This month, Northwestern Athletics inducted eight new members into the athletic department’s Hall of Fame. The accomplishments of these Wildcats are legendary, but as is often the case in sports, sometimes you just had to be there. Here’s a look back at one game that helps tell the story of how each inductee earned their spot in the Hall of Fame.
Lauren Clem – Women’s Soccer
NCAA Tournament First Round - November 12, 2017
Northwestern Women’s Soccer boasted a dominant defense in 2017, but on a cold, windy day at Martin Stadium, Northwestern’s season came down to penalties against Butler. The first All-American in program history, Clem turned away three-straight Butler penalty kicks to send the ‘Cats through to the Round of 32. Her 48 career shutouts ranked third in NCAA history when Clem graduated from Northwestern and remains a program record.
Drew Crawford – Men’s Basketball
Northwestern at No. 14 Wisconsin - January 29, 2014
You could pick a game from Drew Crawford’s first year in Evanston, when he won Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors or one of his memorable NIT runs with John Shurna. But Crawford’s 30-point explosion in a 65-56 win over a Final Four-bound Wisconsin team during his senior season in Evanston helped first-year head coach Chris Collins lay the foundation for a program that would finally reach the NCAA Tournament in 2017.
Justin Jackson – Football
Pinstripe Bowl - December 28, 2016
“Justin Jackson the Ballcarrier” echoed around Ryan Field like clockwork whenever the Wildcats handed the ball off to Jackson, but his greatest day in a Wildcat uniform came at a baseball stadium. On the frozen grass of Yankee Stadium, Jackson ran for a ridiculous 226 yards to help Northwestern defeat No. 23 Pittsburgh 31-24 in the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl. Jackson’s three touchdowns included a 40-yard sprint late in the third quarter as the Wildcats upset Pitt to win just their second bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl.
Hannah Kim – Women’s Golf
Hurricane Invitational – March 2, 2016
Hannah Kim’s magical final round in Coral Gables is still the lowest single-round score in Northwestern Women’s Golf history. Kim shot a 64 to win both the individual title and help Northwestern secure the team title at the University of Miami’s Hurricane Invitational. The best part? Kim already owned the lowest round in program history, before shaving two strokes off that mark in South Florida with this historic performance. She remains the only Wildcat to be named First-Team All-Big Ten in each year of her Northwestern career.
David Lipsky – Men’s Golf
Big Ten Championships – May 2, 2010
Heading into the back-nine of his final round at the 2010 Big Ten Championships in Minnesota, David Lipsky was in familiar territory. He had been in position to win multiple tournaments throughout the 2010 season without sealing the deal. But those experiences made all the difference with a Big Ten title on the line. Lipsky birdied Holes 12, 13 and 14 on the back nine and headed to the clubhouse with a one-shot lead. That proved just enough for Lipsky to clinch Northwestern’s second-straight individual Big Ten championship.
Sharon Drysdale – Softball
Women’s College World Series – May 23, 1984
Simply put, you can’t measure Sharon Drysdale’s impact on softball at Northwestern in one game. She arrived in 1979 and turned a program playing at a public park in Evanston into a Women’s College World Series regular, while continuing to grow the sport of softball as Title IX created more opportunities for female student-athletes at Northwestern. One landmark day? When the Wildcats played their first Women’s College World Series game in program history, defeating Adelphi University 1-0 and beginning a run to the semifinals.
Jordan Wilimovsky – Men’s Swimming & Diving
Summer Olympics – August 16, 2016
There’s a case to be made that Jordan Wilimovsky took the greatest gap year in Northwestern history. Stepping away from NCAA competition in 2016, Wilimovsky made history as the first American swimmer to compete in a pool and open water event at the same Summer Olympics when he swam for Team USA at the Summer Games in Rio. Already a world champion in open-water marathon swimming, Wilimovsky posted a pair of top-five finishes in the 10 KM Open Water Swim and the 1500 M Freestyle Olympic events.
Pat Ryan Jr. – Honorary
First Game at New Ryan Field – October 2, 2026
After leading the team that designed, developed and built the new Ryan Field, Pat Ryan Jr.’s induction into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame comes less than a month after the first game at the new stadium. But it’s already a moment etched into Wildcat history.
As Northwestern romped to a 34-13 win over Penn State, Ryan’s work on the new stadium earned rave reviews from a sell-out crowd and members of the national media. “The sightlines are impeccable, with amazing views from the highest chairback next to the scoreboard…to the club seats. The food options are the best in college football, bar none,” Scott Dochterman of The Athletic wrote. “In short, it’s an only 35,000-seat stadium that has something for everybody, which is not only rare but borderline impossible.”