ANN ARBOR, Mich. — As Northwestern rushed graduate student goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz’s net following Sunday’s 5-0 national title victory over Saint Joseph’s, coach Tracey Fuchs turned to her assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Will Byrne.
Fuchs hugged her longest-tenured assistant within the jubilation and relief of capturing her program’s second national title — and first since 2021. The duo soon joined the historic squad they’ve built in extended on-field celebrations.
Byrne, who joined the coaching staff before the 2016 season, has helped Fuchs and fellow assistant coach Georgia Holland usher in the resurgence of a once-fallen Midwestern power into a perennial national dynasty.
He has picked up a myriad of passport stamps identifying potential prospects who not only possess world-class talent — but fit the program’s collaborative culture.
“Tracey and the staff have been laying the groundwork for this type of program for a while now,” senior midfielder Maddie Zimmer said. “You bring in the right combination of players who play Wildcat hockey, and this is what you get.”
With contributions ranging from first-year contributors to graduate students, the Wildcats’ win over the Hawks embodies NU’s comprehensive work on the recruiting trail. Six different players tallied points, with both new and returning starters playing marquee roles.
Fuchs said every member of the program serves a crucial role in cultivating the team’s appeal to recruits.
“Our staff works really hard, and the players do,” Fuchs said. “They’re the ones hosting and making sure they’re a good fit for our culture. And, they do an amazing job.”
While Zimmer fired home the opening goal, sophomore back Ilse Tromp’s remarkable feed from more than 20 yards away put the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in a sensational position.
A player who Fuchs said flies under the radar, Tromp delivered a series of clutch plays on both offense and defense throughout NU’s tournament run. Her goal-line save in Friday’s 1-0 Final Four win over UMass facilitated the first of two championship weekend shutouts.
But, as Tromp told The Daily on Saturday, her commitment to the ’Cats came purely by chance. Byrne was on a scouting assignment in the Netherlands to watch another player. Then, the backfielder immediately caught his eye.
After her show-starting feed, Tromp turned a pair of penalty corner chances into drag flick finishes, tying her career high with two goals.
Tromp also spearheaded a defense that gave up just three shots Sunday.
“This defensive unit is so good,” Skubisz said. “It’s what they do every day. It’s really cool to be a part of that.”
Skubisz, the program’s all-time leader in career shutouts with 37, capped her storied college journey with another flawless display in net. She allowed just three goals in her four national championship starts.
Still, Skubisz’s mere presence at NU serves as a testament to Fuchs and her staff’s recruiting ability. She had originally committed to another program, but Fuchs’ staff kept close tabs on the netminder.
When she reopened her recruitment, all the chips fell into place, and the goalkeeper soon committed to the ’Cats. Skubisz said NU was an immediate culture fit, especially between defenders and goalkeepers.
“The defensive culture is very collaborative and very direct,” Skubisz said. “It was really fun to try to be the head of that culture to a certain extent.
Without the staff’s collective work on the recruiting trail, the ’Cats wouldn’t have won their first national title on Phyllis Ocker Field in 2021, nor would they have made the next three national championship games.
Three years after NU’s first trip atop the sport’s summit, players who watched the team’s Cinderella run as high schoolers — including Tromp and sophomore forwards Olivia Bent-Cole and Ashley Sessa — played pivotal roles in Sunday’s trophy lift.
Just as Bent-Cole told The Daily on Saturday, national championships are now the standard for the ’Cats. That standard fuels every facet of the program, from on-field production to putting in extra hours on the recruiting trail.
Now, the challenge for Fuchs and company is to sustain their consistent success sans what the veteran coach labeled as the most talented group of graduate students and seniors to ever depart the program.
“Hopefully, this isn’t the end of (the) Northwestern dynasty,” Zimmer said.
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— Field Hockey: Northwestern’s Olivia Bent-Cole eyes second national title shot
