With the Winter Olympics in February, March Madness on the calendar and a landmark NWSL season to come, women’s sports fans are in store for an exciting year.
Here are the 20 athletes to know or get reacquainted with in 2022.
Rhyne Howard has been a basketball player to watch since she was named Tennessee’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018, ahead of her breakout rookie season at the University of Kentucky.
Catarina Macario is quickly becoming a household name, racking up 12 caps with the United States Women’s National Team and lighting up the pitch with her French club Olympique Lyonnais.
The 29-year-old has been dominating the sport for quite some time now, but with a new, integrated World Surf League schedule in 2022, Moore has an opportunity to ascend to new heights.
Coco Gauff had a stellar 2021 WTA season, especially considering the tennis prodigy is still just 17 years old.
Mikaela Shiffrin has already ascended to the top of her sport, earning three medals, including two gold, in alpine skiing.
Jin Young Ko had a storybook 2021, winning the LPGA finale in November and clinching the Player of the Year award.
Nelly Korda made history in 2021, becoming the first golfer to win an Olympic gold medal and a major championship in the same year.
Aliyah Boston is lighting up the floor for the South Carolina women’s basketball team, averaging 16.8 points and nine rebounds per game on the season.
The 22-year-old has already made 19 appearances with the USWNT and is a heavy favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NWSL Draft, should she decide to stay in America rather than decamp to Europe.
Emma Raducanu emerged from obscurity to take the tennis world by storm, winning the U.S. Open at just 18 years old.