Swanson misses Stars opener | US stars exit Indian Wells | Naismith DPOY semifinalists

Ice in her veins.

Triple espresso down to a single shot

Ahead of tomorrow’s NWSL kick-off, the Chicago Stars confirmed on Wednesday that forward Mallory Swanson has yet to join the team due to a personal matter, and will not feature in their Friday matchup against the 2024 NWSL champion Orlando Pride.

• Chicago originally noted Swanson’s absence alongside their preseason roster announcement, adding that the organization was “fully supportive of her decision.”

• “I’d like to thank the club and the fans for their understanding during this time,” Swanson said in that January release. “I appreciate the kindness and encouragement from my teammates and all the Stars staff and hope to be back with the team and playing in front of our fans as soon as I can.”

Big picture: After lighting up the field in Paris last summer, USWNT attacking trio Triple Espresso — Swanson, Sophia Wilson (neé Smith), and Trinity Rodman — have yet to fully reunite on the national team pitch due to load management.

• Rodman returned to the pitch for the Washington Spirit as a second-half substitute during last week’s Challenge Cup win, though a lingering back issue has seen her sit out every USWNT camp since the Olympics.

• Wilson — who hasn’t played with the USWNT since October — is officially out for the entirety of the Portland Thorns’ 2025 NWSL season, after announcing her pregnancy just last week.

Takeaway: Swanson’s timeline remains unclear for both club and country, as Chicago now prepares to open the season without their celebrated striker.

• “Top player in the world, but the game still goes on,” said Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson told media Wednesday. “We still have players that we have to focus on, and I think that just gives somebody else another opportunity to come out and just say, ‘Okay, I can do it,’ because the game is not going to wait for us.”

Top US talent falls at Indian Wells

With the final match set for Sunday, the competition continues to heat up at Indian Wells — though several top US players will no longer be feeling the fire after falling in Wednesday’s Round of 16.

• Switzerland’s unranked Belinda Bencic upset world No. 3 Coco Gauff, with the 2020 Olympic champion prevailing in three sets despite Gauff going up 1-0 after the first set break.

• No. 4 Jessica Pegula suffered a similar fate, losing Ukraine’s world No. 23 Elina Svitolina in three sets 7-5, 1-6, 2-6 after taking the first set in a match heavily impacted by weather delays.

Big picture: Bencic will have to get past another US star to make the semifinals, as 2025 Australian Open champ and freshly minted world No. 5 Madison Keys continues her winning form in California.

• Keys survived a difficult battle against No. 19 Donna Vekic to take yesterday’s clash 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3, extending her streak to 15 straight matches.

• “I kind of just started deciding I was going to go for a little bit more,” she said afterwards. “Really happy to be able to get that match and get that win and play another match here.”

Tune in: Indian Wells kicks off the quarterfinals today at 1 PM ET (Tennis Channel), with Keys joining No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Świątek in the race for another major WTA title.

Naismith drops DPOY semifinalists

The Naismith Awards revealed their 2024/25 National Defensive Player of the Year semifinalists on Monday, with the 10-player lineup highlighting some of college basketball’s biggest names.

• Centers Lauren Betts (UCLA) and Sedona Prince (TCU) and forwards Taylor Thierry (Ohio State) and Makayla Timpson (FSU) represent the frontcourt, while six guards — Talaysia Cooper (Tennessee), Rori Harmon (Texas), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Aneesah Morrow (LSU), JJ Quinerly (West Virginia) and JuJu Watkins (USC) — hold down the backcourt.

• While the conferences vary, each program listed finished the NCAA regular season in the Top 25 AP Poll.

Big picture: Many of the season’s best defenders are also in the mix for National Player of the Year, including Betts, Hidalgo, and Watkins.

• Hidalgo tops the DI’s Power Four in steals per game with 3.7, while fellow DPOY semifinalist Morrow averages a DI-leading 13.6 rebounds per game.

• Betts, Prince, and Timpson all rank in the DI’s top five in blocks per game.

• The most noteworthy POY candidate missing from Tuesday’s group is UConn’s Paige Bueckers, who averages 4.5 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game.

Up next: Just four of the 10 Naismith Women's College DPOY semifinalists will make it onto March 18th’s finalist list, with the winner crowned ahead of the NCAA Final Four on April 2nd.

WNBA invites fans to 2025 Draft

The WNBA dropped 2025 Draft details on Wednesday, revealing timing, venue, broadcast, and ticketing information ahead of its April 14th return to New York.

• After last year’s success, the 2025 Draft will once again be open to the public, with the league relocating the even to Manhattan’s higher-capacity The Shed at Hudson Yards.

• For those who can’t make it in person, the 2025 WNBA Draft will air on ESPN starting at 7:30 PM ET, following the 7 PM ET WNBA Countdown.

• “We continue to focus on creating elevated events that WNBA fans won’t want to miss,” said WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “The tremendous fan engagement we enjoyed at draft last year was a precursor to a season in which we ultimately set records for viewership, attendance, digital consumption and merchandise sales.”

Be there: Tickets go on sale Friday, March 21st at 10 AM ET, with fans able to register their interest now via WNBA Experiences.

Atlanta eyes an upgrade

The Atlanta Dream is on the move, with president Morgan Shaw Parker telling Front Office Sports on Wednesday that the team plans to relocate their 2025 home-opener while also considering a more permanent arena upgrade.

• The May 22nd matchup with the Indiana Fever will now be played at nearby State Farm Arena, which can hold almost 13,000 more fans than the Dream’s current home, Gateway Center Arena.

• The Dream sold out all of their home games in 2024, with 18 of those played inside the 3,500-capacity Gateway Center — the WNBA’s smallest venue.

• Parker also noted that the team — fresh off an especially aggressive free agency period — is open to building a new higher-capacity arena if they can’t find an already-established venue.

Quote of the day

Mist forward Rickea Jackson
on teammate DiJonai Carrington joining her and Rose’s Angel Reese as the only players to ever get ejected from a regular-season Unrivaled 3×3 game.