An impressive end to the year is proof enough that Northwestern athletics deserves its respect

Between women’s golf and lacrosse, it was quite the flourish to end the academic year for Northwestern sports.

When someone thinks of the classic ‘Power Five’ school, Northwestern is not often towards the top of that list.

In fact, NU tends to be one of the last teams that the average collegiate sports fan would associate with the highest level of college sports. And there is, by no doubt, good reason for it: most of Northwestern’s revenue sports, such as football and men’s and women’s basketball, have been historically disappointing and often finish towards the bottom of the Big Ten Conference.

But that narrative is changing ever so slowly. The football team has been in two Big Ten championship games in the last decade, the women’s team were a tournament lock for a few years before things fell apart again and head coach Chris Collins has guided the men’s team into one of the sneakiest teams — and a tournament contender — each of the last few years.

But the spotlight tends to move away from the ‘Cats again once the trees begin to flower and the spring season begins. But away from the center of attention is exactly how NU likes it.

Lacrosse, under head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, has gone under the radar to become not just one of the most consistent teams in Evanston, but a constant national title contender as of recent.

On the other end, women’s golf was nowhere near the favorite to come away with a title. But the Wildcats shocked the world with a Cinderella run during which they overcome No. 2 Oregon and then No. 1 Stanford to win their first title in program history, in dramatic fashion no less.

And while lacrosse was not able to complete a Cinderella ending of its own, ultimately losing to a one-in-a-kind dominant UNC team in the championship game, the Wildcats team had quite the journey of their own getting there.

Losing just two games all season — to Boston College and North Carolina — the ‘Cats pretty much cruised their way to the NCAA Tournament before handling Michigan and Penn for a Final Four trip to Boston. Looking for revenge, Northwestern had an absurd five-goal fourth quarter comeback in one of the all-time best games in college women’s lacrosse history.

For NU athletics, victories like these aren’t just a source of pride but an expectation of heightened respect. Teams like these help establish the Wildcats as a program committed to winning ways. Northwestern is not just an academic school; it can hang in there athletically, too.

And it is due time we recognize just how important the non-revenue sports have been in getting it there.