Deciding which Northwestern spring sports squad should top this list each week has become no easy task, since the women’s tennis team and the lacrosse team continue to pulverize the competition. Either one could stand on top of these rankings, but tennis edges out lacrosse by a hair. And don’t forget the softball team, which continues to play well too. This week’s lowest-ranked entrant claims the bottom spot due to inactivity, a first. That’s what happens when basketball season stops.
1. Women’s Tennis — The ‘Cats faced a challenge to start the week, escaping a trip to South Bend with a 4-3 victory over the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The rest of the week got considerably easier, as Northwestern romped Iowa and Minnesota 7-0.
2. Lacrosse — Northwestern put on a show against the No. 8 Notre Dame team, the top-ranked ‘Cats unloading on the Fighting Irish 16-2. Things weren’t so simple Sunday, when Northwestern survived a trip to Penn State with a 13-12 victory over the Nittany Lions. The win improved Northwestern’s record in the Big Ten to 3-0.
3. Softball — The softball team faced a duo of “I” teams this week, squaring off against Iowa and Illinois. Northwestern doubled up on the Illini, beating them 6-2 in the first game and dropping them 11-6 in a rain-filled second game. Contests against the Hawkeyes didn’t end as sunnily for the ‘Cats; they blanked Iowa 2-0 in the first game, but lost their first conference game to them in the next game of the series 5-2.
4. Baseball — Solid week for the Wildcats. They beat up on Chicago State 13-0, but lost to Minnesota 7-4 to open up a four-game series against the Golden Gophers. The ‘Cats picked up the pace in the second game, shutting out Minnesota 10-0. This Monday, they won the first game of a double-header against Minnesota with a comeback 6-5 win. The Gophers came back to even the series with a 9-3 win in the second game.
5. Men’s Golf — The Wildcats finished fifth overall at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate, propelled by senior Kyle Moore’s tie for 10th place. Sophomore Jonathan Bowers and freshman Josh Dupont tied at 27th place.
6. Women’s Golf — The ‘Cats entered the final round of the Indiana Invitational in seventh place, but dropped to ninth overall to finish up the tournament. NU’s highest individual performer was junior Jennifer Hong, who finished 28th overall.
7. Men’s Tennis — Northwestern closed out its home schedule by losing two matches in Evanston. They fell to Big Ten rivals Minnesota 6-1 and Iowa 6-1.
8. Fencing — No problems at all, just no activity. On April 25, the USFA North American Cup competition begins, though.