After three years as a fixture in Northwestern’s lineup, Caileigh Walsh is gearing up for her final season as a Wildcat.
The Sparta, New Jersey, native saw playing time almost immediately, scoring her season-high 20 points within the first month of her freshman season. During her sophomore campaign, Walsh led the team in points with 362, stepping onto the court for all 30 of NU’s matchups. She continued this performance in her junior year, scoring double digits 18 times last season.
The Daily spoke to Walsh about her takeaways from her time at NU, her hopes for her final season in purple and white and the legacy she hopes to leave behind at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
The Daily: After three years at Northwestern, what have you learned from your time as a Wildcat?
Walsh: It’s tough to reflect on my three years as a student-athlete here, because honestly, I feel like it’s gone by in literally the blink of an eye. … It’s just been really rewarding to be a Northwestern student and come into my own as a young adult.
The Daily: Last year, you tallied three double-doubles and scored double-digits in more than half of the season’s games. How do you hope to build on that performance?
Walsh: I think that, honestly, I have not reached my ceiling yet. I think that I’ve been working a lot this offseason, and I’ve been talking a lot with my coaches, and we’ve been kind of getting me to a point where I can reach my potential, and it’s go time. I need to get ready, because, honestly, I should be a player that’s averaging a double-double in the Big Ten … and I think that if that’s what I need to bring to my team, then that’s what I should be working towards.
The Daily: How have you embraced your role as one of the veteran leaders of this team?
Walsh: It’s been really rewarding seeing my role change throughout the four years. Obviously coming in as a highly recruited individual out of high school, it was an adjustment becoming a freshman on a college basketball team. I think that, honestly, it was a humbling experience, and it needed to happen for me to be the leader that I am today. Stepping into the captain role this year, I think that I’m just really excited to be the best teammate that I can be and just be a resource for all my teammates, especially the younger ones, that they can come to and they can talk to.
The Daily: What are your goals for your senior season at Northwestern?
Walsh: One of my goals would be averaging a double-double. … But ultimately, I’m looking to play basketball after college, so I need to put myself in a better position this year to enter the WNBA Draft, meaning I need to be on an All-Big Ten team. That’s one of my goals. And honestly, one of my main goals of this season is to be the best teammate and captain I can.
The Daily: We’ve talked about what you hope to achieve, but what are you most looking forward to this season?
Walsh: I’m just excited to play with my best friends one last time. Me and my roommate, Mel (Daley), we’ve been living together for four years. Me and Caroline Lau, we’ve been playing together since high school. … I can go down the line and say what each person means to me, but honestly, my teammates are my best friends, and I’m going to be really sad when I’m not playing with them anymore. So I’m just really excited to finish this last season with them.
The Daily: What legacy do you hope to leave behind at Northwestern?
Walsh: Honestly, I just hope people remember me as someone who likes to compete, someone who cares about her teammates and someone who just loves basketball, who shows up every day with the same attitude, knowing that even though things might not always go our way … that I’m always going to be there for my teammates.
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