Sometimes, hard work is the only trophy.
The Lake Show is one of the most prestigious lacrosse programs in the country. Many women have borne the standard of Wildcat excellence, bringing NCAA championships and Tewaaraton Awards back to Evanston. Since 2005 alone, Northwestern has won it all eight times, and a Wildcat has won the Tewaaraton six times.
No Wildcat featured any of those accomplishments in 2025. Nonetheless, junior attacker Madison Taylor put together a season that will cling to the memories of Wildcats long after prior trophies gather dust. Perhaps, a bit of perspective will help any confused readers understand. So, here are the top five lacrosse seasons ever by a Wildcat.
- See also: Where does Izzy Scane’s 2023 season rank in Northwestern history? (Written by Inside NU’s Brendan Preisman, who had a bit of a different perspective)
5. 2008 Christy Finch – Key stat: 70 caused turnovers
While irresponsible mortgage lending and subprime borrowing caused a recession in 2008, Christy Finch caused turnovers — 70 of them. That tally set the Northwestern single-season record, and to this day it sits at No. 7 in NCAA history for that same stat category. Finch averaged over three caused turnovers per game and had eight against Penn State — a mark that no other Wildcat has sniffed.
Finch did more than just put the ball on the ground, as she picked it up, too. She had 58 ground balls, which is the second-highest total of any Wildcat in a single season. If defense wins championships, then it is no surprise that the 2008 ‘Cat squad won it all. This was the best individual defensive season in Northwestern history, and it is not close.
Finch was honored as a first team All-American by both the IWLCA and Inside Lacrosse (yes, Inside Lacrosse posted All-Americans back in the day). Both organizations declared her defender of the year, and she was a Tewaaraton finalist. The only reason that she did not win was because her teammate (next on this list) had the spotlight.
4. 2009 Hannah Nielsen – Key stat: 83 assists
On the one hand, the passing of Michael Jackson was on the minds of people across the world. On the other hand, the passing abilities of Hannah Nielsen dazzled the world of lacrosse. In 2009, Nielsen had the most impressive of her two Tewaaraton-winning seasons, setting the current single-season program record for assists at 83. That mark is, today, No. 4 in the nation.
The ‘Cats went undefeated, and the first team All-American posted five games with five-plus assists while averaging 3.61 per game (a program record). The facilitating machine earned 6.17 points per game, still No. 4 in NU’s record books. Nielsen dished out 10 assists against Duquesne on Feb. 17, another program record which sits at No. 4 in the country. Her 12 points in that game were enough for the second most in Northwestern history.
Nielsen also had 59 goals of her own — even as teammates posted 75, 64 and 55 goals — and her 142 points are still No. 2 at Northwestern and No. 5 in NCAA Division I history. In addition to the National Championship, Nielsen won the Tewaaraton, Honda Sports award, Northwestern Female Athlete of the Year and IWLCA Midfielder of the Year.
3. 2025 Madison Taylor – Key stat: 109 goals
This may seem high for someone who won neither the Tewaaraton nor the National Championship. It might be a couple of spots too low.
Izzy Scane’s heir apparent shattered both Northwestern’s and the nation’s record book with 109 goals on the year. Her 158 points are the second-highest ever in NCAA history for a single season. Her 7.18 points per game are No. 2 in program history (only behind the next player on this list). Taylor also destroyed her previous program record for free-position goals with 40.
Obviously, these monumental efforts made Taylor a Tewaaraton finalist. However, the ‘Cats were only the NCAA runners-up this season, losing to undefeated North Carolina 8–12 in the championship.
If this list only considered Tewaaraton winners, then only national champions would earn high ranks. This would require either star teammates or soft opposition – neither of which says anything about the player in question. All this to say, Taylor dragged a decent team onto the brightest stage, and for that she earned this spot.
No. 25 avenged the Wildcats’ loss in the 2024 NCAA Championship to Boston College in the semifinals this year with four goals and four assists. In a championship against one of the strongest teams in history, Taylor did not score a goal. As every UNC defender and her mother were glued to Taylor, No. 25 elevated her teammates with four assists, the fifth-most in a championship game ever.
In the absence of a national championship, Taylor put up a monster tournament. She broke the NCAA record for goals in a tournament game with 10 against Michigan. She sits at No. 2 in points in a single tournament with 33 – a feat she completed in only four games. Her 20 goals are No. 5 in NCAA history.
2. 2021 Izzy Scane – Key stat: 6.12 goals per game
I tried to put her 2023 season here instead. I really did.
But Izzy Scane was a different beast in 2021. She put up the most dangerous offensive season in NCAA history, scoring 98 goals in only 16 games. That mark is still No. 3 in Northwestern history and No. 8 in the NCAA. Additionally, those seven higher totals were all completed in at least 19 matches. Scane’s 6.12 goals per game is an untouchable record in women’s lacrosse. The only person to surpass her 7.75 points per game was Virginia’s Lindsey Sheehan in 1986 (16 years before the modern era).
The success of the 2021 ‘Cats lay entirely with Scane. She broke the Northwestern record (and is still No. 5 in the country) for goals in a game with 10 against Rutgers. She put up the second-most points in a game by a ‘Cat with 12… twice: once against perennial powerhouse Maryland and once against Ohio State. In five games, Scane had 10+ points. Her pace was unmatched.
Like Taylor, Scane also played an NCAA tournament to remember. She scored 17 goals and eight assists in only three matches. Against Denver in the second round, she scored 11 points, which is still No. 4 in NCAA history for a tournament game. In a 13-21 semifinal loss to Syracuse, she still posted four goals and three assists.
Scane nabbed IWLCA first team All-American, a Tewaaraton finalist spot and the Big Ten Attacker of the Year. Just like Taylor, however, a loss in the Final Four meant no Tewaaraton. The winner, Boston College’s Charlotte North, needed five extra games to accomplish four more goals.
2021 Izzy Scane was the biggest nightmare that any defender ever faced.
1. 2006 Kristen Kjellman: Jack of all trades, master of all trades
But there is one season in Northwestern history which needs no introduction.
Kristen Kjellman — arguably the most legendary Northwestern lacrosse player of all time — had her best season as a junior. She had 98 points, 72 goals (an NU record at the time) and 26 assists on a team where four other players had 50+ points. Her 3.43 goals per game was a program record for years.
Kjellman’s contributions did not end with the attack. She won 91 draw controls with 4.33 per game. Both of those numbers stayed at the top of Northwestern’s record book for four years. She also grabbed 55 ground balls, which were the second-most in Northwestern history at the time and No. 6 today. She still holds the Northwestern record for ground balls in a game with nine against Stanford.
In case you lost count, that was five program records in a single season.
Kjellman had perhaps the greatest year since the NCAA took over lacrosse in 1981, and she led the ‘Cats to their second-ever championship victory. Kjellman won the Tewaaraton, the Honda Sports Award, the Northwestern Female Athlete of the Year, IWLCA and Inside Lacrosse Defender of the Year and first team All-American.