While most students slept in or worked on their tans last week, Northwestern’s athletic teams played on. The Wildcats’ proudest spring sport, women’s lacrosse, continues to overpower opponents, but miss out on the top spot in the rankings to a program that’s been dominating since the start of the school year. Also, both swimming teams have wrapped up their seasons, with two on the women’s team competing in the U.S. Olympic qualifiers in June. The bottom of the rankings is now the hardest to figure out, since both basketball teams are officially off our list for now. And NU’s golf squads debuted, and are already off to a better start than either basketball team had.
1. Women’s Tennis – The Wildcats refuse to let go of their top ranking in the country. NU traveled to the University of Texas on Tuesday, out-dueling the Longhorns 5-2 and the 2nd-ranked Baylor Bears 5-2 the very next day. The squad didn’t relent after their Texas two-step, dismantling conference foes Purdue and Illinois 7-0 each.
2. Women’s Swimming - Finishing 19th at the NCAA Championships is good, but not the reason the ‘Cats swimming team stands so high this week. Thank sophomore Genny Szymanski and freshman Ellen Grigg, who earned invitations to U.S. Swimming Olympic trials — and a shot at Beijing this summer– after shining at an event held in Columbus, Ohio.
3. Lacrosse – NU holds onto the number one ranking in the nation, but they had to earn it against formidable competition. The Wildcats squashed the fifth-ranked Syracuse Orange 19-7, but didn’t have as easy a run against the ninth-ranked Georgetown Hoyas, winning 7-6. The team ended the week by beating 17th-ranked Vanderbilt 14-8.
4. Softball – The Big Ten season started off with a bang for the Wildcats, who won four straight games against conference opponents. NU beat Wisconsin in two games, bopping the Badgers 10-0 in game one and then edging them 4-3 the next day behind junior Erin Dyer’s third-inning grand slam. Northwestern next took care of Minnesota in two, beating them 5-2 in game one and 17-8 in the nightcap. What could be sweeter than all that? The team opened up a new field, Sharon J. Drysdale Field, for the Wisconsin series.
5. Men’s Golf – Newcomers to the power rankings, the ‘Cats finished fifth at the Western Intercollegiate in Santa Cruz, Calif. Senior Kyle Moore finished third overall in the event, while freshman Josh Dupont tied for 21st place.
6. Men’s Swimming - NU finished 12th in the nation at the NCAA Championships, racking up 13 All-American honors during the event. Solid way to end a great season.
7. Women’s Golf – The other new face around these parts, NU placed 14th at the Mountain View Collegiate held in Tuscon, Ariz. The team finished three strokes back of Kansas State.
8. Fencing – No action for the team this Spring Break. Hope they got some nice relaxation time. Their next event is the USFA North American Cup event in Portland, Ore., beginning April 25.
9. Men’s Tennis – A trip to Texas seemed swell, as the ‘Cats downed Lamar 6-1. But Big Ten play didn’t end as sweet for NU, who fell to Illinois 7-0 and then lost to Purdue 5-2.
10. Baseball – Not the most calm Spring Break for the ‘Cats. Kansas edged out NU 12-11 to start the week and, save one win, things didn’t get much better from there. NU lost another one-run game, this time to Dartmouth 6-5. The squad then started the Big Ten season against Purdue in a four game series – the Boilermakers took three of the contests. NU picked up their only win in the second game of the series, pounding their Big Ten rivals 11-3. Hopefully classes will get these guys fired up.