Just like we’ve done the last few years, the WTOP sports team has assembled Avengers-style to bring you the top sports stories of 2024.
The Washington Spirit was on the precipice of another NWSL championship just last month. The Commanders are one of the most pleasant surprises in all of sports. And though Alex Ovechkin is temporarily sidelined, his quest for the NHL’s all-time record for goals scored remains the engine that drives the Capitals (although, they’ve done just fine without the Great 8 of late).
So who better than WTOP’s sports staff to recap this year? For years, Ben Raby hosted Capitals radio broadcasts for Monumental Sports and Entertainment, George Wallace has been WTOP’s longtime Washington Commanders beat reporter and Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter for both college basketball and college football.
Rob Woodfork has written hundreds of columns for a variety of outlets (including more than a decade here at WTOP) and WTOP digital editor José Umaña — an honorary member of the sports team — did extensive work covering soccer (he is also a NWSL Media Association member) and high school sports around the D.C. region.
Without further ado, here are the top sports stories of 2024, in no particular order:
The ‘Jayden Daniels Effect’ for the resurgent Commanders
What a difference a year and a new quarterback make.
Finding a franchise quarterback is the main objective of every organization. Believe or not, the Commanders may have finally found theirs after years of swinging and missing.
The second overall pick in the draft, Jayden Daniels, is the story of this 2024-2025 season for Washington.
He has come in and proved that he can play the position effectively, while bringing the excitement back to the D.C. region. All he’s done is win a record-tying eight Rookie of the Week honors in the first 13 weeks of his inaugural season while stacking up wins along the way.
Head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters have changed the culture in Washington in a few short months. They have brought in a great mix of veterans and young players, and the results speak for themselves. They are in a good position to make a playoff push and play meaningful football down the stretch of this season and seasons to come.
It’s officially OK to root for the home team again.
— George Wallace
The Capitals’ unlikely return to the top of the NHL
After selling at last season’s trade deadline, the Capitals made a surprising late-season playoff push. Leaning heavily on goalie Charlie Lindgren, the Capitals overcame a seven-point deficit in early March and clinched a wild-card berth on the final night of the season.
The Capitals’ unlikely postseason appearance came with a minus-37 goal differential — the worst by a playoff team since 1991. It made for a feel-good story but was hardly sustainable. That’s why management went to work over the summer.
As Brian MacLellan handed the GM reigns to Chris Patrick, the Capitals turned over about a third of their roster.
Despite so much player turnover, the Capitals didn’t miss a beat this fall. With a season-long 50th anniversary celebration as the backdrop, the Capitals raced out to the NHL’s best record by mid-December and finished the first quarter of the campaign with the top-rated offense.
Fresh faces with Jakob Chycrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Logan Thompson have all impressed, while Connor McMichael has emerged as an offensive catalyst.
Alex Ovechkin has also continued his chase of history. With 15 goals in 18 games, Ovechkin was off to the best start of his 20-year career, before a broken fibula sidelined him in mid-November. That said, Ovechkin returned to the ice just two weeks later and could be back in the lineup by late December. He needs just 27 goals to pass Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goal-scoring record.
Between the greatest goal-scoring record in NHL history and a potential deep playoff run, the Capitals have much to look forward to in 2025.
— Ben Raby
ICYMI: ‘It’s awesome’: Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson on franchise-record road winning streak
The Wizards’ painful and eternal rebuild
I could almost write the same story from last year — and I’m already expecting to repeat it again next year.
But, on a more positive note, I do think the Wizards can win more games than last season with the emergence of a couple of players helping to keep the fans interested, like Bilal “Cooler than Cool” Coulibaly, a strong shooter and solid on-the-ball defender worthy of watching. And since he can’t do it all by himself, let’s add in rookie Carlton “Bub” Carrington (a Baltimore native) — who’s been running the point and shooting well, as Marv Albert famously said “from downtown,” as well as being good at battling for boards. Plus, second overall pick Alex Sarr has defensive chops, but let’s see if he can develop an offensive repertoire to match.
— J. Brooks
The Monumental stadium deal that wasn’t
As if he doesn’t experience enough losing with his Wizards, Ted Leonsis’ December 2023 glad-handing in Alexandria turned into a monumental letdown in 2024.
Leonsis’ Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Capitals and Wizards, fell short of a landmark deal to move two of Washington’s professional sports teams to a shiny, new stadium in suburban Virginia — roughly the same place where the late Jack Kent Cooke had a 1992 deal to move Washington’s NFL franchise that fell through.
But Leonsis would parlay that defeat into a $515 million deal to keep the Caps and Wiz at Capital One Arena until 2050, and in October, D.C. proposed a purchase of the 27-year-old arena and leasing it back to MSE.
— Rob Woodfork
Rebuilt Spirit ahead of schedule, makes championship run
The Washington Spirit entered 2024 in limbo. Despite having an experienced roster, missing the playoffs by a single point caused a reshuffling in the vision for the 11-year-old club.
Owner Michele Kang’s goal was clear: Make the Spirit an attractive soccer team on and off the field.
Washington hired Jonatan Giráldez from FC Barcelona Femení, bringing in one of the most sought-after head coaches in women’s soccer to lead the vision.
General manager Mark Krikorian made two stunning draft-day moves for two high picks, Croix Bethune and Hal Hershfelt, who became the cornerstones of the Spirit’s stunning rookie class. As the season began, Bethune became a star, scoring a rookie record of five goals and tying a league record of 10 assists in 17 games.
Along with career years by veterans Trinity Rodman (8 goals and 6 assists), Ouleymata Sarr (8 goals) and Tara McKeown (2024 Iron Woman for playing every minute this season), Washington quietly resurrected its status as one of the best teams in the National Women’s Soccer League.
With its high-pressing attack, Washington went on two different four-game winning streaks and finished the season in second place. In the playoffs, the Spirit needed late-game heroics, extra time and a stunning penalty kick shootout performance by “head baker” Aubrey Kingsbury to qualify for its second championship game in four years.
Injuries and missing a scoring touch was enough to derail Washington’s title hopes in the final, losing the NWSL Championship to top-seeded Orlando Pride.
Yet, Washington’s future looks bright. Many of its core pieces are set to return and those injured during its playoff run may be back on the field before the summer.
Giráldez, who spent half 2024 in Spain, will be on-site for the full season to help navigate the treacherous waters of a growing NWSL. Smart money says you should never bet on a coach who has won 10 titles in three years, including four in one season.
With growing attendance and a high-profile soccer owner, Washington will have more eyes on it than ever. But this Spirit roster relishes the attention.
With no Olympics or Women’s World Cup next year, Audi Field will likely be the home of one of the world’s best women’s soccer teams. You may want to get a ticket to see the show.
— José Umaña
Related story: DC United GM Ally Mackay recaps 2024 season, explains postseason roster moves
Nationals’ youth movement gets a boost
And just in time for this story!
On Dec. 10, the Nationals won the MLB Draft lottery and the No. 1 overall pick for the third time in franchise history, beating out 100-loss teams in Colorado, Miami and Chicago (where the White Sox had the worst team in modern baseball history but somehow will select 10th in the upcoming draft … yikes).
The Nats already have James Wood, C.J. Abrams and Dylan Crews to build around, so adding another blue-chip prospect (the consensus No. 1 pick is Ethan Holliday … yes, son of Matt Holliday and brother of Jackson Holliday, the top pick in 2022 by Baltimore) will further propel Washington’s bid to return to relevance in the National League.
Or, at least add another name to the list of Nationals (Juan Soto, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, to name a few) that leave for greener (literally) pastures.
— Rob Woodfork
DC-area swimmers lead the way for U.S. Olympic Team in France
The 2024 Olympics Games in France marked a huge steppingstone in the greatest career in women’s swimming history — and the breakout for a rising star in the sport.
And both women proudly represent the D.C. region.
Bethesda, Maryland’s Katie Ledecky made history in France, winning her ninth gold and 14th Olympic medal at the Paris Games. She’s now the most decorated female swimmer in history and one of the most decorated Olympians of all time.
Ledecky capped off her historic Summer Games with a call from President Joe Biden before bearing the nation’s flag at the closing ceremony.
Not to be outdone, Arlington, Virginia’s swimming sensation, Torri Huske, brought home more medals from France than any other U.S. athlete — across all sports. The 21-year-old took home gold in the 100-meter butterfly, mixed 100-meter medley relay and women’s 100-meter medley relay. Huske won silver medals in the 100-meter freestyle and women’s 100-meter freestyle relay.
— Thomas Robertson
Frances Tiafoe’s U.S. Open run
Hyattsville-native Frances Tiafoe made another strong run, and again came so close to winning the U.S. Open this past summer, the latest turn in his elusive quest for a major tennis title.
In 2022, after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals, Tiafoe proclaimed that one day he would win the coveted championship in New York. Two years later, Tiafoe was on the cusp again, but this time, he fell short in the semifinals to fellow American Taylor Fritz in five grueling sets.
After getting back into the Top 20 in rankings ahead of the U.S. Open, Tiafoe was not seen as a favorite to go that far at the 2024 U.S. Open, but the 26-year old found his game — and his groove — at just the right time to make a vintage run. Tiafoe’s biggest win in the tournament was dispatching fellow American Ben Shelton in a riveting five-set third round match. Tiafoe actually had been ousted by Shelton in the 2023 U.S. Open quarterfinals in four sets, so it was a celebrated triumph for Tiafoe.
As Tiafoe got closer to another semifinal, his confidence was growing with each win. That was on full display in his fourth-round match against Alexei Popyrin, who had dispatched arguably the greatest player ever Novak Djokovic in the previous round. Tiafoe did not let that affect him at all, taking control early and closing out Popyrin in four sets.
That win set up a quarterfinal match with an always solid top 10 player, Grigor Dimitrov. After taking a two-set to one lead, Dimitrov pulled up lame in the fourth set and had to retire with a leg injury so Tiafoe was back in the semifinals.
This time, it was the highest ranked American Taylor Fritz standing in his way in Flushing Meadow at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Tiafoe was on his game and was playing well until he gave away some winnable games in the fourth set for Fritz to draw even. Tiafoe ran out of gas and lost the fifth set with little resistance, 6-1. It was a frustrating end and put on hold Tiafoe’s promise from two years ago.
— Frank Hanrahan
Related story: Frances Tiafoe yells a string of curses at a Shanghai Masters chair umpire after a loss
Bennett bows out at Virginia
The region’s college basketball scene found itself turned upside-down on Oct. 18 when longtime Virginia head coach Tony Bennett announced he would be stepping away from the program, citing the inability to compete at his best in the new landscape of NIL and relaxed transfer rules (plus the portal).
At first glance, the timing of the move seemed to smell of Dean Smith retiring at North Carolina right before the 1997-98 season (which allowed the promotion of top lieutenant Bill Guthridge) with Ron Sanchez taking over as interim coach at U.Va.
And just like that, a golden era of Cavaliers hoops that included six first-place ACC finishes (and two ACC Tournament titles), along with 10 NCAA Tournament appearances (most importantly, the 2019 National Championship) ended not with the final bounce of a ball but with a teary-eyed news conference. Life comes at you fast, right?
Honorable Mentions: Howard University makes a return trip to the NCAA Tournament as MEAC Tournament champ, while Maryland after finishing under .500 for the second time in three years, reloads with freshman phenom Derik Queen and top transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie to become a threat to make noise in March of 2025.
— Dave Preston
Frese leads Maryland to a hot start to a rebound season
Maryland was on the NCAA Tournament bubble last March with its weakest showing (9-9) in Big Ten play since joining the conference a decade ago. But coach Brenda Frese’s Terps rallied past Illinois in the Second Round of the Big Ten Tournament (they trailed by 14), before blowing out regular season champ (and fourth-ranked) Ohio State in the quarterfinals to punch their ticket to the big dance.
After a first round NCAA loss, Frese and her coaching staff surrounded First Team All-Big Ten guard Shyanne Sellers with a revamped roster with transfers that includes ex-Rutgers guard Kaylene Smikle (17 points per game on 46% shooting from three). The 10-0 Terps are ranked No. 7 and anticipate January visits from No. 1 UCLA and No. 5 USC.
Honorable Mentions: Georgetown reached the Big East Tournament final for the first time in program history under interim coach Darnell Haney after losing head coach Tania Butts to cancer in October of 2023. Haney’s now in his first season as head coach. Richmond may be picked to win the Atlantic 10, but George Mason (9-1) is turning heads after playing Maryland close in Annapolis earlier this month (the game was tied with 5:21 left in regulation).
— Dave Preston
Navy’s return to form
Not many people had Navy making noise this past fall. The Midshipmen were picked to finish 11th in the 14-team AAC despite returning seven starters on each side of the ball. They’d also be breaking in a new first string quarterback with Blake Horvath (the junior had thrown 12 passes in his career before this fall).
But head coach Brian Newberry exuded confidence and was rewarded as his team ripped off six straight wins to begin the season behind more than a few big plays from the arm and legs of Horvath.
And even with Horvath’s season hijacked by injury, Navy capped a 9-3 campaign with its first win over Army since 2021. Anchors aweigh, indeed.
Honorable Mentions: November was bitterly cold for Virginia and Virginia Tech (1-3 during the season’s closing month), while Maryland went 0-4 in the final month of the season. Even James Madison lost its last two games to fall out of contention in the Sun Belt Conference. Thank goodness for college basketball’s “bread course” of November games to swipe our attention.
— Dave Preston
Related story: ‘There’s really no losers in this game’: Army, Navy meet for the 125th time
The Mystics move on from the Thibaults
Let’s begin with what’s good: The Mystics nearly made the playoffs despite an abysmal (and franchise worst) 0-12 start to the season! No other team in the league’s history has done that after being in the hole for 12 games. But the Mystics ended with a 14-26 record (more on that later), leaving the last playoff spot to the Atlanta Dream, who finished 15-25.
And here’s a little more positivity for the hometown team: Washington finished the season strong, beating Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever 92-91 in the season finale at Capital One Arena in front of a WNBA-record crowd of 20,711. It was one of four games moved to the larger stage to accommodate the overflow from demand to see Clark, Angel Reese and other spitfire rookies.
Now to what’s next for the Mystics: General manager Mike Thibault — who coached the team to its 2019 championship — and his son/coach, Eric Thibault, parted ways with Washington in October, and the team is still searching for a new leader. But whomever takes the reigns will have a great situation: The Mystics have the fourth and sixth overall picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft and have the chance to add another blue chip prospect or two to a roster that already boasts young stars like former third overall pick Shakira Austin and last year’s sixth overall pick Aaliyah Edwards.
According to some mock drafts, the Mystics could select Edward’s former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd. The St. John’s College High School standout and Northern Virginia native is a 5-foot-11 guard who can do it all … if she stays healthy. She tore her right ACL and MCL in high school and had knee issues in college, including another right ACL tear. When she’s on the court, she can be a playmaker.
So here’s hoping the Mystics lay the foundation for a much better start to 2025.
— Diane Roberts
Could 2025 be the year of the Comeback Commanders?
Congress passed a resolution to transfer the land where the old RFK Stadium sits from the federal government to the District of Columbia. The “D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act” passed on Dec. 21 after more than a year of lobbying and support from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“We never gave up,” Bowser said. “We focused on how can we get back in the CR, and if that wasn’t going to happen, what were the available routes.”
Bowser told WTOP that the over 100 acres will be used in part to rehome the Washington Commanders and other entertainment opportunities, as well as creating retail, housing and hotel space.
“We know that the Senate will be taking many important votes before the end of the year, and we know it should, and we expect it to pass this session,” she said. “It is about civic pride, and this is our team. This is the Washington Commanders, after all, and they should be playing in Washington.”
— WTOP Staff
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