The Wildcats' attacker rounded out her career with the one accolade she was missing.
Madison Taylor's storied lacrosse career had almost everything — two national championship wins, multiple single-season records and countless career accolades.
Only one thing was missing, and the star Northwestern attacker finally crossed it off her bucket list on Thursday night. Taylor took home the Tewaaraton Award, given to the nation's best men's and women's collegiate lacrosse player. This is the eighth time a Northwestern player has won the Tewaaraton, and Taylor is the fifth different Wildcat to secure the award.
Taylor led the Wildcats this season with 97 goals and 42 assists, also compiling 62 draw controls and 19 caused turnovers. She trailed only Chloe Humphrey of North Carolina, who won the Tewaaraton in 2025, for the most goals nationally.
Most importantly, Taylor showed out when the lights were brightest. In Sunday's National Championship Game against the Tar Heels, the senior tied the title game record with six assists as the Wildcats rallied for a come-from-behind win. Taylor's lone goal came with 1:18 remaining in the game to clinch Northwestern's 14-11 victory.
Taylor's career comes to a close as not only one of the best players in program history, but one of the sport's best ever. Across four years in Evanston, Taylor found the back of the net 342 times, good for the third-most in women's lacrosse history. Only Taylor's former teammate, Izzy Scane (376), and Boston College's Charlotte North (358) recorded more goals, though both played graduate seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 23, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; Northwestern midfielder Madison Taylor (25) celebrates her goal against Boston College with teammates during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn ImagesScane and Taylor both now share the Northwestern record with 483 career points. Thanks to the Wildcats reaching the National Championship Game in each of her four seasons, Taylor also has the most combined points in NCAA Tournament games ever (91).
In 2025, Taylor shattered the NCAA's single-season scoring record with 109 goals. However, she was held scoreless in the title game against North Carolina, leading to Humphrey being awarded the Tewaaraton instead. Humphrey tied Taylor's record with 109 goals this season as well, but with Taylor's team winning the crown instead, it's the Wildcat attacker that takes home the Tewaaraton.
Northwestern had four consecutive Tewaaraton winners from 2006 to 2009, with Kristen Kjellman and Hannah Nielsen each receiving the honor twice. Shannon Smith brought the award back to Evanston in 2011, then the Wildcats were dealt a lengthy drought. Scane went back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, giving Northwestern three Tewaaraton winners in the last four seasons.
Taylor was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 Women's Lacrosse League draft by the California Palms.
