Northwestern University Athletics
Before First Pitch, Meet The #B1GCats First-Years!
2/6/2018 12:45:00 PM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Five new Wildcats are set to make their debut for Northwestern this weekend at the season-opening Kajikawa Classic. Get to know this group of first-years a little better before first pitch at 12:30 p.m. CT Friday against No. 7 Arizona!
MAC DUNLAP
NEED TO KNOW: A strong athlete with speed, Mac has been competitive her entire life. Her brother, Jerzy—who is currently deployed with the United States Navy—was heavily into sports and Mac followed in his footsteps. When Jerzy took up football, Mac did, too. She played football for five years from the ages of eight until she turned 13, taking on roles as a fullback, middle linebacker, kicker and kick returner.
"Football eggs on that competitive drive," she says.
MAJOR: Plans to major in communication studies with a minor in business institutions. She "definitely wants to do something related to sports."
SCOUTING REPORT: A deft fielder, Dunlap is fighting for immediate time in the lineup for the Wildcats on the left side of the infield.
SUMMER HARGETT
NEED TO KNOW: Summer is the definition of well-rounded. She inherited a love of music from her mother, who used to travel the world to sing and currently is the head of music at a high school in California. Summer was in musical theatre in middle school and still plays the guitar when she has a chance.
In addition, Summer is a black belt in karate. She started studying the discipline when she was 5-years-old, and earned her black belt seven years later at the age of 12. Eventually she chose to focus more on softball, but once her time on the diamond is over she plans on returning to karate and making it a lifetime pursuit.
MAJOR: Engineering. "I'm not sure what type of engineering, but I know I want to be an engineer and Northwestern is a top-ranked school."
SCOUTING REPORT: A right-handed power hitter, Summer had the ability to be an anchor in the middle of the lineup. She will miss the start of the season, however, while recovering from an offseason injury.
HOLLINS MAEGAN
NEED TO KNOW: When asked to describe her game, Maegan immediately says "I like the idea that I'm coachable, and not just by the coaches but from my teammates as well."
Since stepping foot on campus in the fall, Maegan has been absorbing everything possible from the older outfielders on the team. "I really look up to Sabrina, I love watching Morgan Nelson's glovework. I'm working to incorporate what they do into my game."
MAJOR: Engineering. "I like problem solving and designing things."
SCOUTING REPORT: A lefty with speed, Maegan will be a key cog in Northwestern's speed game. The Wildcats led the Big Ten in stolen bases a year ago, and Maegan figures to swipe her fair share in 2018 as well.
RACHEL LEWIS
NEED TO KNOW: To speak to Rachel Lewis is to get to know a individual who projects calm and balance. On the field, she is nothing of the sort.
"The coaches are aggressive and like to take risks, and I am very on board with that," she says. "If I have something I want to do, or something I want to try whether it is on the bases or hitting or in the field, they are into it."
Rachel credits a career in basketball with helping breed to the athleticism she shows on the softball diamond. An injury kept her from competition as a junior in high school, and at that point she decided to focus solely on softball.
MAJOR: Undeclared, but thinking about industrial engineering. She likes that it is math without being statistics, economics or an accounting type of study.
SCOUTING REPORT: Rachel is challenging for immediate playing time in several spots on the diamond, both in the infield and the outfield. She has the type of speed and athletic prowess that can change the complexion of a game in all three phases.
KENNA WILKEY
NEED TO KNOW: Family is so important to Kenna Wilkey. In her hometown of Braidwood, Illinois, her grandmother lives next door, and her aunt and uncle live across the Kankakee River in Wilmington, Illinois. Another aunt and uncle live just down the street. Kenna feels like she has found family again at Northwestern.
"The coaches sold me, they are so nice and personable," she says. "The team was also so nice and saw big things in me from the start."
Kenna has been doing big things in softball and basketball throughout her time before NU. In just three years of high school competition entering her senior season, she already had fanned 700 batters and was batting over .500 while scoring more than 1,000 points on the hardwood.
MAJOR: I want to be a speech pathologist. "My mom is a special education aide and my older sister is working at the school with my mom."
SCOUTING REPORT: Despite being the youngest of five pitchers on a deep Northwestern staff, Kenna will take the ball early and often in her career. She also has the ability to make an impact at the plate as one of a trio of NU #PitchersWhoRake.
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