April is one of the busiest months and arguably the most eventful time of the year on the sports calendar. This past April was no different. Championships were determined in the first week of the month, while the NBA and NHL playoffs began shortly after.

Some of the top storylines in sports last month extended beyond on-field matters, too. The NFL and WNBA held their annual drafts in April, with each bringing plenty of surprises along the way.

So, which sports stories were the biggest in April? Let’s take a look: 

10 biggest storylines in sports in April

The Team Penske driver picked up his first win of the 2025 season at Talladega Superspeedway in April, beating out Ryan Preece (who was disqualified following technical inspection) and Kyle Larson by a hair.

From FOX Motorsports Insider Bob Pockrass:

Cindric will just appreciate winning a race at a drafting track. At these tracks, he’s often been in contention, but victories have seemed tough to come by (except in the 2022 Daytona 500).

He didn’t have to survive a late-race caution. All he had to do was be out front and in position.

“For that to go green at the end, have a car capable, a team capable, have it all come together, it’s really gratifying,” Cindric said.

“It’s definitely a relief, given how a lot of these have gone. It doesn’t make me any special or different. These things go up in flames for most. I’m super grateful for the opportunity to be able to come through and win.”

9. Kyle Kirkwood wins Long Beach Grand Prix

Alex Palou has dominated the 2025 INDYCAR season so far, winning three of the first four races ahead of the Indianapolis 500 later in May. But Kirkwood offered a reprieve from Palou’s dominance at the Long Beach Grand Prix. He defeated Palou by a few seconds in that race, holding off this season’s top driver to pick up his third career win.

From FOX Motorsports Insider Bob Pockrass:

Kirkwood made it look relatively easy. He won the pole and led 46 of the 90 laps. He didn’t deviate from strategy, as other drivers tried to pit on different laps to potentially gain spots. On his final stop in the caution-free race, Kirkwood blended onto the track ahead of Palou and held him off — ending the Palou quest for three consecutive wins to open the season.

“We really didn’t have that ultimate speed that the 27 car [of Kirkwood] had,” Palou said. “They did an awesome job throughout the weekend, qualifying and the race.

“He was managing. Every time I was having a small chance, he just had a little bit more pace. Shame that we couldn’t really make it more interesting for the fans, but I’m super happy to be here.”

8. Nebraska wins the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament

Fred Hoiberg has had an impressive stint at Nebraska, and he added to it in April. He led the Cornhuskers to four straight wins in the first-ever College Basketball Crown tournament, notching three double-digit victories. 

7. Joaquin Niemann wins fifth career LIV Golf Tournament, tying Brooks Koepka for most all-time

In the first-ever LIV Golf Mexico City event, Niemann continued his hot start to the season. He shot 6-under in the final round of the tournament to win by three strokes and get his third victory of the year. It also gave Niemann five career wins in LIV Golf, tying Koepka for the most. 

6.  Paige Bueckers is selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft

UConn women’s basketball had a pretty eventful April. After capping off her historic college basketball career earlier in the month, Bueckers became the sixth player in program history to be selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, extending the Huskies’ record for most ever. Bueckers was the consensus national player of the year in the 2020-21 season and regained her elite form after an ACL tear sidelined her for the 2022-23 season. The three-time first-team All-American joined a Wings team that finished with the second-worst record in the WNBA last season.

5. Alex Ovechkin breaks Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record

A record that many thought would never be broken did just that in April. Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal in the Washington Capitals’ loss to the New York Islanders on April 6, breaking the longstanding all-time goals record set by the “Great One.” The moment was accompanied by a pause in the game as Ovechkin’s landmark achievement was celebrated. 

4. Florida wins men’s NCAA Tournament; UConn wins women’s

Of course, the bulk of March Madness didn’t take place in April, but the Final Four in the men’s and women’s tournaments did. In the women’s tournament, Bueckers finally got over the hump, helping Geno Auriemma and UConn win their first national championship since 2016 with blowout wins over UCLA and South Carolina in the semifinal round and national championship, respectively.

The men’s Final Four had a bit more drama. Florida edged out fellow SEC foe Auburn in the national semifinal, while Houston had a thrilling comeback to defeat Duke. In the championship game, it was Florida’s turn to make a furious comeback. The Gators rallied from a 12-point deficit to win, making it the third-largest second-half comeback in NCAA national championship history. Houston had a chance to tie or win the game on the final possession, but Florida’s defense prevented the Cougars from getting a shot off. 

The Tennessee Titans grabbed who they hope will be their quarterback of the future when they unsurprisingly selected Ward with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. There was a twist when the Cleveland Browns were on the clock with the No. 2 overall pick, though. The Jacksonville Jaguars moved up from the fifth overall pick to No. 2, trading a 2026 first-round pick, among other assets, in order to get two-way star Hunter. 

2. Shedeur Sanders drops to the fifth round of the NFL Draft

Very rarely is there a non-first-round pick who winds up gripping the sports world, but Sanders drew unprecedented attention to the later rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Browns eventually took Sanders in the fifth round of the draft, but it came after they surprisingly picked Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Sanders was also the sixth quarterback off the board this year, which was a major shock considering most draft analysts ranked him as the second-best player at his position in the class. Many mock drafts projected Sanders as a first-round pick, too. 

Sanders’ slide brought in other subplots as well. He was one of the handful of prospects who received prank calls during the draft. Speculation also emerged over why he might have fallen as far as he did. 

No matter what the theories are about Sanders, though, there’s no denying that there was great interest surrounding where he got drafted as Day 3 of the draft set ratings records.

McIlroy finally got the Augusta-sized monkey off his back to put on a green jacket in April, but it didn’t come easily. After holding the lead for much of the final round, McIlroy struggled on the back nine and missed a putt to win the tournament on the 18th hole, forcing him to go to a playoff. He avenged his missed putt on the first hole of the playoff, sinking a short putt after an impressive second shot to defeat Justin Rose. The win made McIlroy the sixth golfer to have ever completed a career Grand Slam and the first one from Europe. 

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MEXICO CITY — It’s known as “Golf’s Longest Day,” the 36-hole final qualifying for players aspiring to earn a spot in the U.S. Open. Joaquin Niemann was not looking forward to it.

Now he doesn’t have to.

The Torque GC captain clinched the LIV Golf exemption by virtue of his third victory of the 2025 season on Sunday at LIV Golf Mexico City and will be in the field in mid-June at Oakmont. It will be the sixth U.S. Open start for the 26-year-old Chilean, who is now scheduled to compete in the rest of this year’s majors after already playing the Masters earlier this month.

“My team was asking me to sign up for the qualifier and the sectional, and I wasn’t really into that,” Niemann said after his three-shot victory at Club de Golf Chapultepec. “So more than anything I’m grateful that I’m not playing 36 holes on a Monday after a tournament. Yeah, I’m pretty happy.”

Awarded by the U.S. Open for the first time this year, the LIV Golf exemption goes to the player among the top three in the season-long individual standings as of May 19.

In claiming the 40 points that goes to each LIV Golf individual tournament winner, Niemann extended his season-long points lead with his victory in Mexico City. Of his 124.66 points this season, 120 have come in his three tournament wins – Adelaide, Singapore and Mexico City.

He now leads Jon Rahm by 30.3 points and Sergio Garcia by 46.66 points. With one final tournament – this week’s LIV Golf Korea presented by Coupang Play – left before the U.S. Open’s LIV Golf exemption is awarded next month, Niemann has guaranteed himself a spot for Oakmont.

Rahm is the only player who can mathematically overtake Niemann with a win in Korea, and he already has a spot in the U.S. Open. Garcia doesn’t have a spot in the U.S. Open but is too far behind to catch Niemann, even with a win in Korea and Niemann finishing outside the top 24 in points.

Niemann now becomes the 10th LIV Golf player expected to be in the U.S. Open field, and he’ll play in all four majors for the first time since 2023. He received special invites to play in the Masters and PGA Championship this year, and earned an exemption into the Open Championship by finishing in the top 25 in last year’s Race to Dubai on the DP World Tour.

One of golf’s top players without a major, Niemann looks forward to making some noise in the upcoming majors, especially with his current winning form.

“It’s great to keep doing what I’m doing, hitting the ball great, making putts,” Niemann said. “Hopefully keep it rolling.”

This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.

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Will there be a 400-yard drive in the thin air this week at LIV Golf Mexico City? David Puig, one of the league’s longest hitters, didn’t take long to ponder the question.

“I think so,” he said, “if the fairways get a little firmer and it’s downwind.”

The young Fireballs GC star nearly did it early in the week on the practice range at Club de Golf Chapultepec, hitting one drive that his launch monitor recorded at 354 meters, which is just over 387 yards.

“I swung out of my shoes,” Puig acknowledged, “but maybe it’s possible.”

Definitely possible. Perhaps probable. Even likely.

The last time Club de Golf Chapultepec — which sits 7,800-plus feet above sea level — hosted a World Golf Championships event was 2020. Justin Thomas hit a drive of 449 yards, the longest on the PGA Tour that season. The year before, Thomas hit a 457-yard drive, also the longest of that season.

Although the course has been tightened since then, with some fairways narrowed that might discourage a full let-it-rip approach, it remains a unique opportunity for the world’s top golfers to reach into the stratosphere.

Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau, the league’s driving distance leader last season and again this year, hit a 407-yard practice drive with a 15.1-degree launch angle. “Have to have the launch high enough, above 15 to work,” he said on the video of his swing.

Said an admiring Phil Mickelson: “That’s very sexy.”

Mickelson, a past WGC winner here, posted a video on his own social media channel in which he was practically giddy about the opportunity awaiting the 54 players off the tee.

“You can hit bombs, bombs up here,” the HyFlyers GC captain said. “It’s awesome.”

Then to provide proof, he “maxxed” out a drive that registered 362 yards carry.

“Get some,” Mickelson implored. “Get some of that!”

It’s no surprise that players are flying shots with regularity over the net that stands approximately 320 yards at the back of the range.

“It’s fun to be hitting it so far,” said Cleeks GC’s Adrian Meronk, who ranks 16th in driving average this season at 305.2 yards. He estimates the high elevation could result in as much of a 20% gain on distance, which would give him an extra 60 yards.

Club de Golf Chapultepec, hosting its first LIV Golf tournament this week, is the highest-elevated course in the league’s history, a span of 42 events since the inaugural 2022 season.

The official yardage book for LIV Golf Mexico City, for instance, references the 10% increase for the Mile High city of Denver, Colorado, which sits at 5,280 feet. Then it references 15% for Club de Golf Chapultepec’s nearly 7,900 feet. Not only does it increase shot yardages, it also increases the gaps between clubs, forcing players (and their caddies) to make tough choices on club selection.

This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.

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