| Northwestern Wildcats field hockey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1975; 51 years ago (1975) (varsity since 1980)[1] |
| University | Northwestern University |
| Head coach | Tracey Fuchs[2] (16th season season) |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Location | Evanston, Illinois |
| Stadium | Lakeside Field[3] (capacity: 300) |
| Nickname | Wildcats |
| Colors | Purple and white[4] |
| NCAA tournament championships | |
| 2021, 2024, 2025 | |
| NCAA tournament runner-up | |
| 2022, 2023 | |
| NCAA tournament Semifinals | |
| 1983, 1985, 1989, 1994, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 | |
| NCAA tournament appearances | |
| 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 | |
| Conference tournament championships | |
| 2014, 2023, 2025 | |
| Conference Regular Season championships | |
| 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1994, 2013, 2023, 2024, 2025 | |
TheNorthwestern Wildcats field hockey team is theintercollegiate field hockey program representingNorthwestern University. The school competes in theBig Ten Conference inDivision I of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Northwestern field hockey team plays its home games atLakeside Field on the university campus inEvanston, Illinois. The Wildcats have won nine regular-season conference titles, three conference tournament championships, and have appeared in theNCAA tournament 19 times, advancing to the Final Four on nine occasions. In 2021, the Wildcats won their first NCAA tournament. After a pair of losses in the national championship in 2022 and 2023, the Wildcats won back-to-back NCAA tournaments in 2024 and 2025. The team is currently coached byTracey Fuchs.
Field hockey has been a varsity sport at Northwestern University since 1980, although the school has fielded intercollegiate teams since 1974. From 1981 to 1988 and again since 1992, the Wildcats have played in theBig Ten Conference. Between 1989 and 1991, Northwestern was a member of theMidwestern Collegiate Field Hockey Conference (MCFHC). The university also considers its 1977 and 1978 teams to have competed in the Big Ten, although field hockey was not a varsity sport at Northwestern for either of these seasons.[1] As a Big Ten member, the Wildcats have won six regular-season conference titles as well as one conference tournament championship.[1][5][6] Four of these Big Ten regular-season titles were won under the guidance of head coachNancy Stevens, who lead the team from 1981 to 1989. Northwestern qualified for the NCAA tournament every year between 1983 and 1994 except for 1992, and it has reached the Final Four on four occasions.[1] The Wildcats are currently coached byTracey Fuchs.[2] Prior to her tenure, Northwestern has been coached by Mary Ann Kelling (1975), Mary DiStanislao (1976–78), Sharon Drysdale (1979–80), Stevens (1981–89),Marisa Didio (1990–94 and 2000–03), Debra Brickey (1995–97), Diane Loosbrock (1998–99), and Kelly McCollum (2004–08).[1]
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| Year | Head coach | Overall | Pct. | Conf. | Pct. | Conf. Place | Conf. Tourn. | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Mary Ann Kelling | 5–3–1 | .611 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1976 | Mary DiStanislao | 6–2–3 | .682 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1977 | 8–7–2 | .529 | 1–4 | .200 | – | – | – | |
| 1978 | 13–5–1 | .711 | 1–2 | .333 | – | – | – | |
| 1979 | Sharon Drysdale | 8–10–1 | .447 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1980 | 18–6–3 | .722 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1981 | Nancy Stevens | 14–5–4 | .696 | 7–2 | .778 | – | 3rd | – |
| 1982 | 17–5 | .773 | 4–1 | .800 | 2nd | – | – | |
| 1983 | 20–5 | .800 | 9–1 | .900 | T1st | – | NCAA Final Four | |
| 1984 | 17–2–1 | .875 | 9–0–1 | .950 | 1st | – | NCAA 1st Round | |
| 1985 | 20–2 | .909 | 9–1 | .900 | T1st | – | NCAA Final Four | |
| 1986 | 15–4–2 | .762 | 6–2–2 | .700 | 2nd | – | NCAA 2nd Round | |
| 1987 | 14–6–3 | .674 | 6–2–2 | .700 | 2nd | – | NCAA 2nd Round | |
| 1988 | 17–2–1 | .875 | 8–0 | 1.000 | 1st | – | NCAA 1st Round | |
| 1989 | 18–4–1 | .804 | 8–1–1 | .850 | – | – | NCAA Final Four | |
| 1990 | Marisa Didio | 15–3–1 | .816 | 7–1 | .875 | – | – | NCAA 1st Round |
| 1991 | 12–7–1 | .625 | 5–3 | .625 | – | – | NCAA 1st Round | |
| 1992 | 6–11 | .353 | 3–7 | .300 | T4th | – | – | |
| 1993 | 12–6–1 | .658 | 6–4 | .600 | 3rd | – | NCAA 2nd Round | |
| 1994 | 15–4–2 | .762 | 8–1–1 | .850 | 1st | 2nd | NCAA Final Four | |
| 1995 | Debra Brickey | 13–6 | .684 | 6–4 | .600 | T2nd | T3rd | – |
| 1996 | 9–12 | .429 | 3–7 | .300 | T4th | T3rd | – | |
| 1997 | 7–13 | .350 | 3–7 | .300 | T5th | T5th | – | |
| 1998 | Diane Loosbrock | 7–13 | .350 | 2–8 | .200 | 6th | T5th | – |
| 1999 | 4–14 | .222 | 0–10 | .000 | 6th | T5th | – | |
| 2000 | Marisa Didio | 6–13 | .316 | 2–4 | .333 | T5th | T5th | – |
| 2001 | 2–13 | .133 | 1–5 | .167 | 6th | T5th | – | |
| 2002 | 6–13 | .316 | 1–5 | .167 | 6th | T5th | – | |
| 2003 | 9–9 | .500 | 1–5 | .167 | 6th | T5th | – | |
| 2004 | Kelly McCollum | 7–13 | .350 | 1–5 | .167 | T5th | T5th | – |
| 2005 | 7–11 | .389 | 0–6 | .000 | 6th | T5th | – | |
| 2006 | 7–12 | .368 | 1–5 | .167 | 6th | T5th | – | |
| 2007 | 4–14 | .222 | 0–6 | .000 | 7th | T5th | – | |
| 2008 | 7–13 | .350 | 1–5 | .167 | 6th | T5th | – | |
| 2009 | Tracey Fuchs | 12–8 | .600 | 1–5 | .167 | 6th | T5th | – |
| 2010 | 11–9 | .550 | 3–3 | .500 | T4th | T5th | – | |
| 2011 | 12–9 | .571 | 1–5 | .167 | T6th | T5th | – | |
| 2012 | 16–4 | .800 | 4–2 | .667 | T2nd | T5th | – | |
| 2013 | 15–5 | .750 | 5–1 | .833 | T1st | T5th | – | |
| 2014 | 16–7 | .696 | 6–2 | .750 | T2nd | 1st | NCAA 1st Round | |
| 2015 | 13–8 | .619 | 4–4 | .500 | T4th | T3rd | – | |
| 2016 | 13–8 | .619 | 5–3 | .625 | T3rd | T3rd | – | |
| 2017 | 15–7 | .682 | 6–2 | .750 | T2nd | T3rd | NCAA 2nd Round | |
| 2018 | 9–10 | .474 | 3–5 | .375 | 7th | T5th | – | |
| 2019 | 14–7 | .667 | 5–3 | .625 | 4th | T5th | NCAA 1st Round | |
| 2020 | 12-6 | .667 | 5-3 | .625 | T3rd | T4th | NCAA 2nd Round | |
| 2021 | 18-5 | .783 | 5-3 | .625 | 5th | T5th | NCAA Champions | |
| 2022 | 20-5 | .800 | 5-3 | .625 | 3rd | 2nd | NCAA Runner-Up | |
| 2023 | 21-2 | .913 | 8-0 | 1.000 | 1st | 1st | NCAA Runner-Up | |
| 2024 | 23-1 | .958 | 8-0 | 1.000 | 1st | 2nd | NCAA Champions | |
| 2025 | 22-1 | .957 | 8-0 | 1.000 | 1st | 1st | NCAA Champions |
Season-by-season results through the end of the 2025 season[1][5][7][6][8][9]
Northwestern has won nine conference titles, all in theBig Ten Conference. Four of their championships were won during the tenure of head coachNancy Stevens in the 1980s.[1]
| Year | Coach | Conference Record | Overall Record | Conference | NCAA Result |
| 1983 | Nancy Stevens | 9–1 | 20–5 | Big Ten | NCAA Final Four |
| 1984 | 9–0–1 | 17–2–1 | NCAA 1st Round | ||
| 1985 | 9–1 | 20–2 | NCAA Final Four | ||
| 1988 | 8–0 | 17–2–1 | NCAA 1st Round | ||
| 1994 | Marisa Didio | 8–1–1 | 15–4–2 | NCAA Final Four | |
| 2013 | Tracey Fuchs | 5–1 | 15–5 | – | |
| 2023 | 8-0 | 21–2 | NCAA Runner-Up | ||
| 2024 | 8-0 | 23–1 | NCAA Champions | ||
| 2025 | 8-0 | 22–1 | NCAA Champions | ||
| 9 Conference Championships 9 Big Ten Championships | |||||
| Year | Player |
|---|---|
| 1986 | Jennifer Averill |
| 1994 | Gretchen Scheuermann |
| 2024 | Maddie Zimmer |
| Key | ||
|---|---|---|
First-team selection | Second-team selection | Third-team selection |
|
|
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| Olympics | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Antoinette Lucas |  United States |
| 2024 | Ashley Sessa | United States |
| 2024 | Maddie Zimmer | United States |
Awards and accolades through the end of the 2024 season[10][11]
Northwestern has played its home games at Lakeside Field since its construction in 1997. Located on the shore ofLake Michigan, the field is part of the university's $3.5-million Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex on the north end of its main campus inEvanston. Lakeside Field features anAstroTurf playing field that was installed in 2015 and a seating capacity of 300, as well as a permanent scoreboard, a sound system, and lighting that allows for the playing of night games. The venue has hosted the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament three times, in 2002, 2004, 2018.[3] Lakeside Field is located adjacent to Lenny and Sharon Martin Stadium, previously also known as Lakeside Field, which is home to Northwestern'swomen's lacrosse,men's soccer, andwomen's soccer teams.[12]
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