The Wildcats are seeking their ninth National Championship, and their second in four years.
For the seventh consecutive season, Northwestern lacrosse is playing in the Final Four. This time, the Wildcats are looking to finish the job on their home turf and become the first national champions to do so since Maryland in 1986.
It's been a stellar stretch for the 'Cats. The seven-season period has featured six Big Ten titles, one NCAA title and two Tewaaraton Award winners, rivaling Kelly Amonte Hiller's stretch of dominance in the 2000s.
There's a big discrepancy between those eras of Northwestern lacrosse, though. From 2005 to 2012, the Wildcats won seven national titles in eight years during what was one of the greatest dynastic runs in collegiate sports. But despite reaching the Final Four six consecutive times from 2019 to 2025 (the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), only the 2023 Northwestern Wildcats ended the season on top.
It's true that the 2000s and the 2020s are incomparable in terms of women's lacrosse eras. The 2005 NCAA Tournament — Amonte Hiller's first title at Northwestern — featured just 16 teams, while 29 teams were included in the 2026 iteration. Several of the lacrosse programs competing for a national title this season had not even been founded yet when the Wildcats were on their historic run, either.
So it makes sense to be disappointed that only the 2023 Northwestern women's lacrosse team was able to seal the deal with a championship ring, but the sport as a whole has gotten so much stronger as well. Just as the Wildcats were juggernauts back then, Northwestern has run into buzzsaws like Syracuse, Boston College and North Carolina from the mighty ACC.
May 28, 2023; Cary, NC, USA; Northwestern Wildcats players celebrate after defeating the Boston College Eagles in the Women's NCAA Lacrosse Championship at Wake Med Soccer Park. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn ImagesEven though three of the four finalists this season are Big Ten teams, the No. 2 Tar Heels pose just as much of a threat as they ever have. In 2022, the Wildcats blew an eight-goal lead to North Carolina in less than 15 minutes in the Final Four, and the Heels went on to win the National Championship. Another gutting defeat occurred just last year, when Northwestern's high-flying offense was eviscerated in a 12-8 title game loss to UNC and Madison Taylor was effectively shut down.
Will the 2026 NCAA Tournament be different? Only time will tell, but the adversity that these Wildcats have faced should inspire confidence that Northwestern is as prepared as it can be to finish the job.
On Mar. 15, the 'Cats had a 5-3 record with a pair of losses to unranked teams. They've since rattled off 12 consecutive victories over the past two months, including four wins over fellow Final Four opponents North Carolina, Maryland and Johns Hopkins.
Northwestern must exorcise its demons to claim its ninth National Championship, and that road starts with a 4:30 p.m. CT contest against the Blue Jays on Friday afternoon.
