When JuJu Watkins made history as the first active NCAA athlete to receive her own Funko Pop figure, it was just one of many milestones in a year of exceptional achievements for the Women of Troy. The USC women’s sports programs are not just competing — they’re dominating. From basketball to volleyball, soccer to golf, the Women of Troy are earning accolades and making waves in their respective sports.
In her sophomore season, JuJu Watkins has already established herself as one of the most dominant forces in women’s basketball. This season, Watkins became the fastest Trojan to reach 1,000 points, in just 38 games. Watkins holds the USC record for the most games with 30 or more points, coming in at 15 games thus far. Watkins scored in double-digits in all seven games for USC this season, and her 34 points during the Trojans’ 104-65 win over St. Louis last week marked a season high.
Last season, Watkins set the national record for scoring by a freshman with 920 points and was the second-leading scorer in the nation with 27.1 points per game. Her 51-point explosion at Stanford was the most points scored by any player in the nation and set a new USC record — male or female — for most points in a single game. Watkins has been a double threat on both ends of the court, also contributing 7.3 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals.
Beyond the statistics, Watkins is making history at USC. She has earned multiple honors, including being named ESPN Freshman of the Year and winning the ESPY Award for Best Breakthrough Athlete. She is USC’s first to win the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award, presented annually to the best women’s basketball shooting guard in the NCAA Division I competition. With partnerships with Nike, Gatorade and other major brands, Watkins is already becoming a cultural icon.
According to USC Athletics, attendance at women’s basketball games has increased 376.57% since last year, with a current high of 4,942 fans filling the Galen Center this season versus the 2022-2023 season-high of 1,037 attendees.
Watkins may have been the first Funko Pop in college athletics, but she may not be USC’s last. USC has 12 women’s sports teams to the men’s nine, allowing more opportunities for female athletes. During USC’s football season closer against Notre Dame on Saturday, the stadium highlighted multiple Women of Troy with outstanding achievements in athletics.
One of the women celebrated during the game was USC women’s volleyball senior setter Mia Tuaniga, leading the Trojans through a 21-9 record. This season, the Trojans are back in the NCAA Tournament, with a sixth seed and a strong chance to contend for the national title.
Tuaniga, a senior from Long Beach, has been one of the most accomplished setters in the country. She has 1,162 assists this season and sits second on USC’s all-time career assist leaderboard with 4,471. This season, Tuaniga leads the Trojans with 48 service aces, bringing her career total to 160. She’s been a two-time AVCA All-American, and her 50-assist performance against Illinois earlier this season was a season-high.
“Just to see all the hard work, not only us as a team but even as coaches… and it’s just really nice to see it all come into fruition,” Tuaniga told Annenberg Media.
Outside hitter Ally Batenhorst, a transfer from Nebraska, has been a key offensive weapon for the Trojans this season. She’s racked up 449 kills with an attacking percentage of .233, leading the Trojans in points scored (528). Batenhorst’s attacking presence was a crucial factor in USC’s success this year, playing in every set for the Trojans.
“I think we are the strongest we have been,” Batenhorst said. “That goes to show how much work we have put in throughout all these games. We’ve had some ups and downs, but I think that we are especially finishing strong tonight and we are ready for what’s to come.”
Tuaniga and Batenhorst were both selected in the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) draft. Batenhorst was chosen by the Omaha Supernovas with the 15th overall pick, while Tuaniga was picked by the Atlanta Vibe with the 27th overall pick.
“[Batenhorst and Tuaniga’s] leadership and how they steer the ship in the right way, I couldn’t be more proud of that,” head coach Brad Keller said.
Alongside the successes of the basketball and volleyball teams, USC’s women’s soccer team has had a record-breaking season, finishing with 18 wins, one loss and four ties. The Trojans claimed their first outright conference title, their first undefeated conference season and their first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, with the best win percentage in program history (.870). The Women of Troy’s season ended in a penalty kick loss to Wake Forest in the Elite 8 round of the tournament.
One of the standout players for USC this season has been graduate goalkeeper Laurence Gladu, who transferred from Penn State. Gladu registered a 0.768 save percentage and made key plays in critical moments. In the Trojans’ 2-1 win over Northwestern, Gladu recorded 5 saves and was instrumental in securing the victory.
Up front, senior forward Maile Hayes has been a dynamic offensive presence for USC. Hayes, a transfer from Texas A&M, scored 11 goals and added five assists in her first season with the Trojans. Hayes was a critical player in the NCAA Tournament, scoring two goals against St. Louis, making her mark with a round two penalty kick and scoring the game-ending goal in round three against Wisconsin.
The team also saw an attendance increase, with a season-high home attendance of 6,281 spectators against UCLA. This marks a 477.3% increase from the 2023 season home attendance high of 1,088 against Cal. This increase comes despite the Women of Troy having a home on the road, as their field is under construction.
“We knew being off-site, it might not allow as many people to come but we’ve had quite good turnout, and we’ve been able to play under the lights, which is normal for some in the past number of years, has been a little bit of a luxury for us,” said head coach Jane Alukonis.
The new home to USC women’s soccer and lacrosse, Rawlinson Stadium, is set to open in early 2025, and will house a total capacity of 2,500 on game days.
“I’m always loving the fact that our players are playing in nice facilities, specifically women’s sports. The fact that it’s going to be just us and lacrosse [at Rawlinson] makes it extra special,” Alukonis said.
Cody Worsham, the senior associate athletic director at USC Athletics, has said that Rawlinson will be “obviously one of the best stadiums in the country.”
“They’ve been so resilient and so tough played on the road,” said Worsham. “For them to be able to come home and be greeted and supported by our fans, I think is going to be a truly unique experience for them and for the fans too.”
The Women of Troy also continue to excel in golf, with Catherine Park shining as one of the nation’s top players. The junior from Irvine, CA, has been consistently ranked among the best, currently sitting at No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings with 13 top-10 finishes.
Park is a finalist for the ANNIKA Award, which is given to the top player in women’s college golf, and she already notched a victory this season at the Leadership and Golf Invitational. She tied the single-round program record with a 63 (-8) in the final round of the Stanford Intercollegiate.
Last season, Park won the Pac-12 Tournament Individual Title with a record-breaking 15-under-par performance. She also tied for second at the Leadership and Golf Invitational and broke multiple USC program records, including most rounds at par or better (23) and the lowest stroke average (70.94). Park also led USC in wins (three), top 25 (nine), top ten (seven) and birdies (129).
The success of USC’s women’s sports programs is not just about the present — it’s about the future. From JuJu Watkins’ record-breaking performances to the leadership shown by Tuaniga and Batenhorst in volleyball, the Women of Troy are proving that they belong at the highest levels of competition.
“I don’t think it’s just a one-year phenomenon. I think we’ve been seeing the interest in women’s sports grow over a period of time,” Annenberg Dean Willow Bay said to Annenberg Media. “There’s an excitement about being part of the community that comes out to support women’s sports.”