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With 2025 officially upon us, several first-year stars have already made their presence felt in the New Year. 

For this edition of the women's college basketball Freshmen Tracker, some of the hottest names of the 2024 recruiting class are starting to find their footing in conference play. This includes a Michigan Wolverines star who battled through injury to put together a career night against the No. 1 team in the country.

Here's the latest women's college basketball Freshmen Tracker: 

Syla Swords, Michigan

After being nursed back to health following a left leg injury, Syla Swords reintroduced herself to the college basketball world in dramatic fashion. 

The 6-foot freshman guard scored a career-high 30 points against top-ranked UCLA on Wednesday. Although her game-high in points wasn't enough for No. 24 Michigan to beat UCLA, Swords did keep her team competitive against a national championship-contending roster.

Outside of her career night, it was promising to see Swords play 39 of the game's 40 minutes. This gives the impression that the standout freshman is inching toward full health just in time for Michigan's game against arch rival Ohio State.

No. 24 Michigan will play No. 10 Ohio State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET

Miklayla Blakes, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt is 1-1 since the New Year began with a 96-78 loss to No. 16 Kentucky coming on Sunday. However, the Commodores split record isn't because their star freshman Mikayla Blakes has lost her steam. 

In the two games since the calendar turned to 2025, Blakes is averaging 30 points. This includes a 36-point explosion in Vandy's huge win over Georgia on Thursday. On Sunday, Blake's 24 points once again gave her a game- and team-high in that statistic.

As of now, the 20.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists Blakes is averaging on the season has the Commodores sitting at 1-1 in SEC play. If they can start to capitalize on the freshmen guard's amazing offensive output, then Vanderbilt could become a dark horse competitor in a stout SEC conference.

Vanderbilt will play No. 25 Ole Miss on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Sarah Strong, UConn

Sarah Strong's impressive season continues as No. 7 UConn charges into Big East play.

On Sunday, Strong scored a game-high 21 points in the Huskies' 83-52 win over Villanova. And she did so in impressive fashion.

In 26 minutes, Strong shot 75% from the floor and 66% from 3-point range. She also hauled in five rebounds, dished out four assists and had one steal and one block.

In the three games since her hand in UConn's devastating loss to USC, Strong is averaging nearly 17 points a game. The Huskies now sit atop the Big East conference and look like a threat to make a push once the postseason starts.

No. 7 UConn will play Xavier on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET