North by Northwestern

The NU spring sports season is winding down, with only a few teams left in the running. Now we only have women's lacrosse and women's golf to cheer for, as we wait with bated breath and crossed fingers for a football season that won't break our hearts. Yes, football season is undeniably one of the most fun times to be a Northwestern undergrad, only rivaled by Dillo Day. But some of these other Northwestern sports teams, the ones you may not hear about, are just as successful and passionate as Willie the Wildcat himself. Or Fitz. 

Last year, we wrote about why you should watch 2013's spring sports. Now, with the end of the school year looming and the prospect of a summer away from Northwestern might be a welcome change, it may seem like time to officially pack away your freebie purple Gameday t-shirts. But football and basketball's less-than-ideal seasons don't represent Northwestern sports as a whole. In fact, there are many successful sports year-round, even though it may be tempting to only look forward to and care about fall quarter.

So don't give up your purple pride just yet:

Women's basketball
by Grant Rindner

With the huge buzz around the NCAA Tournament it is understandable that men's college basketball often trumps women's basketball in terms of viewership, but that really shouldn't be the case at Northwestern.

Unlike the men's team, their female counterparts actually had an impressive 2013-14 campaign. They finished 17-16 (5-11 Big Ten), making the third round of the NIT before a one-point loss against Indiana ended their season. Surely the men's team would've killed for similar success.

The women's team also boasts a potential WNBA player in rising sophomore Nia Coffey. Coffey was a highly touted recruit out of high school and more than lived up to expectations during her first season in purple.

She averaged 15.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 46.4 percent from the field. Coffey also chipped in an impressive 3.5 combined blocks and steals per night.

Beyond Coffey, the Wildcats had three more All-Big Ten players in Lauren Douglas, Maggie Lyon and Ashley Deary who are all underclassmen and will be in Evanston for years to come. There's plenty to watch for from this squad, and with another season or two under their belts they could be legitimate Big Ten title contenders.

Women's tennis 
by Ellen Schmitz

The Big Ten tournament is not an easy one to win, but the ‘Cats have done it. 16 times in a row.

The Wildcats finished with a 10-1 record in regular season Big Ten play, and were the highest ranked team in the Big Ten, at No. 16. This year's Big Ten tourney was a thriller, with the Wildcats winning the last three matches, coming back to beat top-seeded Michigan. Northwestern also made it to the NCAA Tournament 10 consecutive times before this year’s season ended at NCAA Regionals.

A streak like that is extremely impressive; these women are good, simple as that. Next year, the team will be young but extremely talented, with only two upperclassmen.

It couldn’t be easier to catch a match: The team hosted six tournaments at home this year. Check them out after your workout at SPAC or on your way down Sheridan. They play year-round, so you really can’t miss them.

Volleyball
by Jasper Scherer

A late-season skid ended Northwestern volleyball’s hopes of appearing in the NCAA women’s volleyball championship, but that didn’t prevent the team from putting together a successful season nonetheless. The ‘Cats pulled off big upset wins over ranked teams like Purdue (twice) and Ohio State, while falling in a few nail-biters along the way.

Volleyball is Northwestern’s most fast-paced sport and it never leaves the viewer with a dull moment, but that’s not all that makes it worth watching. The Big Ten is also packed with competitive teams, which means conference play is always exciting. For example, the 2013 championship final consisted of two Big Ten teams – Penn State and Wisconsin – and the tournament featured eight Big Ten teams overall.

Best of all, Northwestern volleyball has plenty of young talent, including Caleigh Ryan, a freshman setter who was named AVCA North Region honorable mention, and her fellow freshman Kayla Morin, who started all 32 games this season while ranking third on the team in kills. Clearly, the future is bright for NU volleyball.

Softball
by Ben Sanders

The ‘Cats advanced all the way to the NCAA Seattle Regional Championship before falling to No. 8 Washington. In other words, they had a hell of a season.

While the ‘Cats will miss their five graduating seniors – Emily Allard, Marisa Bast, Sammy Albanese, Mari Majam and Paige Tonz – they still have enough firepower to be relevant for years to come.

One thing to look forward to is the pitching prowess of sophomore Kristen Wood. This season she was second in the Big Ten in strikeouts and had several brilliant performances in the circle. As far as offense goes, expect junior Andrea DiPrima to have a monster season at the plate. She hit a whopping .369 on the season and her .484 on base percentage was third on the team.

It’s safe to say that this team has become an offensive powerhouse. In the 2014 season, the ‘Cats were near the top of the Big Ten leaderboard in nearly every offensive category: they were first in on base percentage, first in triples, second in runs, second in steals and third in total bases.

Women's lacrosse
by Shannon Lane

Seven NCAA championships. Five Tewaaraton Trophy winners. Thirty-five NCAA tournament wins. Forty-one consecutive victories from 2008 to 2010.

If you don't know why you should watch the women's lacrosse team in action, then you haven't been paying attention. 

At the beginning of this season, the prospect of making it to the Final Four didn't look promising. All-star seniors Erin Fitzgerald and Taylor Thornton, members of the winningest class in Northwestern lacrosse history, had graduated, and North Carolina had ensured there would be no eighth NCAA championship in 2013 for the 'Cats. Despite those odds, Northwestern managed a 14-6 (3-3) record on the season and advanced past Louisville and Florida to the Final Four.

While the old reliables – Alyssa Leonard, Christy Turner, Bridget Bianco, Kerri Harrington – have played spectacularly well in clutch moments this season, 2014 has also seen the rise of some new underclassmen players who will be ready, willing and able to take the reins when this year's seniors graduate. Freshmen Sheila Nesselbush and Lydia Cassada have contributed well on both defense and offense, while sophomore midfielders Kaleigh Craig and Spring Sanders have also been solid; juniors Kara Mupo, Hayden Anigain and Jess Carroll will certainly be able to lead next season and perhaps even keep the streak of 10 NCAA Final Four appearances alive.  

Wrestling
by Daniel Hersh

There are only two sports in which Northwestern ranks in the top ten in the nation: lacrosse and wrestling. Led by veteran junior Mike McMullan who has been an All-American every year and NCAA Champion redshirt freshman Jason Tsirtsis, the ‘Cats came in ninth in the nation and that was all with only two seniors on the roster. Next year, with at least two wrestlers in serious contention to win the NCAA title in their respective weight classes, the team has the potential to be something special. Add in the fact that wrestling has garnered a top-five recruiting class and the team can be downright scary.

The Big Ten is a hotbed for high-quality wrestling. Penn State and Iowa are perennial powerhouses that travel well. The ‘Cats will have some stiff competition next year, but with so much experience and talent, it’s going to be fun to watch.

Swimming
by Andrew Simpson

Personally, I might be a little biased. After 10 years of swimming, just a whiff of chlorine sets my heart racing, and anything is interesting when you’ve got an adrenaline rush. Maybe it’s the chaos, sitting next to soaked athletes and screaming moms on hard plastics seats, watching the watery action three feet away while water splashes around you. Or maybe it’s because spending a couple of hours in what is basically a giant sauna feels amazing in January. Whatever your reasons, attending a Northwestern swim meet is a fall- and winter-quarter must.

While last season the women’s team was 6-6 and the men’s team 7-3-1, there were certainly some extreme performances at every meet. Men’s sophomore Jordan Wilimovsky broke the school’s 1650 freestyle record twice this season (and placed fourth at NCAAs), and freshman Lauren Abruzzo was able to compete in three events at NCAA Championships. With this sort of talent already in place, both teams are primed for next year.