By Jennifer Roback
Forbes' 30 Under 30 list is one of the most prestigious lists of the year.
On December 1, 2021, the media outlets announced its 2022 class, which included 17 women representing the women in sports population.
Those who were honored this year include:
Camille Buxeda
Camille Buxeda, 27, is famously known as the founder of WSLAM, a section of Slam Magazine dedicated to women's basketball.
WSLAM, which was founded in May 2019, "focusing on the game's intersection with music, fashion, culture and social justice," according to her Forbes bio.
Not only has Buxeda gotten more women on the cover of Slam, she has also helped highlight high school women's basketball by producing the original YouTube series "All Eyes on Us."
Kimberly Chexnayder
Kimberly Chexnayder, 25, is an on-air host and personality for NFL Media.
Not only has she been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list, but she has also been named to the Athletic's NFL 40 Under 40 and Front Office Sports' Rising 25 Under 25.
Chexnayder joined the league in 2019 and was among the youngest ever to sign a national television contract with the league.
Kendall Coyne Schofield
Kendall Coyne Schofield, 29, if a forward on the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team.
Throughout her career, she has won two Olympic medals and is on track to represent the team again during the 2022 Winter Games, scheduled for February.
In 2019, Schofield became the first woman to compete in an NHL All-Star skills competition and has also served as an analyst for NBC Sports as well as a player development coach for the Chicago Blackhawks.
She is currently the president of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association.
Mikyla Grant-Mentis
Mikayla Grant-Mentis, 23, is a forward on the Toronto Six.
During the teams' debut season, Grant-Mentis helped them post the NWHL's best record, with five goals across the "pandemic-shortened six-game schedule"
That same season, she was also the league's top scorer and was named MVP, becoming the first Black player in league history to win the award, according to her Forbes bio.
Haley Rosen
Haley Rosen, 28, is a former professional soccer player turned entrepreneur.
Following career-ending injuries, Roesen started Just Women's Sports, a media outlet that helps "shine a light on the stories, athletes and moments that define and fuel the women’s game," according to their website.
With Rosen's help, she was able to raise $3.5 million in seed funding in May 2021 alone.
Molly Hayes
Molly Hayes, 29, serves as the Senior Director of Venues at the National Basketball Association.
She specifically helped launch the Basketball Africa League and has managed arenas internationally.
Prior to the NBA, she worked with the Golden State Warriors and "played an instrumental role in the construction of Chase Center," according to her Forbes bio.
Amanda Howett
In January 2021, Amanda Howett, 25, became Penn State Shenango's athletic director and has since helped the former two-sport campus, receive funding to launch women's basketball and co-ed golf programs.
Fundraising for a baseball program is set to begin in 2024.
Howett also helped the school create its first student-athlete advisory committee.
Ashleigh Johnson
Ashleigh Johnson, 27, is known as a Goalkeeper for the U.S. Women's National Water Polo Team.
She made history by becoming the first Black woman to make the team and has since won two straight Olympic gold medals and is arguable one of the world's best goalies.
According to her Forbes bio, Johnson is dedicated to help make the sport more inclusive and has started learn-to-swim course for under-resourced middle-school students in the Miami area with her sister.
Jonquel Jones
Jonquel Jones, 27, is a standout forward for the Connecticut Sun.
After missing the 2020 WNBA season over Covid-19 concerns, she was able to return in 2021 and secure the MVP award after helping the team secure a league-best 26-6 regular season record.
In 2017, Jones won the Most Improved Player Award and the following year, she took home the Sixth Player of the Year Award.
Nelly Korda
LPGA golfer Nelly Korda, 23, has had an impressive 2021 season.
Not only did she win her first major title at the Women's PGA Championship at the end of last season, but she has spent the majority of this season as the top-ranked women's golfer, according to her Forbes bio.
Throughout the course of her career, she has captured seven LPGA Tour tournament wins and won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
When Korda was only 14 years old, she made the cut at the U.S. Women's Open.
Sunisa Lee
Sunisa Lee, 18, became a household name following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
After Simone Biles withdrew from the competition for mental health concerns, Lee stepped in and won three medals for Team USA, including gold in the all-around event.
Following her memorable Olympic run, Lee competed on Dancing with The Stars before starting her collegiate career at Auburn University.
Megan Lindon
Megan Lindon, 29, serves as the Senior Manager in Marketing for the Austin FC.
Prior to the team's 2021 debut, Lindon "oversaw the execution of marketing strategies including brand campaigns and retail partnerships," according to her Forbes bio.
She also created the Uniform for Austin campaign and Verde Van, both of which helped the team become the top-selling club on MLSStore.com.
Simone Manuel
Simone Manuel, 25, is a member of the U.S. National Swim Team.
Throughout the course of her career, has won five Olympic medals, her most recent being a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Outside of swimming, she is one of the founders of Togethxr, a women's media company, and is an advocate for race and inclusion.
Amber Nichols
Amber Nichols, 29, serves as the General Manager for the NBA's G League's Capital City Go-Go.
She is the second woman to be named a general manager in the NBA G League and is responsible for overseeing "all of the team's basketball operations, including personnel moves and player development programs," according to her Forbes bio.
Nichols also has a scouting role in the Go-Go's parent club, the Washington Wizards.
Quinn
Quinn, 26, is a midfielder for the Canada Women's National Soccer Team.
As a member of the NWSL's OL Reign, they became the first openly transgender athlete to compete at an Olympics event and helped lead Team Canada to a gold medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Quinn, who identifies as nonbinary, serves as a player representative with the Canadian Soccer Players Association and is an advocate for gender equity and inclusion, according to their Forbes bio.
Claressa Shields
Claressa Shields, 26, is a standout boxer and mixed martial artist.
Not only has she won gold medals in the sport at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, but she also has a 11-0 record as a pro.
In 2021, Shields joined the Professional Fighters League in an attempt to create more exposure for women in MMA, according to her Forbes bio. Her PFL record at this time is 1-1.
Elizabeth Williams
Elizabeth Williams, 28, is a center in the WNBA for the Atlanta Dream.
During the 2020 season, Williams "led the Atlanta Dream's decision to denounce their co-owner Kelly Loeffler and helped galvanize the Senate campaign of Raphael Warnock," according to her Forbes bio.
She also serves as the secretary of the WNBPA and helped players get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.
In 2016, Williams won the WNBA's Most Improved Player Award.