This Week in Northwestern Athletics: May 12

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This Week in Northwestern Athletics: May 12

5/12/2021 10:39:00 AM | Baseball, General, Men's Golf, Softball, Women's Golf, Women's Lacrosse

Northwestern has five programs in action this week, headlined by the start of the NCAA postseasons for lacrosse, women's golf and men's golf.

Lacrosse

After securing the two seed and a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament last Saturday, the Wildcats and their record-setting offense begin their run at the title this weekend in Evanston. Northwestern will face the winner of Denver-Stanford Sunday at noon CT at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. The first-round game between Denver and Stanford will also be played in Evanston this Friday.

The 'Cats ride a perfect 13-0 record into the NCAA Tournament, having cruised through the conference-only regular season and Big Ten Tournament to their second-straight Big Ten title. Junior Izzy Scane, who is on NCAA record-setting pace with 6.23 goals per game, was unanimously named Big Ten Attacker of the Year last week, while Head Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller took home her second-straight Big Ten Coach of the Year Award. Scane, along with teammates Lauren Gilbert and Lindsey McKone, was also named to the Top-25 nominees for the Tewaaraton Award last month, the highest honor in collegiate lacrosse. That group of finalists has played a pivotal role in Northwestern's assault on the record books as the Wildcats score 20.62 goals per game, 2.17 more goals per game than the NCAA single-season record set in 2018.

Live coverage of the Wildcats' first game in the NCAA Tournament can be found on ESPN3.

Women's Golf

Northwestern began competition at the NCAA West Regional Monday, a tournament that concludes Wednesday afternoon. Entering the final day of competition, the Wildcats sit in a three-way tie for eighth place with Pepperdine and Denver at +14, while sophomore Irene Kim, the Big Ten Golfer of the Year, lands in sixth among individuals at -1. The top six teams and top three individuals will advance from the regional to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

This is the 11th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for Chicago's Big Ten Team, and will be the 8th-straight trip to the NCAA Championships if the 'Cats manage to advance. Northwestern has posted seven-straight top-15 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including four top-10 finishes. The Wildcats placed fifth at the Big Ten Tournament last month while Kim finished second among individual golfers at -6.

Men's Golf

Northwestern tees off from Stillwater, Oklahoma next Monday, May 17 to begin its NCAA Regional at the Karsten Creek Golf Club. The Regional will run through Wednesday, May 19 as the 11th-seeded Wildcats will get to take aim at golf powerhouse Oklahoma State and in-state rival Illinois. The top five teams from the Regional will advance to the Championships, which will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona May 28 to June 2.

This marks the 17th time Northwestern has qualified for an NCAA regional in the 21st Century. The 'Cats have moved onto the Championships five times in those previous 16 opportunities. Chicago's Big Ten Team enters this year's Regional coming off a bronze medal at the Big Ten Tournament. John Driscoll III led the way for the Wildcats at Big Tens, tying for sixth among individuals while shooting 221 over three rounds. Driscoll joined teammate David Nyfjäll on the All-Big Ten second team announced last week.

Baseball

After a pause in team activities, the Wildcats return to the diamond this weekend to face Nebraska in a three-game road series. First pitch Friday is slated for 6:35 p.m. CT, Saturday's game will begin at 2 p.m. CT and Sunday's matinee is scheduled to start at noon CT.

Chicago's Big Ten Team remains the nation's premier home run hitting squad as the Wildcats mash 1.93 home runs per game, the most in Division I. Junior shortstop Shawn Goosenberg has led the way at the plate, leading the team in a number of categories, including home runs (11), batting average (.358) and OPS (1.125). Six Wildcats have hit five or more home runs, while 10 have hit at least one over the fence. Sophomore Stephen Hrustich joins Goosenberg in double digit home runs with 10 of his own.

Softball

Northwestern plays its final series of the regular season at home against Nebraska this weekend with four games against the Huskers scheduled at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. First pitch of game one Friday is set for 3 p.m. CT, Saturday's doubleheader is slated to begin at 1 p.m. CT and Sunday's regular season finale will start at 1 p.m. CT.

Chicago's Big Ten Team sports a 26-14 record, good for third place in the Big Ten just behind Minnesota at 26-10.The Wildcats come into this series off a raod series split with Purdue last weekend that featured strong starting pitching performances from Danielle Williams, Lauren Boyd and Morgan Newport. Newport and Boyd turned in complete games in their starts against the Boilermakers, and together, over 14 innings, allowed just one earned run while striking out eight. Williams shined again as a strikeout machine, fanning 11 batters over her two starts in West Lafayette, Indiana. Earlier this season, Williams tossed the fifth perfect game in program history in a 7-0 win over Iowa.