Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: S. J. Carrera, Inc.
DANCING! Wildcats Secure Berth in NCAA Tournament
4/24/2021 9:09:00β―PM | Field Hockey
Northwestern Field Hockey secured its second-straight berth in the NCAA Tournament, grabbing one of three at-large bids to make the field of 12 teams.
EVANSTON, Ill. β Northwestern Field Hockey secured a berth in this spring's NCAA Tournament, earning one of three at-large spots to round out the field of 12 teams vying for a national title.
The Wildcats will face off against Delaware on Friday, April 30 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at 2 pm CT. The winner will move on to face the No. 4 overall seed Iowa Hawkeyes in the national quarterfinals on May 2.
This marks the second-consecutive season in which Northwestern has earned an NCAA Tournament appearance. It marks the 16th tournament appearance in program history and fourth under head coach Tracey Fuchs, who also became the program's all-time winningest head coach earlier this season.
Northwestern's tournament resume includes an 11-5 record on the season, with a pair of wins over No. 2 Iowa at Lakeside Field to close out the regular season, followed by a 2-1 win over No. 8 Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament to secure a berth in Big Ten semifinals for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Earlier in the season, the Wildcats also posted three-straight overtime victories including a 1-0Β win at Michigan, who earned the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament field.
The Wildcats had multiple highlights on the All-Big Ten postseason awards, with Maddie Zimmer being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten, Kayla Blas securing First Team All-Big Ten accolades for a second-straight season and Bente Baekers claiming Second Team All-Big Ten honors.
Β
The Wildcats will face off against Delaware on Friday, April 30 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at 2 pm CT. The winner will move on to face the No. 4 overall seed Iowa Hawkeyes in the national quarterfinals on May 2.
This marks the second-consecutive season in which Northwestern has earned an NCAA Tournament appearance. It marks the 16th tournament appearance in program history and fourth under head coach Tracey Fuchs, who also became the program's all-time winningest head coach earlier this season.
Northwestern's tournament resume includes an 11-5 record on the season, with a pair of wins over No. 2 Iowa at Lakeside Field to close out the regular season, followed by a 2-1 win over No. 8 Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament to secure a berth in Big Ten semifinals for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Earlier in the season, the Wildcats also posted three-straight overtime victories including a 1-0Β win at Michigan, who earned the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament field.
The Wildcats had multiple highlights on the All-Big Ten postseason awards, with Maddie Zimmer being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten, Kayla Blas securing First Team All-Big Ten accolades for a second-straight season and Bente Baekers claiming Second Team All-Big Ten honors.
Β
Players Mentioned
Field Hockey - Back-to-back. πππππππππ. π 2025 NCAA Final Cinematic Recap
Tuesday, December 09
Field Hockey - Wildcats Repeat as National Champs with 2OT Game-Winner over Princeton (11/29/25)
Sunday, November 23
Field Hockey - With π‘πππ«π. NCAA Semifinal Cinematic Recap (11/21/25)
Sunday, November 23
Field Hockey - βCats Topple No. 1 UNC 4-3 in Overtime, Clinch Fifth Straight Title Appearance
Friday, November 21
