USWNT names European stars to SheBelieves Cup roster

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USWNT taps European club stars for SheBelieves Cup

The USWNT’s European stars are back, as coach Emma Hayes named a mix of NWSL and overseas talent to March’s SheBelieves Cup roster.

• Seven European standouts join 19 US-based stars on the 26-player squad, with reigning NWSL champion Gotham sending a team-high four players.

• “Three quality games in quick succession also allow us to replicate conditions that will prepare us for the World Cup qualifying campaign this fall,” Hayes said in Tuesday’s statement. “As always, we want to keep developing our player pool to be more and more prepared.” (See full roster)

Big picture: Several big names were left off the lineup, with injuries and fitness concerns taking precedence ahead of next month’s NWSL kickoff.

• Triple Espresso forward Sophia Wilson remains in a post-pregnancy return-to-play protocol, while Chelsea’s Catarina Macario is out with a heel injury.

• Midfielder Croix Bethune, defenders Avery Patterson and Emily Sams, and forward Michelle Cooper are also dealing with preseason knocks.

Getting serious: The selection reflects a significant shift in strategy, as Hayes leans into experience ahead of World Cup qualifiers.

• Notably, it’s the US first roster without an uncapped player since the 2025 SheBelieves Cup nearly one year ago.

Watch more: See JWS staff writer Claire Watkins’s roster takes on this week’s episode of The Late Sub.

Ohio State faces Minnesota with seeding on the line

Tonight’s Big Ten showdown raises the stakes, as No. 10 Ohio State takes on No. 23 Minnesota with conference tournament implications on the line.

• The Buckeyes will look to bounce back from Sunday’s 76-75 upset loss to No. 14 Maryland, after OSU gave up a 19-point lead to the Terrapins.

• “That’s sort of the story of being in the Big Ten,” Buckeyes head coach Kevin McGuff said. “You play so many great teams, and how you handle adversity goes a long way.” (See full highlights)

Big picture: Sitting fourth in the Big Ten standings on an 11-3 record, Ohio State will want to avoid turning one loss into two with the 11-4 Gophers hot on their heels.

• Minnesota enters the matchup on an eight-game winning streak, making their AP Top 25 Poll season debut this week.

• “We’ve built a lot of chemistry over the last couple years. I think that’s showing up right now,” Gophers center Sophie Hart said. “We’re just playing together as a team and having a lot of fun doing it.”

Tune in: OSU takes on Minnesota tonight at 8 PM ET, live on BTN+.

Team USA trio sees mixed short program results

Figure skating hit the ice yesterday, with Team USA’s Blade Angels delivering soaring highs and bitter lows as the US hunts its first women’s medal since 2006.

• Japan’s Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto topped the program’s first half, while reigning world champion Alysa Liu secured third and 18-year-old Isabeau Levito finished eighth for the US.

• “My goal is just to do my programs and share my story,” Liu said after scoring a season-best 76.59. “I don’t need to, I guess, be over or under anyone to do that.” (See full run)

Ups and downs: Team USA medal contender Amber Glenn was not so fortunate, finishing 13th after bailing out of a triple loop midway through her routine.

• “She’s gone through so much, and she works so freaking hard,” Liu said after her teammate exited the ice in tears. “I just want her to be happy, that’s genuinely all I want.”

• Despite Glenn’s stumble, all three US skaters qualified for Thursday’s medal event — one last shot at ending the 20-year medal draught.

Go deeper: See how the Blade Angels are raising the bar in The DNA Of: Team USA’s Figure Skating Rebuild.

BHM Spotlight: Figure skating icon Mabel Fairbanks

Every Wednesday in February, JWS celebrates Black History Month by spotlighting a prominent Black figure in women’s sports.

Mabel Fairbanks forever shaped the sport of figure skating, paving the way for Black athletes despite never getting to compete at the professional level.

• Born in 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida, Fairbanks moved to New York as a teenager and taught herself to ice skate in Central Park, igniting a lifelong passion.

• Despite her talent, discriminatory laws barred her from both the Olympic trials and national competitions, with Fairbanks later finding success as an ice dancer with big-name local and touring productions.

Making waves: After retiring in 1948, Fairbanks went on to coach Olympic and World Champions like Tai Reina Babilonia, Debi Thomas, and Kristi Yamaguchi.

• In 1997, Fairbanks made history as the first Black skater inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, before being posthumously inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

• “To be the best I had to be as good as the kids who were on that [competitive] ice skating,” Fairbanks said in 1999 oral history. “I didn’t think that I would be able to compete at that time, I just wanted to be as good as they were, or even better.”

US skier Mikaela Shiffrin gets her gold

Mikaela Shiffrin is finally back on top, as the US skier won this morning’s slalom race by 1.50 seconds to capture her first Olympic medal since 2018.

• The 30-year-old’s third career gold ends an eight-year Olympic medal drought, going nine events without a podium finish including two 2026 missteps.

• This morning’s dominant run mirrored Shiffrin’s Sochi slalom triumph 12 years ago, with Switzerland’s Camille Rast taking silver while Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson claimed bronze. (See full run)

History made: Shiffrin now joins Switzerland’s Vreni Schneider as the only skiers with two Olympic slalom golds.

• “Maybe just today, I realized what happened in Sochi,” an emotional Shiffrin said afterwards. “It’s crazy.”

Quote of the day

USA Hockey captain Hilary Knight
posting to social media after getting engaged to speed skater Brittany Bowe at the Winter Olympics in Milan.