Northwestern University Athletics
Celebrate National Student-Athlete Day 2026 with Northwestern Athletics
3/31/2026 9:38:00 AM | General
On April 6, Northwestern Athletics will celebrate National Student-Athlete Day with the University's 11th annual day of giving to support our more than 500 student-athletes.
This campaign began back in 2015 and has coincided with a decade of unprecedented athletic success in Evanston. Over the past 11 years, Northwestern has won national championships and Big Ten titles, celebrated bowl games and March Madness victories, while graduating complete student-athletes across our 21 varsity sports teams.
Nick Martinelli of Men's Basketball embodies the uniquely Northwestern experience we hope to deliver for every student-athlete during their time in Evanston.
Martinelli arrived at Northwestern as a first-year student-athlete in 2022 and averaged two points. He will graduate in the spring as just the fourth Wildcat in Big Ten history to lead the conference in scoring and as an Academic All-American.
"I received an unbelievable opportunity at Northwestern," Martinelli said. "There's so many things you can't see from outside the building. If you want to become the best version of yourself, this a place where you're going to be pushed. For me, I found my place here."
National Student-Athlete Day directly supports resources like Nutrition, Sports Psychology Academic Support and Sports Performance that help us deliver a uniquely Northwestern experience. Here are a few ways your support impacts student-athletes:
Sports Psychology x Northwestern Volleyball
"Tim Nollan is only in his second year as our head coach, but he's already embedded a member of our staff within his team. She's traveled and done workshops with Volleyball - that's a program that has really invested in our work." – Director of Sports Psychology Services, Dr. Courtney Albinson
Academics x Northwestern Baseball
"We have to be strategic with class planning around midweek baseball games. Since we have a home or away game every Tuesday throughout spring quarter, managing that schedule is an important layer of our work. I'm proud to say that in spite of those challenges, Northwestern Baseball led the conference in Big Ten Distinguished Scholars in 2025." – Associate Athletic Director of Academic Resources Eileen O'Rourke
Sports Performance x Northwestern Field Hockey
"We have two high-level student-athletes on our Field Hockey team in Maddie Zimmer and Ashley Sessa. They're both leaders within the program, but personality-wise, Maddie and Ashley are completely different. That's the fun part about this job – since no two student-athletes are the same, you have to figure out the best way to communicate with each one and help them maximize their performance." – Adam Hermann, Assistant Athletic Director for Olympic Sports Performance
Nutrition x Northwestern Cross Country
"I've watched this team over the last decade go from fueling adequacy to now we get to play in the margins and look for every performance edge we can get. I'm proud of how Cross Country utilized nutrition throughout their training this year. It really showed up in a sport where seconds can be the difference between making it on the podium or not." – Katie Knappenberger, Program Director, Performance Nutrition
Donations of any amount to the Wildcat Fund help us to graduate complete student-athletes who excel in the classroom and in competition.
Anyone who makes a gift of $100 or more between now and National Student Athlete Day on April 6, will receive an exclusive thank-you gift from Northwestern Athletics!
