The most dominant NCAA swim team ever 🏊‍♀️

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“Will Caitlin Clark ever be paid by the WNBA what she’s really worth to that league? I don’t think that’s possible.”

- Erin Kane, Clark's agent, tells ESPN that WNBA players deserve higher compensation. Kane also represents Napheesa Collier and Arike Ogunbowale, among other prominent athletes at Excel Sports Management.

Three big stories to know this week in women's sports

1. Move over, sled dogs! 🐕 Cyclists, runners, & skiers take on the trails of the the Iditarod Trail Race ❄️

The Iditarod Trail Invitational started on Sunday, with cyclists, runners, and skiers competing to travel the route of the famed sled dog race. The race has three length options—1,000, 350, and 150 miles—with the 350 being the most popular and hotly contested. Seventy-three athletes started that distance, with seven lining up for the 150, and 26 for the 1,000-mile race. Racers have minimal support on the unmarked route, and are required to carry any supplies they might need to succeed in the harshest possible winter conditions. The shorter two routes have checkpoints for food and shelter but the last 500 miles of the 1,000-mile race are completely unsupported.

Ultra-endurance cycling great Lael Wilcox, the women’s champion of last year’s 350-mile race, was back on the starting line for this year’s edition. She completed the 2024 event in 4 days and 27 minutes, about 2.5 hours ahead of the next closest competitor. We’ll be watching to see how differently this year’s race plays out—there’s currently very little snow along the route, which makes for fast, bumpy conditions on the bike. (The Iditarod normally alternates between a northern and southern route every year; this year, ITI organizers made a late decision to switch to the northern route for the 1,000-mile race, which has better snow coverage.) She was in the lead as of Tuesday morning, and projected to finish within the day.

2. The first-ever Pro Volleyball Federation All-Star Match makes history with a sold-out show

The inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) All-Star Match packed Indiana’s Fishers Event Center to capacity with 6,943 spectators 🏐

The teams were led by two of the nation’s top college coaches: Michelle Collier of Georgia Tech coached the yellow team, while Dave Shondell of Purdue led the black-uniformed squad.

The match, which was played in a traditional three-set format but determined by the overall number of points, saw Team Shondell start out strong, winning the first two sets 25–22 and 25–20. That meant they only needed to reach eight points in the final set to win. They took an 8–5 lead to win, making the final score 58–47, but continued playing on to the end of the set, which Shondell’s squad won 15–10.

Omaha Supernovas’ Brooke Nuneviller led all players with 13 points, while teammates Merritt Beason and Azhani Tealer also delivered standout performances. Team Collier’s top contributors included Brittany Abercrombie (8 kills) and Sydney Hilley (14 assists).

The match also made history as the first women's pro volleyball match broadcast on a major U.S. network (CBS). 📺

3. Virginia women’s swimming now holds every! single! Atlantic Coast Conference record 🏆

The Virginia Cavaliers showed off their ongoing dominance in the pool at last week’s ACC championships. The women’s team now holds records in all five NCAA relays (the 200 free, 400 free, 800 free, 200 IM, and 400 IM), as well as every ACC record.

The 800 free relay team (Aimee Canny, Claire Curzan, Alex Walsh, and Gretchen Walsh) recorded a blazing-fast 6:44.13 time, breaking the U.S. Open, NCAA, ACC, and school records.💥 (The previous NCAA mark was 6:45.91, set by Stanford in 2017—a winning team which included none other than the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history, Katie Ledecky.) It’s the 18th year in a row that Virginia has won the race. 🤯

During the record-setting swim, Gretchen Walsh opened with a 1:39.35 record-breaking leg, the fastest opening leg in the ACC and the second-fastest 200 free time in history behind Missy Franklin's 1:39.10 set at 2015 NCAA champs.

Tip of the week

Open 👏 communication 👏 is 👏 crucial 👏 for 👏 young 👏 athletes! 👏

As awareness grows about the impact of body image on performance, coaches—both male and female—must learn to foster tough conversations effectively.

In the second episode of our three-part series on coaching young athletes, Sara Gross and guest co-host Jill Colangelo talk with guest Jason Russo, a veteran high school cross-country coach. Russo shares his experience in cultivating open communication, involving parents and experts to create a supportive and non-judgmental environment.

This episode calls on coaches, parents, and athletes to prioritize health, well-being, and open dialogue as key pillars of athletic development.

The highlight reel

Mikaela Shiffrin notched her 100th World Cup win in Sestriere, Italy, making her the first-ever downhill skier to do so. 🏆 She broke down in tears when she realized victory was secured. “All of my teammates and competitors and coaches and the whole World Cup and I’m so grateful, thank you,” she said. “And the fans, thank you so much.”
Nikki Hiltz doubled up wins at indoor track nationals 🇺🇸, claiming victory in the 3000m and 1500m races. This makes them the first person to win five consecutive 1500m titles, on both indoor and outdoor tracks.
During the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday, British tennis player Emma Raducanu was faced with an infuriating situation, where a man who had stalked her was allowed into her match. Radcanu spotted him in the stands and became visibly upset; she immediately notified the umpire. The man was removed. In an immense display of composure, Radcanu went on to finish the match, which she lost 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
The PWHL’s first-ever game in Alberta was a roaring success, with 17,518 screaming fans packed into the sold-out arena. The Toronto Sceptres defeated the Ottawa Charge 3-2 in a nail-biting overtime win.
French surfer Justine Dupont 🏄 scored 19.06 out of 30.00 on two waves to clinch the women’s title at the TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge in Portugal—her fourth win at the event, and her first competition back after giving birth. "I used to have a lot of fear before,” Dupont said after surfing the 25–35-foot waves. “Now, after the baby, I'm more worried about my child, whether they're sleeping or eating. At least it takes my mind off the fear! We're a family team, we understand each other and I'm really happy to be back here to perform.”
Venus Williams announced that she’ll play in her first tournament in over a year, the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, which runs from March 2nd through the 16th in Indian Wells, California.
Germany continued its dominance in women’s luge, with Julia Taubitz nabbing the World Cup singles overall championship. It’s the 27th year in a row (!!) that a German athlete has captured the title.
Chelsea Strate was one of only two women to finish the nearly 158-mile Polar Roll Ultra fat bike race in Michigan—and she did it while pumping. On top of managing negative temps, blowing snow, 10,000 feet of climbing, and all the normal nutrition and hydration challenges that come with any endurance event, Strate brought a portable pump and then carried the filled pouches in her handlebar bag.
A new list of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes came out—and it doesn’t include any women. 👎 It includes athletes from eight sports and 27 countries, with men’s soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo at the top, thanks to his $260 million earnings in 2024. U.S. tennis player Coco Gauff was the highest-earning female athlete last year, with an estimated $30.4 million in earnings—$7 million behind Minnesota Vikings QB Daniel Jones, who was number 100 on the list.
🚨 New NCAA Sport Alert! 🚨 Flag football is officially an emerging sport for women in Divisions I, II, and III. While there’s no NCAA championship slated yet, this designation puts it on track for one in the coming years.
Former president of the Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales was found guilty of sexually assaulting Spanish national team member Jenni Hermoso when he forcibly kissed her on the lips after the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Rubiales was fined €10,000 and cannot contact Hermoso or go within 200 meters of her for a year.
A’ja Wilson 🏀 and Jordan Chiles 🤸🏾are among 13 women on TIME’s 2025 Women of the Year List.
After winning $200,000 in this year’s Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament, Napheesa Collier announced that she’s sharing half of her prize money with her training and performance staff and assistant coaches.
Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) announced a ton of information about this year’s inaugural season, including team rosters, crests and colors, and venue and match information. The season starts on March 22, with the New York Exiles hosting the Boston Banshees, and runs through June 22, with matches on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Your Feisty recommendations

📺 What to watch: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the first race of the women’s WorldTour season, will be held March 1.

📚 What to read: “Trump singled me out for ruining women’s sport. This is my response to him.”

🎧 What to listen to: Our latest Women's Performance podcast episode! “There’s this idea that being skinny is better. I think that being strong is better. Being fit is better. Being healthy is better.”

😆 What made us laugh: Send thoughts and prayers for hungry triathletes 🙏