While football and basketball tend to dominate Northwestern sports coverage, the Wildcats regularly field extremely talented teams and players in many sports with less attention surrounding them. This is the first entry in a weekly list of the top individual performances in Wildcat athletics, and this one is dominated by freshmen.
5. Jack Perry & Matt Fitzpatrick, men's golf. We couldn't decide on which of these two deserved the top-five ranking most, so we kept them both. Perry is a senior who was Northwestern's top golfer a year ago, and Fitzpatrick is a freshman who sits atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The duo led the Wildcats to a win at their home tournament, the Windon Memorial Classic. Perry finished second in the individual standings at 5-under par over the three-day outing, and Fitzpatrick placed third at 4-under. The 'Cats ended up winning by a comfortable three strokes. You're sure to hear both their names many more times this season.
4. Dominique Masters, field hockey. Masters won the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award last week, and her stellar start didn't let up after the accolades. The midfielder netted a hat trick as the No. 12 Wildcats beat No. 14 Iowa 4-3, and two days later she led the team with four shots on goal as the 'Cats took down No. 19 Michigan 4-1. While Masters has been on a hot streak, so has her entire team. NU has now won 10 of its last 11 and is 5-1 against ranked opponents this season.
3. Stephanie Holthus, volleyball. Holthus, a senior outside hitter, has been a consistent force for the Wildcats over her career. This season, she has already climbed into Northwestern's top five career kills leaders and claimed a Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National player of the week title. As the 'Cats opened Big Ten play against Nebraska on Friday and faced Iowa on Saturday, Holthus racked up a combined 32 kills in those two games. These types of performances have become commonplace for Holthus, and she'll need to keep them up for the Wildcats (9-6) to remain competitive in the Big Ten.
2. Brandon Medina, men's soccer. The freshman midfielder has been playing like a seasoned veteran so far this year. He has already recorded three goals and five assists through eight games, and he had one of his best performances on Sunday. On the road against Michigan, he put the 'Cats ahead by connecting on a free kick and then assisted sophomore forward Joey Calistri just one minute into the second half to seal the 2-0 victory. His performance earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week accolades. After losing its first game of the season, Northwestern has now won seven straight games and claimed the No. 7 spot in the country.
1. Isabel Flens, field hockey. Masters isn't the only freshman dominating for Northwestern field hockey. In fact, she's not even the only international-born freshman who's doing so. Dutch midfielder/forward Flens scored the winning goal in overtime against Iowa by rebounding her own shot and putting it past the goalkeeper. She kept it up against Michigan by breaking a 1-1 deadlock with two straight goals to seal the win. If Masters happens to be dethroned as player of the week, her teammate Flens might just be the one to do it.