 meters, fellow Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran the fastest time in nearly 33 years: 10.63 during an event in June 2021.
Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone is also a track and field star who is among the fastest in the world. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she won two gold medals, one in the 400-meter hurdles and another in the 4x400-meter relay. She also set the world record in the 400-meter hurdles in 2022, clocking a time of 50.68.
I know some of us don’t pay attention to the Winter Olympics, but you might want to start, to watch bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor do her thing. During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Taylor became the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history after taking home her fifth medal.
Along with being a brilliant athlete, Erin Jackson also has a degree in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Florida. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the talented speed skater won gold in the 500 meter.
The ladies have hands too. Claressa Shields is one of the best Boxers out there. She won a gold medal at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics and is undefeated as a professional boxer.