Madison Taylor and Noel Cumberland headline nine Wildcats honored for their dominant Big Ten season.
After crowning the Big Ten regular-season title for the fourth consecutive year and gearing up for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, Northwestern lacrosse received extensive recognition in the All-Big Ten honors selections.
According to the conference's release on Tuesday, Madison Taylor and Noel Cumberland were named to the First-Team All-Big Ten. Taylor, selected by the California Palms in the Women's League Lacrosse's (WLL) inaugural College Draft, has recorded 77 goals so far this season, ranking second nationally behind North Carolina's Chloe Humphrey with 79 goals. Both Taylor and Humphrey were also named to the First Team and the top-25 Tewaaraton Award watch list.
Cumberland, a junior midfielder, has taken a significant leap this season for the 'Cats. Starting six of 16 games, she has scored 17 goals and recorded five assists while also standing out defensively with 10 draw controls.
Five other Wildcats, Madison Smith, Annabel Child, Jennika Cuocco, Aditi Foster, and Jaylen Rosga, were selected to the Second Team. Foster, who didn't start a single game last season, appeared in all 16 games as a starter this year, providing backup firepower behind Taylor with 38 goals and 12 assists.
After transferring from Harvard for her final year of eligibility, Child brought veteran experience to the 'Cats, starting all 16 games and recording 10 points (eight goals, two assists) while causing 11 turnovers.
Smith also took an established jump in her junior season, solidifying the defense with 25 ground-ball pickups, 16 turnovers caused, and 96 draw controls. Rosga fueled the 'Cats' defense with 18 ground balls and 17 turnovers caused.
Cuocco anchored the backfield as goalie, posting a top-10 49.4% save percentage nationally.
Northwestern also placed two names on the All-Freshman team. Kate Ratanaproeksa and McKenzie Brown earned their spots after strong debut seasons. Ratanaproeksa started all 16 games with five goals and two assists while stuffing the stat sheet with 14 ground balls, 11 turnovers caused, and 31 draw controls. Brown started 14 of 16 games, picking up 14 ground balls and causing 12 turnovers.
The 'Cats' graduate goalie, Cara Nugent, earned a spot on the Sportsmanship Team list.
The nine All-Big Ten selections underscore Northwestern's depth and dominance throughout the conference this season. The 'Cats head to the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed and will face the winner of No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Penn State in the second round on April 24 at U-M Lacrosse Stadium.