In this episode, The Daily looks ahead at the postseason of Northwestern women’s lacrosse.
AVANTIKA SINGH: With our first 70-degree day behind us, it appears summer is just around the corner in Evanston. As spring comes to an end, so do the regular seasons for Northwestern’s spring sports. Today, we’re looking ahead to the lacrosse postseason as the team prepares for the NCAA tournament.
From The Daily Northwestern, I’m Avantika Singh. This is Cats Corner, a podcast about all things sports and purple pride.
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AVANTIKA SINGH: NU lacrosse wrapped up its regular season by clinching the Big Ten Tournament in College Park, Maryland. The team beat Johns Hopkins University 16-15 and Maryland 8-7, on their way to becoming Big Ten champions for the third year in a row.
Defender Jane Hansen, midfielder Sam Smith, goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer, attacker Madison Taylor, and defender Sammy White were all named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team. Hansen was also named Most Outstanding player after causing five turnovers in the tournament.
Going into the NCAA tournament, the ’Cats hold a 16-2 overall record and are on an eight-game winning streak. They have the third seed in the tournament, behind only Boston College and North Carolina, and are hoping to upset both to win their ninth national championship.
The last Northwestern lacrosse natty was in 2023, with the ’Cats falling just one goal short to Boston College in 2024 to finish as national runner-ups.
This year, Northwestern has earned a first round bye and will face the winner of Friday’s matchup between Akron and No. 11 Michigan at Northwestern Medicine Field in the second round of the tournament on Sunday.
I spoke to the Daily’s lacrosse beat reporter Jonah McClure about his thoughts on the Wildcats’ chances this year.
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AVANTIKA SINGH: Welcome to Cats Corner, Jonah.
JONAH MCCLURE: Thanks for having me.
AVANTIKA SINGH: Let’s start off by taking a moment to look back at this season. What has been working for the Wildcats?
JONAH MCCLURE: Two words, Madison Taylor. She’s led the country in points and goals this season, and what she brings to this offense is just electrifying. The Wildcats have looked unstoppable against almost every opponent, besides Boston College and UNC. And I think they’ll be relying on her a lot as they look to take down teams in the national tournament.
AVANTIKA SINGH: And on the other hand, what does the team need to improve on if they want to clinch that national title and beat Boston College and UNC in the NCAA tournament?
JONAH MCCLURE: In that same vein, I think the Wildcats will look to rely more on their other scorers on offense, because as we saw in the Big Ten Championship, Madison Taylor won’t always be there for them in every moment. So I think looking more towards players like Emerson Bohlig and Lucy Munro will be important, and also, the Wildcats will look to start off games a bit hotter on offense. Despite winning almost every game on their schedule, they have kind of been cold in the first quarter, so I think that’ll be a big part of it.
AVANTIKA SINGH: And then, last year, the Wildcats just fell short of getting the title, losing by one to Boston College in the final. In your view, is this year’s team different, and do you see them clinching the title?
JONAH MCCLURE: Well, I think this team will make it to the Final Four. They’ve cruised past every opponent that they faced besides the top two in the country. And I think once they face Boston College, the number two team in the country, in the Final Four, that’ll be their big test. They fell to them earlier this season at home, and I think we’ll see if they’re able to distribute the ball enough on offense and find scoring opportunities because they got, frankly, shut down last time. I’m not sure if I necessarily see them beating this Boston College team, which is very talented, but I think they’ll have a shot.
AVANTIKA SINGH: And then what should fans of the Northwestern team be excited about and look forward to as the tournament begins this weekend?
JONAH MCCLURE: Well, the Wildcats are always in the lacrosse national tournament, and for the past 20 years or so, they’ve made it every year and almost every year, made it to the Final Four. So I think watching this team dominate the early competition will be exciting for fans, and I think they’ll get to see good play in the Final Four, assuming the ’Cats get there. I’m not going to promise any wins, but I know there will be some exciting games.
AVANTIKA SINGH: Thank you, Jonah.
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AVANTIKA SINGH: From The Daily Northwestern, I’m Avantika Singh. Thanks for listening to another episode of Cats Corner. This episode was reported and produced by Avantika Singh.
The Audio Editor is Isabella Jacob. The Multimedia Managing editors are Anavi Prakash, Misha Manjuran Oberoi and Danny O’Grady. The Editor in Chief is Lily Ogburn.
Our theme music is “Take Your Shot” by Xennial, used under a Creative Commons License and provided by the Free Music Archive.
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Related Stories:
— Cats Corner: Checking in on spring sports
— Cats Corner: Pinning down the facts on NU Wrestling
— Cats Corner: Looking ahead to spring sports
