In a historic day, Northwestern won Big Ten titles in both women's tennis and women's golf. After knocking off top-seeded Michigan Sunday, Wildcat tennis took its 15th consecutive conference championship, while the golf team finished first in the Big Ten Tournament to notch its first ever title.
Women's tennis earns 15th straight title with Tourney win over Michigan
Forget the excitement of Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern football. Forget the string of national titles spun together by Wildcat lacrosse. NU's women's tennis team is churning out a run for the ages, earning its 15th consecutive Big Ten championship Sunday with a 4-1 win over top-seeded Michigan. No. 3 Northwestern beat the Wolverines and second-seeded Nebraska at the conference tournament this weekend in Bloomington, Ind.
The Cats were paced by senior standout Kate Turvy, who first paired with junior Belinda Niu for a No. 3 doubles win before knocking off Wolverine Ronit Yurovski in No. 2 singles. Northwestern lost both No. 1 singles and doubles matches, but junior Veronica Corning and freshman Alicia Barnett powered past Michigan's Mimi Nguyen and Sarah Lee to give the Wildcats the edge in doubles.
Junior Nida Hamilton won No. 6 singles over sophomore Kristen Dodge, and senior Linda Abu Mushrefova ended her Big Ten career with a bang, defeating Michigan's Brooke Bolender 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in No. 4 singles to seal the deal.
Next up for the Wildcats is the NCAA Tournament, which kicks off May 10.
Women's golf wins first ever conference title by grabbing a share of championship with Purdue
It's a year of firsts for Northwestern athletics: first bowl victory since 1949, first baseball game ever played at Wrigley Field, and now, first ever Big Ten championship for the women's golf program. At the Donald Ross Course in French Lick, Ind., the No. 29 Wildcats led the entire way to finish tied with No. 15 Purdue for a share of the title Sunday.
If winning wasn't enough, NU also set a record in the process. Their 20-over 884 beat last year's record by one stroke to set the new mark for lowest winning store at the Big Ten championship. All six Wildcats finished in the top 25, and freshman Kaitlin Park made the All-Championship Team with a sixth-place overall finish. Senior Lauren Weaver, junior Devon Brown and freshman Elizabeth Szokol all finished strong on Sunday with a team-leading 3-over 75.
For head coach Emily Fletcher, it was not only her first conference championship, but also her first tournament win since 2007. And in a stroke of luck, Northwestern won the coin toss against Purdue for an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. The selection show will be held on Monday, but the Cats can rest easy knowing that their spot is secure.