With men’s and women’s basketball having disappointing years, it’s a good chance to begin following other Northwestern winter sports. While their fan bases are smaller, NBN Sports knows their games and matches are just as exciting. Don’t know which one to pick? That’s what we’re here for. Read a short description of what makes each team unique and how they are doing compared to their preseason expectations.
Men’s Swimming
Jacob Munoz
Northwestern men’s swimming had a rough 2016-17 season, finishing 5-8 with a 0-3 record in Big Ten meets and 9th out of 10 teams in the conference championships. This season, they faced a tough schedule with four 2017 TYR top-25 ranked opponents and they have fallen short against all of them (aside from Minnesota, who they will finally face this upcoming weekend). With new members making up over a third of the team, the Wildcats have not seen a big reversal of fortunes, with the team’s record being 4-7 with two losses and zero wins against conference opponents.
Women’s Swimming
Jacob Munoz
The women’s team went 6-6 (2-3 in conference play) and placed 7th out of 13 in the Big Ten championships. They brought back a slightly larger percentage of swimmers than the men’s team this season, including Olivia Rosendahl, who won the platform diving event in the NCAA D1 Championships last season. Australian National Champion first-year Calypso Sheridan was a big pick-up for the team, who has been valuable for the Wildcats this season. The team sports a 6-3 record and is 3-1 in B1G meets.
Men’s Tennis
Shreyas Iyer
This year was supposed to be a transition year for Northwestern men’s tennis, who had to integrate four freshmen after losing three of their top players from last season’s squad. So far, the ‘Cats have performed admirably in their tough 3-4 loss to North Carolina State and clutched a dominant 5-0 win over Boise St. In particular, freshman Antonioni Fasano, who won the Big Ten singles title this past fall, AJ Joshi and Nick Brookes have all contributed to the team’s solid record – neither of the three has lost a match, and Fasano upset N.C. State’s Alexis Galarneau, the #16 player in the country.
Women’s Tennis
Jono Zarrilli
Like the men's team, Northwestern women’s tennis had a successful 2017 season, with a 9-2 Big Ten record and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Unlike the men, however, they have even higher hopes for this year. They are led by seniors Alex Chatt, Erin Larner and Maddie Lipp, who all have won consistently throughout their careers in singles and doubles. With so much experience, the ’Cats are expected to breeze through non-conference play. So far they have done that, defeating Ball State 6-1 and Saint Louis 7-0 in their first dual match of the season. Sophomore Julie Byrne was particularly impressive, winning her two doubles matches by scores of 6-1 and 6-0 and winning her singles match 6-2, 6-0.
Wrestling
Charlie Sidles
Northwestern wrestling had some strong expectations heading into the seasons and so far they have done a great job meeting them. The team is currently 7-2 (2-1 B1G) and is ranked 20th in the country, with four wrestlers who are individually ranked. They also have been successful at tournaments, most notably earning a second place finish at the Keystone Classic. The team has seen very strong individual performances in the 149 lb. class by Ryan Deakin (23-3) and in the 125 lb. class by Sebastian Rivera (19-1).