Claressa Shields

(Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for WSF)

“My goal is to go down as the best women’s fighter in history.” Since stepping into the professional ring in 2016, Claressa Shields has proven to the world she is a formidable force and can excel in the squared circle with confidence, power and dominance no matter what combinations are thrown her way. At only 28 years old, Shields has a long list of accomplishments to be proud of. Largely considered one of the best pound-for-pound women boxers in history, her impressive brawling style — paired with her agility to move from the ring to the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting cages, all while adding wins to her undefeated boxing record — has earned her the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Individual Sportswoman of the Year Award.

Shields is determined to go the distance and continues to show her opponents she is a qualified contender by clinching 14 wins (two by knockout) and zero losses since going pro. The past year, she showcased her prowess by participating in some of the most significant fights in women’s boxing history, including her bout against Savannah Marshall in October 2022, which sold out the O2 Arena in London and drew 2 million viewers on Sky TV, and her one-sided fight in June 2023 against Maricela Cornejo at the Little Ceasar’s Arena in Detroit, Mich. Both were won by unanimous decision.

Shields sparred her way onto the sport’s world’s largest stage when she became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing at the 2012 Olympic Games, where for the first time the 10 men’s boxing events were joined by three women’s events: flyweight, lightweight and middleweight. Four years later, Shields won a second gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. She is the only American — male or female — to win back-to-back gold medals in boxing. She is also a two-time world championship gold medalist and a Pan American gold medalist.

Looking for a new challenge in the combative sports universe, Shields is working towards becoming a two-sport star. In 2021, while still defending her boxing titles, she made her much-anticipated MMA debut, scoring a jaw-dropping come-from-behind knockout her first time in the octagon. Most recently, she signed another multiyear deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and is expected to return to the PFL’s SmartCage in 2024. To date, she holds a 1-1 record in MMA.

Shields’ journey has been far from easy. From poverty to abuse to bullying, she has overcome many obstacles to get to where she is today. As she points out, “boxing saved my life,” and she often thanks the strong influences who helped guide her along the way, never letting circumstances dictate her actions. She is the first member of her family to graduate from high school, and her story of overcoming adversity to become the greatest women boxer in the world fuels her advocacy work in her hometown of Flint, Mich., where she is deemed a local hero and global sports icon. 

Winning titles in three weight classes, Shields has proven time and again that no matchup is too great for her as she continues to build her legacy as a pioneering athlete, inspiring young girls to keep jabbing until they reach the top. 

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Natalie Schneider

“The fast-paced action of the game and comradery with the team filled a void that I didn’t even know was there.” Throughout her professional career, Natalie Schneider has proven she is one of the “greatest threats” competing on Team USA’s Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team. As a four-time Paralympian with her eyes set on Paris 2024, Schneider continues to prove the sky’s the limit and no goal is too great for her to achieve. From a women’s world championship victory to an MVP win, her incredible athletic performance this past year paired with her ability to push herself and her team to new heights is why she is this year’s Women’s Sports Foundation’s Team Sportswoman of the Year. 

From buzzer beaters to epic free throws and assists, Schneider has been captivating audiences on the court for 15 years. Winning three Paralympic medals, seven National Championships and landing on the podium at two Parapan American Games, she has shown the world what is possible when you continue to fine-tune your athletic-skills and remain determined to stay at the top of your sport. 

Scheinder’s story is more than triumph, it is one of persistent perseverance. The summer following her sophomore year of high school where she helped lead her basketball team to the state tournament, her life was quickly turned upside down when she was diagnosed with bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in her distal femur. She spent the next 10 months undergoing chemotherapy and limb-salvage surgery that replaced the bottom half of her femur and knee-joint with a titanium prosthesis. She was told she would never run, jump or play the sport she loved again, which according to her was “a million times worse than finding out she had cancer.”

It took six years, but Schneider rebounded back into sport after reading an article in her local newspaper, which informed her that her implant qualified her for a local sitting volleyball league. Through that sport experience, she discovered wheelchair basketball, playing with her local team while obtaining her Masters in Statistics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Shortly after graduating in 2007, she was invited to try out for her first USA team and had an extraordinary start to her career by assisting the team to a gold medal win at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. 

Schneider went on to compete in the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Paralympic Games and came in and out of retirement throughout the years as she built a family with her husband. She is now the mother of three daughters, two of which got to witness her secure her second gold medal in the Rio Games. Remaining a top player on Team USA, Schneider is vying to compete in her fifth Paralympics before officially retiring. 

Between matchups and training sessions, she is working towards a personal training certification so she can coach her daughters’ sports teams and other young athletes in her community. She hopes to pass along everything she has learned throughout her basketball career to help others discover their limitless potential on and off the field of play.

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Maggie Steffans

If you look up legendary athletes competing in women’s water polo, you’re bound to see Maggie Steffens’ name at the top of every list. Steffens is a 29-year-old “utility player” who has competed on the U.S. Women’s National Water Polo Team since 2009. Steffens scored a total of 18 goals during the Olympic Games in Tokyo, helping her team win their third consecutive gold medal and becoming the all-time leading scorer in Olympic women’s water polo history with 56 goals. Her incredible performance, ability to push herself and her team to new heights, and determination to stay at the top of her sport is why she is this year’s WSF Team Sportswoman of the Year.

Steffens has dreamed of being an Olympian since she was a child, and it is no surprise water polo is how she got there. Her father played for the Puerto Rican National Team and collegiately, while her mom is part of an extensive water polo family. Steffens grew up the youngest of four water-polo-playing siblings. Talk about “everybody in the pool,” her direct and extended family have helped fuel her competitive drive and passion for the sport. 

Starting out, Steffens’ journey wasn’t easy. The lack of junior leagues where she grew up in Northern California had her playing against girls who were twice her age and size. This was a blessing in disguise as it helped lay the foundation for her to become one of the youngest athletes to compete on the U.S. Women’s National Water Polo Team.

At just 16 years old, she was asked to play in her first Team USA match — a call-up with special significance to her and her family, since she would be playing alongside her sister Jessica, who was already established on the team. The duo went on to play together in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and Maggie’s Olympic debut did not disappoint. Not only did the team win gold, but she was named MVP, tying a record of 21 goals scored during a single Olympic Games and the most goals scored during a single game. 

Following her standout performance, she landed the team captain position, helping the team win gold in the 2016 and 2020 Games. Her leadership skills were on full display in Tokyo, where she helped the team rebound from their first loss in the Olympic Games since 2008 — going on to win four straight games to land at the top of the podium once again. Even more impressive, Steffens did it all with a broken nose, showcasing her unwavering resolve. 

Beyond the Olympic Games, Steffens led the U.S. women’s national team to their seventh consecutive title at the FINA World League Super Final in Greece and was named the 2021 FINA Women’s Water Polo Athlete of the Year for the third time in her career (2021, 2014, 2012). She is a member of the Quadruple Gold Club, earning Olympic gold, FINA World Championship gold, FINA World Cup gold and FINA World League gold, an accomplishment only a handful of other athletes have claimed. Collegiately, she competed at Stanford University where she helped the team win three NCAA championships (2017, 2015, 2014) and was named the NCAA tournament MVP in 2017. 

Steffens’ passion for her sport is transcending the pool. She is the co-founder and owner of 6-8 sports, a performance analytics company designed to take a data-driven approach to evaluating athletes’ strengths and weaknesses to help them improve over time. She takes pride in her Puerto Rican heritage, and though she has planted roots in Long Beach, Calif., she considers Puerto Rico to be her home. Most recently, she has taken on a GlobalGiving campaign to raise money for those in communities across the country recovering from Hurricane Fiona. 

Whether she is scoring goals, setting records or traveling around the world to introduce and inspire young girls and women to play water polo, Steffens’ love for her sport shines bright. She dreams big and plays big up against the shot clock — in and out of the pool —  and will go down in history as one of the best to ever play the game.

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Sunisa Lee

She is known as an uneven bars specialist, but Sunisa “Suni” Lee has proven to the world she is unshakeable and can excel at all four categories in women’s gymnastics — and the global spotlight — with poise, strength, and agility. At only 19 years old, Lee has a long list of accomplishments to be proud of. Her impressive skill set paired with a grace-under-pressure performance during the 2020 Olympic Games earned her this year’s WSF Individual Sportswoman of the Year award.   

Lee’s story is more than just triumph, it’s one of representation. She is the first Hmong American to compete in an Olympic Games, a historic moment that has given a voice to a community that she says often goes unseen. She is also a first-generation American who dedicates her success to her parents, especially her dad, who have made countless sacrifices to fuel her dream of being an Olympic gymnast. 

One of the most talked-about moments of the Games was the way Lee rose to an unexpected challenge. She put her talents on full display when she quickly filled in during the team competition following Simone Biles’ withdrawal, which drew global attention. Lee said it was the most pressure she had ever felt, but she went on to fearlessly nail her bar and floor routines, helping the team win silver. Two days later she took home the esteemed gold medal as the all-around champion, making her the fifth consecutive American to win gold in the category. She also clinched a bronze medal in uneven bars. 

There were many moments leading into the Olympic Games that showcased the young gymnast’s perseverance, grit and determination. She has overcome many obstacles, including ankle and foot injuries and deeply personal struggles to make it to sport’s biggest stage. In 2019, her dad, John Lee, fell off a ladder, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Two days later, she went on to win silver at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships and later in the year, she won three medals at the World Championships. Soon after, she earned the second guaranteed team spot for Tokyo, her dad serving as inspiration even amid his own challenging recovery — pushing her to keep doing what she loved.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Lee’s journey has now taken her to Alabama, where she is in her sophomore year at Auburn University. So far her budding collegiate career has gotten off to a great start. She was crowned balance beam champion and placed second in the all-around at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships. She also was named the 2022 Southeastern Conference (SEC) uneven bars champion and SEC Freshman of the Year. 

From the start of each routine to her dismount, you can’t help but watch Lee in awe as she makes the hardest skills look effortless. As she continues to compete, she hopes to inspire and empower her peers and the next generation to work hard toward their passions and achieve their dreams, like her dad did for her.

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Jordan Larson

When the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team won their first Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games, Jordan Larson was the one to score the winning point. When her kill made contact with the court, Larson collapsed to the floor in pure joy and was embraced by her teammates. Larson, who has been team captain since 2017, had finally achieved her dream of being an Olympic gold medalist. The U.S. women swept Brazil, who had never lost an Olympic final before, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-14). Larson’s incredible performance, including being named both Olympic Most Valuable Player and best outside hitter of this historic team, is why she is this year’s WSF Team Sportswoman of the Year Award winner. 

Larson is one of the premier all-around players in her sport. She has an exceptionally high IQ on the court which has easily earned the respect of teammates and competitors alike. The past year has been especially momentous for Larson, adding gold medals and championship titles to her impressive list of accolades. With the inaugural season of the Athlete Unlimited volleyball league in February of 2021, Larson was finally able to play professionally in the United States for the first time. Larson was not only the first player to sign with the new league, she was the inaugural season’s champion after earning 4,569 points over the five-week-long season. In June, Larson won her first gold medal of the year in the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League finals. The U.S. women’s team beat the Brazilian squad 3-1 (26–28, 25–23, 25–23, 25–21) to claim the gold. And just a few months earlier, in 2020, Larson became one of the youngest members to be inducted into the University of Nebraska Hall of Fame. While she was a Husker, Larson won a national championship in 2006, and in 2008 she became the first woman in Big 12 history to be named the league’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. 

Now a three-time Olympian, winning silver and bronze medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Larson has played professionally in Puerto Rico, Russia, Turkey, China and the United States. To sustain her on this inspiring journey, she treasures every challenge along the way and proudly wears the “Play For Kae” tattoo on her left wrist in memory of her mom, who lost her fight to breast cancer in 2009. 

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Allyson Felix

World record holder, 11-time Olympic medalist, 18-time World Championship medalist over the course of her two-decades-long career, a historic performance at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Allyson Felix is a powerhouse, and this year’s WSF Individual Sportswoman of the Year Award winner.

In Tokyo, Felix earned a bronze medal in the 400-meter race — her first Olympic event since giving birth to her daughter, Camryn, in 2018 — breaking her own 400-meter W 35 (women athletes between the ages of 35–39) masters athletic record in the process. She followed up that strong performance by helping the U.S. women’s 4×400-meter relay team win the gold medal the following day with the fifth-fastest time in the event’s history. Since she stated prior to the 2020 Olympic Games her intention to retire before the 2024 Games, winning gold in her final Olympic race was especially meaningful for Felix, as it moved her ahead of Carl Lewis to become the most decorated American track & field Olympian in history.

At this stage of her career, Felix also has found passions off the track, which she believes are her true calling. She is driven by all of her experiences — as athlete, mom and social justice advocate — to use her voice to create change for mom-athletes and all women who are striving to successfully combine their professional careers and motherhood. Earlier this year she launched her own footwear company, Saysh, designed for and by women, which she wore during her historic Tokyo performance. Through her advocacy and increasing awareness of the challenges mom-athletes face in sport, Felix helped inspire the Power of She: Child Care Grant, a new program launched in partnership with Athleta and the Women’s Sports Foundation to help support mom-athletes and allow them to compete without barriers. Additionally, Felix serves on the board of Right To Play, raising awareness for underserved children in developing regions, as well as &Mother, which envisions “a culture where motherhood is not a limiting factor in how women succeed professionally or personally.” 

Having accomplished so much through sport, Felix says that her true, greatest achievement and greatest love is her daughter, who reminds her every day that she can never stop fighting for what is right in this world. She continues to strive for greatness in all areas, demonstrating that we all can achieve things we have never even dreamed of.

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When Maddie Rooney headed to the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, she was a relatively unknown 20-year-old hockey goalie. By the time the Winter Games ended, the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) Bulldogs star had become a household name.

Rooney made the iconic, deciding save in the gold-medal shootout versus four-time defending champion Canada. It came against 2010 Olympic MVP Meghan Agosta. It was the first Olympic women’s hockey gold medal for America since the inaugural 1998 tournament in Nagano, Japan.

This Andover, Minnesota native is just getting started. Rooney was honored as WSF’s Team Sportswoman of the Year at the 39th Annual Salute to Women in Sports awards gala  on October 17 in New York. We caught up with her at the 2018 Four Nations Cup in Saskatoon, Canada, where the U.S. earned its fourth straight title with a 5-2 win over the host Canadians on November 10.

WSF: What did it mean to receive the Team Sportswoman of the Year Award from the Women’s Sports Foundation?

Maddie: Just to be nominated for that meant so much to me. I was up against so many incredible athletes, and to go to the event was a super-humbling experience, with all those elite athletes coming together. We worked with young girls there the day before the event. To hear Billie Jean King speak both early in the day and at the event, it was so cool to be part of.

WSF: How has the Olympic gold medal changed your life?

Maddie: I guess I never really saw myself being on Jimmy Fallon or Ellen or all those crazy things we experienced! But again, it’s just been so humbling. Now, with the start of a new Olympic quadrennial, it’s about getting focused on the team again.

WSF: WSF strongly advocates for scholarships for female athletes. How has your UMD scholarship affected your ability to excel?

Maddie: Getting a scholarship has changed my life and given me the opportunity to play for Team USA. It’s given me so many life lessons, like time management and communication, that I can carry with me throughout my life, not just in the game of hockey, but outside as well.

WSF: What can you say about the importance of girls participating in sports for health, confidence, and leadership ability?

Maddie: When I was young, I participated in many different sports. That was huge for me to develop those skills and get involved with the community. I met some of my best friends. I think that’s just part of the development. It helps you be the best version of yourself.

WSF: Team USA has other top-notch goalies, including Alex Rigsby, who helped the U.S. win the 2015 and 2016 World Championship gold medal games, and Nicole Hensley, who won the 2017 World Championship final. What kind of relationship do you have with them?

Maddie: It’s all based on support of each other, and you’ve got to have fun with each other. You obviously compete too, but we’re all working for the same goal.

It’s given me so many life lessons, like time management and communication, that I can carry with me throughout my life, not just in the game of hockey, but outside as well.

WSF: In 2017, your national team famously announced it would boycott the Women’s Worlds in Plymouth, Michigan unless it received equitable treatment from USA Hockey. Ultimately, a deal was struck. What was that like?

Maddie: I was new to the team, and being told that we were looking at sitting out the tournament wasn’t ideal. But it was really powerful that we all stood together. I was proud to be part of that team. What we accomplished set a baseline for women’s hockey and women’s sports in general.

WSF: How optimistic are you that women’s hockey players will soon get the opportunity to earn a living in a unified top pro league?

Maddie: I think it’s really going to develop within the next two years, and I’m excited to see what opportunities I have once I graduate. It’s great to see how far it’s come.

Lucas Aykroyd is a member of the WSF Digital Contributor Team. His work has appeared in publications that include the New York Times.