Who is the Next Women's Sports Mega-Star?

With the Women’s World Cup kicking off Thursday, the WNBA in the midst of one of its greatest seasons and the top female tennis players leading a new Golden Age, women’s sports are in the national and global spotlight like never before.

And with the focus squarely on the next generation of elite female athletes, Sportsbook Review seeks to answer the burning question: Who do sports fans consider to be the next big thing in women’s athletics?

Dunne’s The One

Being at the top of the mountain is just where Olivia Dunne likes it.

The 20-year-old artistic gymnast, social media superstar and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model not only has north of seven million followers on TikTok and an additional four million followers on Instagram, she’s also the highest-paid gymnast in U.S. collegiate athletics, earning around $1 million annually.

Dunne is also the most-searched 25-and-under female athlete by a wide margin, generating roughly 550,000 searches across the United States over the past 12 months: 

It should come as no surprise to see Dunne top this list; she has artfully built one of the top social media followings of any amateur athlete in the world, and has launched the “Livvy Fund” aimed at helping female LSU students maximize their Name, Image and Likeness potential.

Caitlin and Coco are Next

Dunne might be the most popular 25-and-under women’s athlete in the U.S., but she’s far from the only one garnering headlines – and search results.

NCAA basketball phenom Caitlin Clark earns a share of second place on our most searched 25-and-under female athletes with 368,000 queries over the past year. The 22-year-old Iowa standout led the Hawkeyes to a berth in the NCAA tournament title game on the strength of an incredible season in which she averaged 27.8 points, 8.6 assists and 7.1 rebounds.

Clark isn’t eligible to enter the WNBA Draft until next year, which means another season in Iowa City – and an opportunity to grow her national following even more.

She’s joined in the No. 2 spot by tennis sensation Coco Gauff, who has received an identical 368,000 search results over the previous 12 months.

At 19, Gauff is the youngest entrant in the top 10 – and she’s also one of the most successful from a career earnings perspective, having won nearly $7 million in her WTA career to date.

Gauff won her first singles title at the age of 15, and has been ranked as high as No. 4 in the world in singles. She’s also the No. 4 doubles player in the WTA, showing impressive versatility in one of the most challenging individual sports on the planet.

Variety in the Top 10

It speaks volumes about the state of women’s sports that six different sports are represented among the top-seven most-searched female athletes aged 25 or younger.

Here’s a look at the others who made the top 10:

Angel Reese (NCAA basketball) is coming off a sensational season in which she led the LSU Tigers to a national championship while being named Most Outstanding Player of the event.

Nicknamed “Bayou Barbie”, Reese has more than two million followers on Instagram and has been lauded by basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal as the greatest athlete in LSU history.

Nelly Korda (golf) is the only member of the LPGA Tour on the list, but she’s a worthy entrant. Korda, who turns 25 at the end of July, is already one of the most successful women’s golfers in the world, having earned 13 titles – including the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship.

Korda was one of the top athletes on the planet in 2021, with four tournament wins (including that PGA Championship victory), an Olympic gold medal and top spot in the world rankings.

Trinity Rodman (soccer) might previously have been associated mainly with her famous father, former NBA star and bad boy Dennis Rodman, but she’s quickly carving her own path as one of the top women’s soccer players in the country.

The 21-year-old was the youngest drafted player in National Women’s Soccer League history, and is expected to play a pivotal role for the U.S. as it looks to claim the Women’s World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand. The Americans enter as slight favorites over England in the latest Women’s World Cup odds.

Rodman scored twice in the team’s final tune-up game for the event, a 2-0 triumph over Wales on July 9.

Eileen Gu (freestyle skiing) won’t turn 20 until September, but is already one of the most accomplished female athletes on this list. A two-time gold medalist at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, Gu also has two world championship golds and a pair of Winter X Games wins.

That all said, Gu – who has nearly two million followers on Instagram – is no stranger to controversy. Gu requested (and was granted) a change of nation with the International Ski Federation, allowing her to compete for China at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Gu was born in San Francisco, but her mother was born and raised in China.

Paige Bueckers (NCAA basketball) is the third NCAA hoops star on the list, and might have one of the best nicknames in college (Paige Buckets, anyone?) 

It has been a rocky path for the 21-year-old Connecticut star, who missed her entire junior season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament. She opted to return to UConn for 2023-24 rather than declare for the WNBA Draft, and will be looking to build upon an impressive sophomore campaign in which she averaged 14.6 points, four rebounds and 3.9 assists.

If you hadn’t heard of Sabrina Ionescu (WNBA) prior to All-Star Weekend, there’s a good chance you know who she is now:

In addition to becoming an overnight YouTube sensation, Ionescu has already carved out an impressive showing in the top women’s basketball league in the world, now a two-time All-Star for the New York Liberty, who are the No. 2 favorite in the latest WNBA odds.

Ionescu, who turned 25 in December, has emerged as one of the greatest shooters in WNBA history. She’s connecting at better than a 44 percent clip from 3-point range in 2023, and is an incredible 91.9 percent from the free-throw line for her career.

Aliyah Boston (WNBA) might not get the same level of attention paid to NBA rookies, but the first-year Indiana Fever forward has already shown she’s a future mega-star.

The top pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft is already one of the most dangerous players in women’s pro basketball, averaging 15.4 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the field. And at 21, she became the second-youngest player in league history to post 20+ points, 10+ boards and 5+ assists in the same game. Boston is a future league MVP.

Haley Cavinder (NCAA basketball) rounds out the top 10 ahead of twin sister Hanna – though the two are often considered a package deal when it comes to media accolades.

The two share a wildly successful TikTok account that boasts more than 4.5 million followers, making a successful transition from college basketball standouts to social media stars. But let’s not ignore Haley’s athletic contributions: The 22-year-old was the Mountain West player of the year in 2021 and earned Second-team All-ACC honors after transferring to Miami in 2022.

Here’s a breakdown of the most popular 25-and-under women’s athletes by state:

It's no surprise to see Dunne (five) and Gu (four) lead the way in terms of number of states with the highest search volume. Dunne is joined at the top by former Oregon and Texas softball phenom Lauren Burke (five), who has more than one million social media followers across TikTok and Instagram and presently works as a brand ambassador for Major League Baseball.

Most Searched 25-and-Under Women's Athletes by State

Methodology

We compiled a list of more than 60 of the most searched American female athletes aged 25 and under, then turned to Semrush's search volume over the past 12 months to get U.S. results. We then collected data on each individual state via Google Analytics.