Early in Tracey Fuchs’ tenure at Northwestern, she would take chances on players whom she didn’t perceive as ideal cultural fits. Whether a recruit was a little “lazy” or didn’t make complete sense for the team, the 17-year Wildcats coach said she sometimes overlooked such flaws in pursuit of high-level talent.
But after winning three field hockey national championships in the past five seasons, Fuchs said NU can now pass on such players without sacrificing skill in its recruiting classes. The ability to cultivate a deliberate culture could help the ’Cats sustain their success, as the career of graduate student midfielder Maddie Zimmer, a two-time Honda Sport Award winner — given to the best collegiate female athlete — has come to an end.
“Five or six years ago, maybe we didn’t have a bullseye on our back,” Fuchs said Thursday. “Now, we’re consistently one of the best teams in the country and (the) Big Ten. It comes from (the team’s) mentality and our culture.”
When Zimmer arrived in Evanston in 2020, the ’Cats hadn’t been to a Final Four in 26 years. But in four of the five seasons she played for NU, it reached the NCAA final.
Fuchs said the ’Cats’ success has been driven by four core values: relentlessness, chemistry, accountability and drive to push each other. She felt that every player on the most recent championship-winning team fit its ideal culture, as even players who didn’t appear often in games accepted their roles.
Senior midfielder and captain Greta Hinke said the team also developed a bond through off-the-field activities like beach days, pickleball tournaments or just hanging out at older players’ off-campus houses.
“We feel so comfortable with each other because we formed these relationships outside the sport,” Hinke said. “We can have those conversations on the field and still appreciate each other as people and not just like field hockey players.”
In replacing Zimmer, Fuchs said she will look to the transfer portal. But, she noted that even if she can’t find a like-for-like replacement, she is confident in the team’s returning talents.
NU’s leading goal-scorer, junior forward Ashley Sessa, and goalkeeper Juliana Boon, who is entering her redshirt sophomore season after finishing eighth in the country in save percentage, are both coming back. The team’s entire backfield is also set to return if senior Maja Zivojnovic — who started 23 games last season — receives a hardship waiver, which she has applied for.
Zivojnovic has had four knee surgeries while playing for the ’Cats, Fuchs said, appearing in just 32 games between 2022 and 2024. But she still crossed the threshold of maximum games to qualify for a medical redshirt.
“She was over the limit of games by like one or two,” Fuchs said. “If there’s anybody that deserves a hardship waiver, it’s her.”
NU’s recent rise has also positioned the program well in the recruiting space, according to Allison Keefe, who works as a video analyst for the U.S. Under-21 team and runs The Field Hockey Analyst Instagram page. She said the ’Cats have a unique advantage because they can offer top-level academics and athletic scholarships, whereas Ivy League schools cannot provide the latter.
Fuchs said the team has secured commitments from three of the top five “blue chip” recruits in the 2027 class, presumably forward Alexandra Curtis, midfielder Chase Strohm and goalkeeper Norah Kirsch.
“Because of the Maddie Zimmer era, they’re definitely going to still have a lot of top players who want to go there, which will help them not have as harsh a fall off,” Keefe said.
Keefe also said NU’s hardware could boost the Midwest youth pipeline, which has been steadily growing.
On the 2025 roster, the ’Cats had just three players from the Midwest — redshirt junior forward Amelia Albers, freshman midfielder/back Julia Soriano and Hinke. Meanwhile, seven players came from Pennsylvania alone.
“Having Northwestern locally,” Keefe said, “has helped (kids) aspire to, ‘There’s a school right there that I can go play for one day, and I could be national champion.’”
Hinke, who is from Mequon, Wisconsin, said she played club matches for the Windy City Field Hockey Club, based in the northern Chicago suburbs, after her local team went under.
Andrea Burlew, who coached Hinke at the college-preparatory University School of Milwaukee, said it’s difficult to start youth programs in the Midwest, at least near Milwaukee, because there aren’t enough coaches. But she added it’s possible NU’s success could inspire young talent in the region.
Fuchs said she wants to continue engaging young talent by bringing them to ’Cats’ games. But for now, NU will lean on diverse talent as it focuses on preserving the culture to protect its national championship trophy.
“Winning is fun,” Fuchs said. “So when you come home from the national championship, you don’t want to give it up.”
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