As another season of Northwestern athletics draws to a close, Inside NU’s writers ranked their favorite moments from this past year. Two national championships, plenty of clutch plays, a multitude of upset victories and several heartwarming moments — this season delivered countless moments that will be remembered by Wildcat players, coaches and fans for a long time to come.
These picks were decided using a point system allocated based on what position a writer ranked each moment. A ranking of No. 1 received 10 points, No. 2 received nine points, and so on.
10. Noel Cumberland’s game-winner vs Colorado in NCAA Quarterfinals (14 points)
Entering the draw circle against Colorado in the NCAA Quarterfinals, Northwestern knew it had to be ready for a dogfight. Back in early February, the Buffaloes had given the ‘Cats their first loss of the season, in an upset at the Ryan Fieldhouse. In the rematch, Colorado once again knocked Northwestern off its feet, securing a three-goal lead early in the second half. However, the Cardiac ‘Cats stormed back, running Colorado 6-2 over the next 28 minutes. Northwestern held a 12-11 lead as time ticked down in regulation, but Maddie Shoup came up big for the Buffs, tying the score with four seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. The ‘Cats would need one more big moment to make a seventh-consecutive appearance in the Final Four and it was Noel Cumberland who assumed the role of hero. The junior midfielder gained a free position and slotted her shot through the four-hole. The ‘Cats’ sideline rushed onto the field, as a packed NU-cheering section erupted with joy. Northwestern was headed back to the NCAA Semifinals.
— Adam Sutro
9. Northwestern lacrosse’s regular-season overtime victory over UNC (19 points)
After an up-and-down start to the season that made fans and pundits question this team’s national title chances, Northwestern sent a loud message to the lacrosse world by knocking off No. 1-ranked UNC on March 25. It was a wild contest that snapped the Tar Heels’ 31-game winning streak over the ‘Cats. The 2026 Tewaaraton winner Madison Taylor netted the game-winning goal in overtime, ending a contentious, back-and-forth battle. The ‘Cats tied the game at 14 after a 4-0 third-quarter run, and then again at 16 at the end of regulation. A stout defensive possession in overtime preceded Taylor’s goal to secure the win. This victory shot a boost of confidence into the program and gave the squad an early look at the eventual national championship opponent. As Taylor said in a postgame interview, “We’ve always been capable of special things.” This game certainly proved that.
— Sai Trivedi
8. Northwestern men’s basketball beating Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament (23 points)
In many ways, this was not the season Northwestern basketball fans hoped for. The ‘Cats finished the regular season with a 13-18 record, winning just five Big Ten games, their lowest total since the 2019-20 season. However, despite its poor record, it felt all season long like Chris Collins’ squad, which lost seven regular season games by five points or less, was better than its record showed. In the Big Ten Tournament, the ‘Cats proved this to be true, upsetting the No. 10-seed Indiana 74-61. The ‘Cats dominated the Hoosiers all game long, led by freshman sensation Jake Weest, who had 18 points and four assists, and Nick Martinelli, who tallied 28 points and four rebounds. For the senior forward, an all-time great of Northwestern basketball, it was a final moment of glory to cap off his legendary career in a purple jersey. With the ‘Cats’ win, it’s now been 1,942 days since Northwestern lost to Indiana in basketball — that’s beautiful.
— Adam Sutro
7. Field Hockey punches ticket to Natty (Ilse Tromp’s game-tying goal, Grace Schulze’s game-winner) (30 points)
Northwestern field hockey was on the ropes, trailing 3–2 to No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels field hockey in the NCAA semifinals with under two minutes remaining. To say its backs were against the wall would be an understatement. But in those final minutes, this championship squad, as former EIC Yanyan Li put it, “showcased an inability to back down.”. With 1:10 remaining, Maddie Zimmer found Ilse Tromp, who slit through a game-tying shot in the biggest play of her career. But the ‘Cats weren’t done making big moments in the clutch. In overtime, a crazy sequence entailed UNC seemingly netting a wide-open golden goal, but Tar Heels forward Reese Anetsberger committed a foot foul. NU took advantage with a speedy counter-attack, where Zimmer got the ball to the circle and dished it to Schulze, who tapped in a shot from the left side to send NU to its fifth straight title appearance.
— Sai Trivedi
6. Nick Martinelli’s game-winner vs Oregon (32 points)
In his second to last home game of his Northwestern career, Nick Martinelli made sure to leave Welsh-Ryan Arena with one more iconic moment under his belt With 8.6 seconds left and the Wildcats down one to Oregon in a critical game for the Big Ten Tournament seedings, Martinelli dribbled through tight coverage, through a shoulder into his defender and threw up a left-handed hook that hung on the rim for what felt like an eternity before falling true as the ‘Cats faithful exploded in the arena. It was the 21st time Martinelli reached 20 points or more in what was a largely disappointing season, but the senior stayed true to who he was and got the Wildcats the win.
— Drew Christmann
5. Northwestern football beating Minnesota at Wrigley Field to secure a Bowl Game (38 points)
Since football came back to Wrigley Field when Northwestern played Illinois in 2010, the Wildcats were winless in all games played at the Friendly Confines. A week after falling to Michigan by two points at Wrigley, Northwestern hosted Minnesota in what could be one of the last times NU would play at Wrigley before the new Ryan Field opened. At that point, Minnesota was 0-4 on the road while 6-0 at home, and Wrigley was the perfect venue for the Golden Gophers to get their first road win of the 2025 season. Spoiler: that didn’t happen. Caleb Komolafe scored on a 46-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, and the fireworks followed. The Wildcats led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter, but a three-touchdown second quarter from the Golden Gophers had them leading Northwestern 21-13 at halftime. In the second half, Minnesota would score twice more, but Northwestern played arguably its best half of football all season. Preston Stone started the second half by completing 13-straight passes and going 15-of-16 in the half overall, with both Griffin Wilde and Hayden Eligon II recording over 100 receiving yards, along with Komolafe rushing for over 100 yards. Jack Olsen made three field goals, including a 33-yard kick to cap off a drive that took the game clock from 8:20 remaining to 00:53 remaining. The Golden Gophers quickly got into field goal range, but Brady Denaburg missed it (his second miss of the game), sealing Northwestern’s first victory at Wrigley Field since football came back, but also to secure a bowl game.
– Charlie Jacobs
4. Jenika Cuocco Save → Annabel Child’s game-winner in Big Ten Tournament Title Game (42 points)
Defending its Big Ten regular season title and three-straight conference tournament championships, Northwestern dominated Maryland for the first 49 minutes of the Big Ten Tournament Title Game. For most of the afternoon, it appeared that the ‘Cats would run away with things in Ann Arbor — but then the Terrapins came storming back. Maryland closed the game on a 4-0 run, sending the game to overtime. With all the momentum, the ‘Terps were poised to break Northwestern’s Big Ten championship streak. It was at this moment that the ‘Cats’ championship DNA shined brighter than ever. Jenika Cuocco came up with a massive save at 1:11 in overtime, tying her career high of 18. Then, on the other end, as time expired in the overtime period, Annabel Child, the graduate transfer from Harvard, drove hard from the goal-line extended to the far side of the arc, gaining just enough separation to crease a side-arm shot into the two-hole and win Northwestern the Big Ten championship. A game-winning save and a buzzer beater goal — championship heroics.
— Adam Sutro
3. Northwestern football’s upset over Penn State (47 points)
Northwestern was coming off two-straight wins, but faced a massive uphill battle as it traveled to play at Penn State after the Nittany Lions lost to UCLA as 25-point favorites. It felt like a bounce-back game was imminent for PSU coming off two close losses in a row. That’s not what happened. The Wildcats kept it close in the first half, trailing 14-13 at halftime after a last second field goal. Neither team scored in the third quarter, but a Penn State muffed punt at the end of the quarter put Northwestern in field goal range. At the start of the fourth, Jack Olsen hit a 41-yard field goal to put the ‘Cats up two. The Nittany Lions answered back with what felt like a gut punch: a 6-play, 91-yard touchdown drive to take a 21-16 lead. With the lights at their brightest in one of the biggest stages in college football, Northwestern put together one of its best drives of the season: an 11-play, 75-yard drive that Caleb Komolafe capped off with a touchdown. The Wildcats failed to convert a 2-point conversion, but they led 22-21 with under five minutes remaining. Penn State had a chance, but Northwestern forced a turnover on downs and then ran the remaining three minutes off of the clock to seal one of the biggest upsets of the 2025 college football season. Penn State was favored by 21 points, but it was Northwestern that came out on top 22-21 in Happy Valley.
— Charlie Jacobs
2. Northwestern field hockey’s national championship (72 points)
Less than 48 hours removed from an overtime thriller in Durham, Tracy Fuchs and NUFH returned to Jack Katz Field to avenge their only loss of the season – a regular season defeat at the hands of the No. 2-seeded Princeton Tigers. However, through the first three quarters, history had seemed to be repeating itself in the national championship game. A prolific Northwestern offense, including Honda Sport Award winner Maddie Zimmer, Ashley Sessa and former Tiger Grace Schulze were kept off the board through the first 48 minutes of the contest. Then, Kate Janssen broke through with the first postseason goal of her Wildcat career to even up the score. Regulation ended with the score still knotted at one, and it remained frozen through the first overtime period. However, NU found its breakthrough on a penalty corner just 14 seconds into the second OT period. Sessa, from the right of the cage, inserted towards the stick of Zimmer, laid flat for Ilse Tromp to sink the game winner with her signature drag flick.
— Matt Campbell
1. Northwestern lacrosse’s national championship (79 points)
One of the most legendary wins in the history of Northwestern athletics went down in front of a Lake Show crowd of 8, 316 attendees. In her final game in a purple uniform, Madison Taylor delivered a masterclass in facilitating the offense with a career-best six-assist performance, while Gabriella McCollester made her arrival on the biggest stage in the sport with four scores in the second half. Half of the first-year’s quartet of goals were a part of a 5-0 fourth-quarter ‘Cats run that erased an 11-9 deficit. Taylor nailed the dagger with 78 seconds remaining, tumbling along the crease to beat Lexi Zenk in front of the cage, prompting a massive pop from a student section that gave Kelly Amonte Hiller’s squad everything they hoped for — ending the school year with a national title on its home turf. The ‘Cats faithful got their wish that day.
— Matt Campbell
Honorable mentions: Nick Martinelli’s standing ovation from Purdue Fans at BTT (11 points), Northwestern football’s bowl game win over Central Michigan (5 points), Northwestern men’s basketball’s victory over USC (3 points), Jordan Clayton’s 20-point game vs Maryland (3 points)
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