By Abe RakovThe Daily Northwestern
They’re baaaaaack!
This weekend the Wildcats’ two-time defending national champion lacrosse team takes its preseason No. 1 ranking to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on No. 5 North Carolina.
Northwestern returns the defending national player of the year in Kristen Kjellman (although she should be the two-time defending player of the year, but that’s another story), along with eight other starters – meaning the Cats have a great chance of a Los Angeles Lakers-esque three-peat.
The Cats have been as dominant as any college program in any sport in the country. NU has gone 41-1 in the last two years, including two national championships, and shouldn’t regress at all this season even with a tough schedule. Most of the Cats’ opponents are ranked in the preseason Inside Lacrosse top 20 poll, as NU faces 11 ranked teams. But difficult schedules didn’t stop the Cats last season, when they faced nine opponents ranked in Inside Lacrosse’s preseason top-25 poll and played 10 of its first 12 contests away from Evanston.
NU plays five of its first six games on the road, but then plays nine of its final 10 regular season contests at home. If the Cats win their first three home games (against Penn, Syracuse and UConn), which they should, they would break the NCAA mark for most home wins in a row, with 23.
Big Ten update
Junior Andrea Hupman earned an NCAA “A” cut at last weekend’s Big Ten Championships, meaning she will automatically be heading to Minneapolis for the NCAA Championships.
The men’s team will have to wait an extra day before competing in the Big Ten Championships due to weather. The Cats ran the table in the conference during the regular season, so a Big Ten championship could be on the horizon.
Athlete of the Week
Beth Marshall. The freshman hit two free throws with three seconds left to seal NU’s win over Penn State on Sunday. Marshall led the Cats with 14 points in a victory that ended NU’s school-record 18-game losing streak.
Home game to watch
Wrestling against Michigan on Sunday at 7 p.m. It’s the last home match of the season, so if you haven’t seen superstar Jake Herbert this year, it’s your last chance. The team has been struggling as of late due to injuries, so finishing the regular season with a win is important.
Deputy Sports Editor Abe Rakov is a Medill junior. His NU Notes column runs every Wednesday. He can be reached [email protected].
