Tag: Women’s Sport

Categories
Netball NSL

Hometown Heroes: Manchester Thunder claim their 5th NSL win against London Pulse

Screenshot

Celebrations | Photo taken from @eleanor_cardwell on instagram 

Manchester Thunder claimed their fifth Netball Super League win at Manchester’s Co-op Live against London Pulse as they won 54-51. Coming on during the game, Experience Kissimmee Player of the Match, Sophie Fawns was the standout player throughout and changed the game. 

After a dominant season, Manchester Thunder are now tied with Team Bath for Netball Super League titles and their first title since the undefeated 2022 season. With the Co-op Live hosting the final, it held a backdrop for the future of netball in the North West.  

Manchester Thunder won the toss with Amy Carter taking the first ball as centre and the home side took full advantage in the opening minutes. Quick passing across the shooting circle helped with the pace of the game with Eleanor Cardwell dominating in the goals across the four players. With three super shots and seven one-pointers for Eleanor Cardwell, Thunder were three points ahead going into the first break of the afternoon with them also using every player possible on the court effortlessly transitioning between thirds.

Alicia Scholes and Taylor McKevitt battled together across the court throughout the period and beyond with Halimat Adio vocal on the court for Pulse as Vice Captain. Funmi Fadoju was gamechanging throughout as she has been all season with multiple pickups and intercepts to help London Pulse fall just three off in the first quarter. 

End of Quarter One: Manchester Thunder 15-12 London Pulse

Starting the second quarter, there were no changes with London Pulse’s Liv Tchine chasing away with one-point shots but in the Amex Super Shot zone, failed to convert. This was the same for Sophie Kelly as she only put two goals on the board throughout the 15 minutes but worked well with Liv Tchine to get her tally, in the quarter, to 13 goals. First goal for Eleanor Cardwell came six minutes in, proving just how dominant Pulse was in the second quarter with Alicia Scholes firing a pass to Tchine around 9 minutes left on the clock from one side of the court to the other. 

A Tactical Change for Manchester Thunder saw Sophie Fawns come in at Goal Attack or Thunder with 7 minutes 45 on the clock and changed the game for the home side. After just one super shot in that quarter, she fired more and more in as the game went on. Various pick ups happened in the game from both Zara Everitt and Josie Huckle with Sophie Fawns performing an intercept in the centre third just before the Amex Super Shot period. Both Pulse defenders continued to double stack in the circle as they have done all season leaving Sophie Fawns open at times as they focused on shooter Eleanor Cardwell. 

Half-time: Manchester Thunder 25-27 London Pulse

Photo taken from @londonpulsenetball on instagram 

Changes from Thunder happened prior to the quarter with Cerys Finn came on as Goal Defence and Lois Pearson came back on but in the Wing Attack position with this changing the game. Cerys Finn defended against Sophie Kelly really well as she only put one one-pointer on the board with London Pulse missing opportunities throughout this quarter, slipping a two goal lead and tilted it to Thunder’s favour by six goals. 

Gracie Smith had an intercept and pick up to her name with Sophie Kelly having a turnover in the quarter. Thunder had multiple passes around the court, making it difficult for Pulse to follow what they were doing with fresh legs helping the movement throughout the fifteen minutes. 

End of Quarter Three: Manchester Thunder 42-36 London Pulse

Sam Bird did not change the lineup at all during the 60 minutes, and stuck with the same starting seven for majority of the season which confirmed a challenge for Alicia Scholes who just came off the back of an ankle injury and was yet to play a full game until then. Taylor McKevitt and Josie Huckle continued to intercept the ball ahead of the Pulse attackers with Pulse pressured to take shots and passes at times. 

Manchester Thunder used all players when in the shooting third and even coming up to the centre third to change the flow of the game, with Funmi Fadoju reading the situation and adding another intercept to her list. After the second time out of the game, Pulse looked to try and attack with three super shots in a row for Sophie Kelly but a mis-timed pass from Alicia Scholes to Liv Tchine wasn’t read from the Goal Shooter. A Supershot from Eleanor Cardwell secured the win for Thunder and a one-pointer on the buzzer from Sophie Fawns earned her Player of the Match after her impressive performance throughout. 

Full-time: Manchester Thunder 54-51 London Pulse

Starting Sevens: 

Manchester Thunder: GK: Josie Huckle, GD: Elia McCormick, WD: Taylor McKevitt, C: Amy Carter, WA: Natalie Metcalf, GA: Lois Pearson, GS: Eleanor Cardwell. 

Impact Players: Sophie Fawns, Emma Rayner, Cerys Finn. 

London Pulse: GK: Halimat Adio, GD: Funmi Fadoju, WD: Zara Everitt, C: Gracie Smith, WA: Alicia Scholes, GA: Sophie Kelly, GS: Liv Tchine. 

Impact Players: Tyler Orr, Darcie Everitt, Kamogelo Maseko

Thunder celebrations post match | Photo taken from @netballsl on instagram
Categories
PWR Rugby

How the PWR are helping the representation of women’s sports in the South West. 

Screenshot

Gloucester-Hartpury celebrating their PWR Victory | Photo taken from @gloucesterhartpury on Instagram

Premiership Women’s Rugby are inspiring the next generation of women’s sports stars in the south west with three teams already in the league and two in the play offs, this season. The South West is normally forgotten about when it comes to sports, whether that is hosting events or having teams itself and the PWR are trying to change that with elite level competition. 

In the last year itself, the region hosted the Subway Women’s League Cup final in 2026, Will host 6 matches at the County Ground (Bristol) in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, and had two venues in the Rugby World Cup 2025 (Exeter and Bristol). In the region, their highest Women’s Football team is Bristol City who play in the WSL2, with Cheltenham Town, Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle all playing in the FAWNL Southern Premier Division. 

Becoming a benchmark for the rest of the league, Gloucester Hartpury are the reigning champions in Premiership Women’s Rugby and secured their third consecutive title in 2025. Consistency, squad depth, and a number of England internationals prove that they are one of the popular sides in the PWR and in the South West, playing their games at the Kingsholm Stadium in Gloucester. 

Captain, Natasha Hunt is from Gloucester herself, being with the side since January 2019 (where she signed her professional contract) and co-captained the side to PWR victory in 2023. She paves the way for young girls from the South West and helps the visibility in the region, allowing them to be just like her. 

Steadily becoming a powerhouse in the league, Exeter Chiefs have reached multiple finals in recent years blending experienced internationals and rising young talent. Widely seen as a threat to the traditional giants, the club based at Sandy Park has a strong advantage with their home fans singing loud and proud every game. 

A standout player from the region that plays for Exeter Chiefs is Bath-born, Maddie Feaunati. She could have played for New Zealand or Samoa but decided to play for her home nation England after taking just four years from taking rugby more seriously to her International debut. 

Founded in 1984, Bristol Bears are one of the most northern teams in the county and play their games at Shaftsbury Park. They have called it home since 2018, which brings security to their fans, knowing where to go on a matchday. Steadily building on becoming a top force, they have become regular contenders for a play off spot in recent years. 

Sarah Bern studied at Hartpury before heading to Gloucester-Hartpury but has been with the Bears since 2018. Despite not being from the South West herself, she continues to pave the way for young girls looking to get into Rugby. Another player from the South West is World Cup winner Marlie Packer, with the Saracens flanker recently moving to Harlequins but called Yeovil her home before moving away.

Bristol Bears appeal players from the West Country’s local talent and nurture players through pathways such as the University of Bristol. They hope to develop a wealth of rugby talent from across the region and have strong partnerships from local colleges such as SGS and Weston to help with this. 

The South West might be lacking in a number of things, but teams in the PWR is not one of them, with the competition hoping to allow visibility to the south west. 

Categories
FA Cup

Rise, Fall and Rise again of Manchester City in the Women’s FA Cup. 

Joie Stadium | Photo taken from @mancitywomen on X 

Six years on since they last won the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, Manchester City won the trophy again and managed a league double for the first time in their history. Since their last Women’s FA Cup win, they have only returned on one occasion and since then they have failed to return to the home of football. 

2019/20: Winners

Manchester City faced Everton in the final at Wembley which was held behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. After extra time, the Cityzens won 3-1 with goals from Georgia Stanway (111’) and Janine Beckie (now Sonis) (120+2’) in added time. Due to the Covid 19 Pandemic, the final was hosted later on in the year in November with the game also being shown on BBC One at the time. 

From the Starting 11, Alex Greenwood is the only one to have stayed with the Sky Blue with many of the squad retiring, have left the league or alternatively moved to a different club in the Women’s Super League. 

Starting 11: Ellie Roebuck, Lucy Bronze, Steph Houghton, Alex Greenwood, Demi Stokes, Sam Mewis, Keira Walsh, Caroline Weir, Chloe Kelly (Janine Beckie 118’), Ellen White (Georgia Stanway 63’), Rose Lavelle (Jess Park 70’). 

Unused Subs: Karen Bardsley, Karima Benameur Taieb, Gemma Bonner, Laura Coombs, Jill Scott, Esme Morgan. 

2020/21: Semi- Finals

Manchester City faced Chelsea in the Semi-final stages at the Joie Stadium (then known as the Academy Stadium) where 1,343 fans saw Chelsea head to the finals. Goals from Erin Cuthbert, Melanie Leupolz and Beth England helped the side head to the finals, with Manchester City bowing out at that stage after winning the previous season. 

An injury hit side saw a change in a number of positions throughout the season with Goalkeeper Grace Pilling involved in the squad. She stayed in and around the first team for the next few seasons (alongside dual-registration at a number of lower-league sides) before heading out to America for College. 

Starting 11: Karima Benameur, Janine Beckie, Demi Stokes, Keira Walsh (Vicky Losada 67’), Jill Scott, Alex Greenwood, Laura Coombs, Caroline Weir, Khadija Shaw (Jess Park 45’), Lauren Hemp.

Unused Subs: Hayley Raso, Filippa Angeldahl, Grace Pilling. 

2021/22: Finalists

Manchester City were in the final again after a year away but faced Chelsea who won the previous year against Arsenal. The game went to extra time and on this occasion, Chelsea got the upper hand in extra time as the side won 3-2. 49.094 fans were in attendance at Wembley (the highest crowd at the time) with goals from Lauren Hemp (42’) and Hayley Raso (89’) helping the side get to extra time. 

The side that headed back to Wembley included a number of new faces who were heading to the home of football for the first time. Meanwhile, several England internationals went to the biggest stage before returning later that year for the Women’s European Championship Final. From the squad that headed down to London, 13 players have since played for England (or were playing at the time for them). 

Starting 11: Ellie Roebuck, Lucy Bronze, Alanna Kennedy, Alex Greenwood, Demi Stokes (Julie Blakstad 83’), Georgia Stanway (Laura Coombs 80’), Keira Walsh (Vicky Losada 119’), Caroline Weir, Chloe Kelly (Hayley Raso 76’), Bunny Shaw (Ellen White 80’), Lauren Hemp.

Unused Subs: Filippa Angeldahl, Jess Park, Ruby Mace, Khiara Keating. 

Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, 2022 | photo taken from @alexgreenwood5 on instagram

2022/23: Quarter-Finals

After their second place the year prior, the side looked to improve that year, but managed to exit in the Quarter-final stages against Aston Villa. After an extra time goal from Rachel Daly, the Cityzens were going backwards since their win in 2020 and becoming finalists the year before. 

The starting 11 that started the game was something Manchester City fans were getting used to as they continued to build on the strong squad as a whole, with substitutes only coming on during Extra-time. Something to note though is the fact that all the unused substitutes have now moved on to different clubs, with many of the starting 11 also doing the same. 

Starting 11: Ellie Roebuck, Esme Morgan, Laia Aleixandri (Laura Coombs 105’), Kerstin Casparij, Alex Greenwood, Yui Hasegawa, Deyna Castellanos (Mary Fowler 105’), Lauren Hemp (Hayley Raso 113’), Chloe Kelly, Filippa Angeldahl, Khadija Shaw. 

Unused Subs: Sandy MacIver, Demi Stokes, Steph Houghton, Leila Ouahabi, Alanna Kennedy, Julie Blakstad. 

2023/24: Quarter-Finals 

For the second time in two seasons, Manchester City bowed out in the Quarter-Final stages as they lost on penalties to the eventual finalists, Tottenham Hotspur. After an early lead from Mary Fowler in the sixth minute, Beth England equalised in the sixth minute of added time with Amy James-Turner getting the deciding penalty in. 

Despite bowing out at the same stage they did the previous season, there was a very similar lineup that was put out apart from the notable absentee of Ellie Roebuck (who later announced she was battling with a left occipital infarct injury). 

Starting 11: Khiara Keating, Kerstin Casparij, Laia Aleixandri, Alex Greenwood, Leila Ouahabi (Esme Morgan 73’), Filippa Angeldahl, Yui Hasegawa, Jess Park (Chloe Kelly 91’), Mary Fowler, Khadija Shaw (Laura Coombs 71’), Lauren Hemp. 

Unused Subs: Demi Stokes, Steph Houghton, Sandy MacIver, Ruby Mace, Alanna Kennedy. 

2024/25: Semi-Finals 

Manchester City returned to the Semi-Final stage in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup but failed to secure their place in the final as their rivals, Manchester United won 2-0. Goals from Celin Bizet and Grace Clinton within the first 22 minutes helped the side secure their third successive final appearance but for Manchester City, it was back to the drawing board. 

After an injury hit season, this game was the same as a very weak bench had two goalkeepers and two youngsters, with two more youngsters starting the game. Gracie Prior played a lot of the season as centre back and played a pivotal role throughout. More injuries came for the side as Mary Fowler ruptured her ACL just 25 minutes in, and returned halfway through the 25/26 season. 

Starting 11: Khiara Keating, Leila Ouahabi, Laia Aleixandri, Gracie Prior, Kerstin Casparij, Yui Hasegawa, Lily Murphy (Laura Wienroither 82’), Laura Coombs, Jess Park, Kerolin, Mary Fowler (Naomi Layzell 25’) 

Unused Subs: Sacha Lewis, Aemu Oyama, Katie Startup, Ayaka Yamashita. 

2025/26: Winners

Manchester City were back to winning ways in the FA Cup this season as they won 4-0 against Brighton. 43,917 fans were in attendance for the final (which was the lowest it has been since 2021) as the side won in the 90 minutes for the first time since 2019. Goals from Bunny Shaw (38’), Alex Greenwood (45+6’), Aoba Fujino (66’) and Vivianne Miedema (87’) helped the side win their first FA Cup since 2020. 

Manchester City got back to the high of 2020 after beating a tricky Chelsea side in the Semi-final. Andrée Jeglertz kept with a very similar side throughout all the campaigns that they competed in with substitutes being used when needed throughout, for freshness. 

Starting 11: Ayaka Yamashita, Kerstin Casparij, Jade Rose, Rebecca Knaak, Alex Greenwood, Laura Blindkilde Brown (Sydney Lohmann 77’), Yui Hasegawa, Kerolin (Aoba Fujino 61’), Grace Clinton (Vivianne Miedema 61’), Lauren Hemp (Mary Fowler 77’), Khadija Shaw (Laura Coombs 85’). 

Unused Subs: Eartha Cumings, Leila Ouahabi, Gracie Prior. 

Categories
WSL

Knaak’s last grasp header sealed three points for City in tight race for the title 

Rebecca Knaak’s header | photo taken from @mancitywomen on X

Rebecca Knaak’s Injury time header sealed all three points for the league leaders after a tight game throughout. Heading into the final day, all Manchester City need to do is win against West Ham to win their first league title since 2016. 

Manchester City got the 90 minutes underway but Liverpool saw the opening few chances including one from Aurelie Csillag just three minutes in. Her header from close range just fired over the bar but just 16 minutes in, Liverpool had another chance. They continued to pile on the pressure as Jenna Clark was next to have a header with hers also going over the crossbar, after 16 minutes. 

League leaders’ Manchester City had their first chance in the 26th minute as Lauren Hemp crossed the ball in from the left hand side, finding Bunny Shaw in the box but the shot went wide. In the 30th minute, there was the exact same movement but this time with Kerstin Casparij on the right side, finding Bunny Shaw in the box – her effort was also fired high. 

One more chance came in the final few minutes of the first half as with two minutes to go of normal time, Aurelie Csillag for Liverpool had a strike just inside the box but fired it over the bar, like many others. 

Half-time: Manchester City 0-0 Liverpool 

Manchester City started the second half brightly and how they meant to go on with multiple chances coming from Lauren Hemp in the opening five minutes of the half. Her first effort came in the 48th minute but found the hands of Jennifer Falk in the Liverpool net, with her second effort coming just two minutes later. The second attempt went straight in front of goal, failing to find anyone in the sky blue shirt. After many attempts in the next ten minutes, Kerolin had her own chance but Falk got her hands to it again and tipped it over the bar. 

Liverpool had some chances back to back both from Ceri Holland in the 74th and 76th minute, after their first substitution of the game – with both heading over the bar. Just two minutes after the last two, Aoba Fujino for Manchester City had her own chance, but had a similar action to Ceri Holland’s just that few minutes earlier. 

Six minutes were added at the end, which proved to be just right for Manchester City as just one minute in, Rebecca Knaak scored another header in the league. The defender’s effort went into the back of the net after a corner from Alex Greenwood found her from close range in the box. 

Full time: Manchester City 1-0 Liverpool 

What’s next for the sides: 

Final day looms in the WSL with Manchester City finishing their campaign away against West Ham with Liverpool hosting Arsenal, both on Sunday 16th May. Prior to the WSL finale, both are in with a chance of heading to the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Final. Manchester City visit Chelsea on Sunday 10th May with kick-off at 3:30PM BST and Brighton travel to Liverpool for a 12:15PM kick-off on the same day. 

How the teams looked: 

Manchester City: Yamashita, Greenwood ©, Knaak, Rose, Casparij, Hasegawa, Coffey, Hemp, Kerolin (Coombs 96’), Fujino (Fowler 84’), Shaw. 

Unused Substitutes: Beney, Blindkilde Brown, Clinton, Keating, Murphy, Ouahabi, Prior. 

Goals: Rebecca Knaak (90+1’) 

Yellow Cards: Greenwood (32’), Sam Coffey (42’) 

Liverpool: Falk, Bernabe, Fisk ©, Clark, Shimizu (Bergstrom 69’), Nagano, O’Sullivan, Holland (Woodham 88’), Olsson, Enderby, Csillag (Josendal 82’) 

Unused Substitutes: Evans, Kirby, MacLean, Shaw, Trueman. 

Yellow Cards: Fuka Nagano (51’), Ceri Holland (71’)

Categories
Basketball

WNBA Draft 2026: Round One Picks 

Screenshot

Azzi Fudd with the Dallas Wings Jersey | photo taken from @dallaswings on instagram

On Monday (13th April), the WNBA Draft returned for 2026 and was hosted in New York with multiple rookies turning up to be drafted into the WNBA. Projected #1 in the last couple of weeks was changing between Azzi Fudd, Awa Fam Thiam and Olivia Miles across a number of different news outlets. 

#1 Dallas Wings – Azzi Fudd / Guard 

First pick of the night was UConn’s Azzi Fudd after her impressive collegiate season in the east. Playing as a guard, she spent five years in Connecticut and will now join old-teammate Paige Bueckers in Dallas, giving fans nostalgia. She averaged 14.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.1 APG and 47.2 FG% across her career so far and looks to improve her statistics in the South. 

Over her career, she has won multiple awards including being the NCAA Champion in 2025 alongside being Tournament MOP the same year. Alongside this, she won WBCA Coaches’ All-American (2026), First-team All-American-AP, USBWA (2026), First-team All-Big East (2025, 2026), Big East All-Freshman Team (2022) and McDonald’s All American (2021).  

#2 Minnesota Lynx – Olivia Miles / Guard

Second pick of the night went to the Lynx where they picked TCU’s Olivia Miles after her standout career in College. Playing as a guard, she spent her previous four years at Notre Dame before moving to TCU last season averaging 15.6 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game. Her other stats include 6.5 assists per game and 47.2 FG% 

2026 was a big year for Miles after winning multiple awards across the board including Big 12 Player of the year, WBCA Coaches’ All-American, Second-team All-American AP, Second-team All-American – USBWA and First-team All-Big 12. Over her career, she also received Second-team All-American AP (2023, 2025), Second-team All-American – USBWA (2025), and First-team All-ACC (2022, 2023, 2025). 

Seattle Storm – #3 Awa Fam Thiam / Center and #14 Taina Mair / Guard 

Seattle was next to pick with them selecting Spanish Center Awa Fam Thiam. Born in 2006, she is only 19 years old, coming straight from Valencia Basket being a one to watch outside collegiate basketball. Their other pick was Taina Mair (#14 pick) who played as a guard for Duke averaging 9.8 PPG and 4.4 RPG. 

Awa Fam Thiam’s statistics are also impressive at such a young age, with 2024 being a big year for the Spanish international. In 2025, She was the Runner-up for FIBA Women’s EuroBasket, FIBA U19 Women’s EuroBasket All-Star Second Team (2023) and FIBA U16 Women’s European Championship All-Star (2022). In 2024, She was in the U18 Women’s EuroBasket All-Star, FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket MVP and All-Star for the same group.

Washington Mystics – #4 Lauren Betts / Center, #9 Angela Dugalić / Forward and #11 Cotie McMahon / Forward 

Mystics had three picks in the top 15 with the first being Lauren Betts from UCLA. The Center is coming off the back of a NCAA Championship win with the Bruins and previously was with Stanford in her first year of college. Her statistics across her career were also impressive but the win helped her cross the line to secure her place in Washington averaging 14.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.9 APG and 61.9 FG%. 

Her best highlights were across the last two years mainly including NCAA Tournament MOP (2026), 2x Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, 2x First-team All-Big Ten, 2x Big Ten All-Defensive Team, Naismith Defensive Player of the Year (2025), Big Ten Player of the Year (2026) and Big Ten tournament MOP (2025). 

The next pick was Angela Dugalić from UCLA, so the pair will have a familiar face together in their rookie season. The forward was originally at Oregon between 2020-2021 and across her career she won two awards in 2026 which was the NCAA Championship and Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year. She averaged 7.3PPG, 5.4RPG, 1.8APG and 43 FG% across her time so far and hopes to improve during her time with the Washington Mystics. 

Finally, their 11th pick was Cotie McMahon from Ole Miss who plays as a Forward. She was with Ohio State University until her senior year (2022-25) before moving to Ole Miss and received three honours in 2026 including SEC Newcomer of the Year, All-SEC First Team and SEC Championship All-Tournament Team. Across her career, she averaged 16.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.4 APG and 46.5 RG% and looks to remain consistent in her time at Washington. 

#5 Chicago Stars – Gabriela Jaquez / Guard 

Gabriela Jaquez was 5th pick in the draft and was highly rated after her performance in the NCAA Championship game vs South Carolina. The guard’s stats through her career averaged as 9.9PPG, 5.0 RPG and 1.6APG. 2026 was a big year for the California native winning the Championship, being in the NCAA All-Tournament and Second-team All-Big Ten. 

UCLA contingence (L-R) – Angela Dugalić, Kiki Rice, Gianna Kneepkens, Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez| photo taken from @wnba on X

#6 Toronto Tempo – Kiki Rice / Guard 

UCLA’s Kiki Rice was next, making it three picks in a row for the Bruins as she joined the inaugural side, Toronto Tempo. The guard averaged 13.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 4.2 APG with 2026 also being a big year for her highlights. Alongside being a NCAA Champion, in 2026 she was part of the First Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Defense, All-Big Ten Tournament, Big Ten Tournament MVP and NCAA All-Tournament. 

#7 Portland Fire – Iyana Martín Carrión / Guard 

Iyana Martín Carrión was the next pick with the guard originating from Spain and joining from Club Baloncesto Avenida. The 20-year old has career highlights including FIBA Women’s EuroBasket Runner-up (2025), EuroLeague Young Player of the Year (2025) and FIBA Under-19 World Cup MVP (2023) proving her one to watch this season for the new side. 

#8 Golden State Valkyries – Flau’jae Johnson / Guard (later traded to Seattle Storm) 

Being drafted for Valkyries, and then immediately traded to Seattle Storm, Flau’jae Johnson joins from LSU with her averaging 14.6PPG, 5.3RPG and 2.3APG. The guard won the NCAA Championship in 2023 with the highlights for her including 2x First-team All SEC (2025/26), Second-team All-SEC (2024), SEC Freshman of the Year (2023), SEC All-Freshman  Team (2023) and McDonald’s All-American (2022). 

#10 Indiana Fever – Raven Johnson / Guard 

The guard from South Carolina joins Indiana Fever averaging 6.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 4.0 APG. Her highlights throughout her college career were impressive too after being two-time NCAA Champion (2022, 2024), 2x SEC All-Defensive Team (2025/26), SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2026), Second-team All-SEC (2026), SEC All-Freshman Team (2023). 

Connecticut Sun – #12 Nell Angloma / Forward and #15 Gianna Kneepkens / Guard 

Connecticut Sun had two picks including Nell Angloma which was first out of the two and 12th overall. The French forward arrives in Connecticut from Basket Lattes Montpellier Association with the 19 year old’s best year in 2025, averaging 11.4PPG, 4.9RPG and 1.9APG in her career. Some of her career highlights include, FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup All-Star Second Team (2025), FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket MVP (2024), FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket All-Star (2024), FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket Champion (2024), FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship Runner-up (2023), FIBA U16 Women’s European Championship (2022). 

Their second pick was Gianna Kneepkens from UCLA who was last in the first round of picks. The guard was at Utah from 2022-2025 before transferring for her final year and averaged 14.8PPG, 4.4RPG and 2.4APG during her career so far, looking to improve her skills throughout her rookie season. Some of her highlights include Second-team All-Big Ten (2026), First-team All-Big 12 (2025) and 2x All-Pac-12 Team (2022/23). 

#13 Atlanta Dream – Madina Okot / Center 

Madina Okot from South Carolina joins the Dream with the Center averaging across her career 12.1PPG, 10.1RPG and 0.9APG. She was at Mississippi State in 2025 before transferring to South Carolina and was on the All-SEC Second Team across both years. 

(L-R) Olivia Miles, Lauren Betts, Flau’jae Johnson, Raven Johnson and Azzi Fudd | photo taken from @wnba on X