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Happy Friday, squad. Let’s do it.

1 / Mikaela Shiffrin’s GOAT claim

Mikaela Shiffrin.
Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty Images

Mikaela Shiffrin wrapped up her World Championships program last weekend having won four medals in her four events: gold in combined, silver in giant slalom, and bronze in super-G and slalom.

  • Shiffrin’s lifetime record in World Championships is now 11 medals in 13 races. 
  • Add in her three medals in five Olympic events, and she’s 14 for 18 at major championships. 

For context: 

  • Lindsey Vonn remains the most successful female skier in World Cup history with 82 victories. (Shiffrin has 68 and counting.) 
  • But in major championships, Vonn retired with an overall haul of 11 medals in 39 races. 
  • Put in baseball terms, Vonn hit .282, while Shiffrin is batting .778. 

The craziest part? Shiffrin is still just 25 years old. Vonn retired in 2019 at age 34. 

Shiffrin credits her success in clutch moments to both years of serious training and one fortuitous conversation in 2013, when she was 17 years old. 

  • At worlds that year, Shriffrin was “freaking out” in between slalom runs when U.S. teammate Steven Nyman gave her a piece of advice: during World Championships, unlike the World Cup, you don’t worry about points. You just go for gold. 
  • To this day, Shiffrin cites that conversation as the source of her attack-first mentality (which is useful to have when you're going 80 mph down a mountain). 

Shiffrin’s latest accomplishment is all the more remarkable given her past year. 

  • Shiffrin didn’t compete for 10 months following the sudden death of her father last February, followed by Covid cancellations and a back injury which limited her training. 

The big picture: Shiffrin is considered a lock to retire as the alpine skiing GOAT, a title she may already possess: 

  • She is the first and only athlete, female or male, with wins in all six FIS Alpine Ski World Cup disciplines. 
  • She is also the first and only skier, again female or male, to win at least 15 races in the same calendar year. (She won 17 in 2019.)
  • Her 11 World Championship medals are tied for the most since WW2. 
  • Her 68 World Cup wins trail only Vonn and Ingemar Stenmark (86), both of whom she’s on pace to pass. 

Go deeper: Shiffrin doesn’t miss when medals are on line (AP)

  • And listen to Shiffrin’s appearance on the JWS pod, where she discusses her unique mental approach.

2 / USWNT wins SheBelieves Cup

The USWNT.
@USWNT

The USWNT routed Argentina 6-0 on Wednesday to take home the 2021 SheBelieves Cup. 

  • The team went 3-0 against Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, scoring 9 goals in total while conceding 0. 
  • Rose Lavelle was named tournament MVP after scoring the game-winning goal against Canada. 

On Wednesday, the US scored early and often. Megan Rapinoe notched a brace to open the game, followed by goals from Carli Lloyd, Kristie Mewis, Alex Morgan and Christen Press. 

  • It was Morgan’s first international goal as a mom, and it pushed her past Michelle Akers for the fifth-most in USWNT history (108). 

Looking ahead: everyone should wish coach Vlatko Andonovski some luck. 

  • He’s 16-0 to start his career at the helm of the USWNT. 
  • But now he faces his toughest task: whittling this roster down to 18 for the Olympics, when there are easily two dozen world-class players to choose from. 

Go deeper: Wednesday’s highlights (YouTube)

3 / Must Watch: PWHPA @ MSG

PWHPA players.
@PWHPA 

The first-ever women’s professional hockey game at the World’s Most Famous Arena is set to be aired on TV. 

  • The PWHPA has announced that NHL Network in the US and Sportsnet in Canada will broadcast the first 2021 Secret Dream Tour game this Sunday in Madison Square Garden. 

The showcase will feature Team Minnesota taking on Team New Hampshire. 

  • Players on the ice will include Team USA members Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Maddie Rooney, and Brianna Decker, among others. 

Tune in: Sunday, February 28th, 7:00ET on NHL Network and Sportsnet.

4 / Portland Thorns x TikTok

Crystal Dunn.
@Cdunn19 

The Portland Thorns (and Timbers) have announced a multi-year partnership with TikTok, becoming the first US soccer teams to partner with the short-form video platform. 

  • The deal is also the first joint patch sponsorship of a professional men’s and women’s soccer team here in the US. 
  • TikTok branding will feature on each team’s jersey sleeve, and both clubs have launched their own TikTok accounts to share featured content. 
  • Follow the Thorns here

The team also announced that both Crystal Dunn and Lindsey Horan have signed three-year contracts with the club. 

  • Notably, both will forgo their NWSL allocations from U.S. Soccer.
  • This means Portland (rather than U.S. Soccer) will pay their NWSL salaries. They both will remain contracted players with the national team.

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5 / AU Volleyball: Larson goes No. 1

AU Volleyball player.
@FIVBVolleyball 

Outside hitter Jordan Larson was picked first in the inaugural Athletes Unlimited volleyball draft on Tuesday. 

  • Lianna Sybeldon made the selection as one of four team captains alongside Tiffany Clark, Ali Bastianelli, and Aury Cruz. 

The four teams will play their opening games this Saturday: 

  • Team Sybeldon vs. Team Bastianelli: 5:00pm ET across Athletes Unlimited digital platforms. 
  • Team Clark vs. Team Cruz: 8:00pm ET on FS2. 

Athletes Unlimited’s unique scoring system: 

  • Players earn points from their individual performances and their team’s win. 
  • For each set won, a player earns 40 points. Each match win gives a player 60 points. 
  • Match wins are based on the total number of cumulative points from the three sets, not the number of sets won. 
  • If teams tie, they play a set to five to determine the winner. 
  • The four players with the most points each week draft next week’s teams. 

Go deeper: see the full team rosters here

6 / McDonald’s All Americans

Azzi Fudd.
Will Newton for The Washington Post via Getty Images
 
The McDonald’s All American game was cancelled for the second straight year due to COVID, but the Golden Arches still went ahead and named a 24-player senior class:
  • Destiny Adams (North Carolina)
  • Clarice Akunwafo (USC)
  • Sonia Citron (Notre Dame)
  • Maryam Dauda (Baylor)
  • Amari DeBerry (UConn)
  • Brooke Demetre (Stanford)
  • Caroline Ducharme (UConn)
  • Sania Feagin (South Carolina)
  • Azzi Fudd (UConn)
  • Aubryanna Hall (South Carolina)
  • Rori Harmon (Texas)
  • Jillian Hollingshead (Georgia)
  • Kyndall Hunter (Texas)
  • Okikiola Iriafen (Stanford)
  • Raven Johnson (South Carolina)
  • Greta Kampschroeder (Oregon State)
  • Teonni Key (North Carolina)
  • Rayah Marshall (USC)
  • Kayla McPherson (North Carolina)
  • Aaliyah Moore (Texas)
  • Reigan Richardson (Georgia)
  • Saniya Rivers (South Carolina)
  • Payton Verhulst (Louisville)
  • Jersey Wolfenbarger (Arkansas)
While No. 1 recruit Azzi Fudd headlines the class, South Carolina looks to be the real winner with four All Americans, followed by Texas, UConn and North Carolina, all of whom have three.   

Go deeper: read ESPN’s cover story profile of Fudd, “basketball's best prospect in decades.” 

7 / Her Airness, Sheryl Swoopes

Sheryl Swoopes.
Kellie Landis/Allsport

We’re wrapping up our series of Black History Month profiles with Her Airness, Sheryl Swoopes, one of the greatest hoopers to ever hit the hardwood. 

Swoopes dominated the game at every level of play. At Texas Tech, she led the Lady Raiders to their first-ever NCAA Championship, scoring 47 points in the title game—a record for both women’s and men’s college basketball that still stands today. 

  • That same year, she won the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, the Honda Sports Award, and was named the AP’s Female Athlete of the Year. 

Then, she went to Italy: there was no professional women’s league for Swoopes to play in when she finished college. After recording perhaps the greatest individual season in college basketball history, she had to head abroad. 

The 1996 Olympics changed everything: the US had won bronze in 1992, but trained together for 18 months going into the ‘96 games, where they beat Brazil to reclaim gold. 

  • The hype around that squad, which included Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and current South Carolina and Team USA coach Dawn Staley, directly led to the formation of the WNBA. 

Swoopes became the first player signed to the league, changing the trajectory of women’s basketball in America. 

  • Her Houston Comets would go on to win the first four WNBA championships, while Swoopes would become the first player to win three MVPs. 
  • Swoopes would finish with 4x titles, 3x MVPs, 3x Olympic golds, 2x WNBA scoring titles, 3x DPOY awards, and 6x WNBA All-Star selections. 

But her legacy extends well beyond the court: 

  • Swoopes was the first woman to have a signature shoe, the Nike Air Swoopes.
  • Swoopes gave birth before her rookie year and returned to the court only six weeks later. The WNBA’s latest CBA, which guarantees maternity leave protection, can be traced back to Swoopes’ outspoken advocacy around protecting pregnant athletes. 
  • In 2005, Swoopes also became one of the highest-profile athletes in the world to publicly come out as gay. 

Learn more about Her Airness: 

8 / Catch up quick

Chiney Ogwumike.
@WSLAM.
  • Chiney Ogwumike has re-signed with the LA Sparks, breaking the news herself
  • UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will defend her title against former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade at UFC 261 on April 24th. 
  • The NWSL has announced its 2021 Allocated Players List
  • Billie Jean King and the other members of the Original 9 who laid the groundwork for the WTA are now the first group elected together to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, joining Lleyton Hewitt and Dennis Van der Meer in the Class of 2021.
  • Former U.S. Gymnastics coach John Geddert took his own life Thursday, only hours after being charged with 24 crimes, including human trafficking and criminal sexual conduct. Geddert owned a gym where athletes allege they were sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar. Our thoughts remain with the victims.
Hey team. You’re almost to the weekend.
  • Did you know we have an Instagram devoted just to soccer? You’re welcome
  • As always, share JWS, win swag, rinse, repeat:


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