A Wildcat wish list.
The holidays are about giving, but, let’s be real, receiving is always nice too. Northwestern athletics has received a lot of success from its teams this past year. Field Hockey won a championship. Lacrosse had a deep run. Men’s basketball was in the tournament once again. Now, as we move towards a new year, here’s a look at what sort of gifts NU could use right now in the sports world.
Adam Beck: Some wide receiver help in the transfer portal
David Braun made a massive splash by landing highly touted SMU quarterback Preston Stone over the weekend. Only issue, I’m not quite sure who he’s going to throw to. Gone are the days of A.J. Henning and Bryce Kirtz terrorizing secondaries. Northwestern’s leading tight ends in Thomas Gordon and Marshall Lang declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. Of the Wildcats’ seven touchdown receptions this season, only one remains on the 2025 roster — Joe Himon’s walkoff winner against Purdue. Northwestern did get redshirt-freshman Chase Farrell from Stanford and has some options like Calvin Johnson II, Frank Covey IV and Hayden Eligon II to work with. But without a true top-end receiving option, Northwestern’s potential with Stone behind center is capped.
Brendan Preisman: Another big bat for the softball team
Kate Drohan’s squad has been a more consistent winner over the past decade than any Wildcat team save lacrosse and field hockey. After a trip to the NCAA Regionals last season, Northwestern softball has now made the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last 10 completed seasons. One of the key drivers of that streak in recent years has been Angela Zedak, who had a walk-off hit in 2022’s Super Regionals to help bring the Wildcats to the Women’s College World Series. In 2023, she went 3-of-8 in the Super Regionals as the team’s quest for consecutive WCWS appearances fell just short. Last season, she had a pair of hits and scored a run in Northwestern’s victory over St. Francis in the Regionals. But Zedak, the lifetime .276 hitter with 72 career extra base hits, is out of eligibility, and will not be able to provide big hits for the Wildcats any longer. However, if players like Ainsley Muno and Isabel Cunnea are able to fill Zedak’s cleats, Northwestern should be on track for yet another postseason berth.
Calvin Kaplan: A conference win for Northwestern WBB before 2025
In a season of ups and downs, Northwestern women’s basketball had a disappointing performance at the Hawk Classic in Philadelphia last weekend. The Wildcats lost a winnable game to Charleston before barely squeaking past a Howard team that they definitely should’ve handled with more ease. Hopefully, the thought of a conference win during the holidays isn’t just wishful thinking.
The ‘Cats have a nice trio of bigs in Taylor Williams, Grace Sullivan and Caileigh Walsh. Still, outside of occasional flare-up performances from Mel Daley off the bench, they’ve struggled to get consistent shooting production from their guards. Avoiding a pair of defeats against Washington and Oregon won’t be easy, but for a squad with multiple bad losses this season, victories are sorely needed early in Big Ten play.
Yanyan Li: A consistently good women’s basketball team
Women’s basketball is under a bigger spotlight than it ever was. And while I’ve loved watching the rise of the sport, sometimes I can’t help but wish that Northwestern was in that national conversation too. The Wildcats have had their fair share of success and superstars in the past (they are responsible for the only Big Ten title in Northwestern basketball history), but many of their achievements came during the COVID era or during a time when women’s basketball wasn’t as popular as it is now. It would be fun to see NU led by a star who could be matched up against the likes of Juju Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo and Paige Bueckers. In addition, it would be the perfect way to capitalize off men’s basketball’s recent success, as well as Northwestern’s recent success in other women’s sports like lacrosse, field hockey and softball.
Sophia Vlahakis: A winning record for women’s basketball
Northwestern sports are fun right now. The football team won a bowl game in 2023; the men’s basketball team has made two straight NCAA Tournament appearances; lacrosse won a championship in 2023 and returned back to the title game the following year; and field hockey has made four straight championship appearances, winning twice. While the past two seasons have been far from dominant for women’s basketball, this program is historically one of the best Northwestern has. A resurgence from this team could not happen at a better time, not to mention the sport’s popularity right now.
2021-22 was the last winning season for the women’s basketball team. The ‘Cats went 17-12 and split the conference 8-8. Since then, Northwestern has gone 9-21 in both of the last seasons and has only recorded six total Big Ten wins. But before that last winning season, NU had winning records in seven of the eight previous seasons and booked a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2021. A winning season could help Northwestern women’s basketball return to its winning ways.
Miguel Muñoz: A competent quarterback
Did Christmas come early for David Braun and Northwestern football? Maybe so. With the recent addition of former SMU QB Preston Stone, the Wildcats have a lot to be excited about with the hopes of having finally found their first great quarterback since Peyton Ramsey led the ‘Cats to the Big Ten Championship back in 2020.
The gift here isn’t exactly landing Stone but lies in his potential as a leader on the field for a team that desperately needs one. After flip-flopping between Mike Wright and Jack Lausch in a very shaky 4-8 season, Stone could serve as the guy who finally grounds NU football and helps it compete in a tough Big Ten conference once again.
Natalie Wells: An offensive resurgence by Ty Berry
There isn’t much to complain about when it comes to the men’s basketball team which stands at 9-3 heading into its contest against Northeastern on Dec. 29. Nonetheless, there’s always room for improvement, and I’m looking at Berry. The fifth-year senior has struggled mightily since returning from meniscus surgery in February, averaging 6.9 points per game on 31.3% shooting from the field. He’s made over 36% of his threes — on-par with his career average — but Berry has converted an abysmal 21.4% of his attempts within the arc.
As a whole, NU’s starting lineup has been excellent, spearheaded by transcendent years from Brooks Barnhizer and Nick Martinelli. But Berry has been an aberration in an otherwise steady five-man unit. The ‘Cats need him to take a step forward as conference play continues, considering that Chris Collins barely utilizes his bench.
Harris Horowitz: More Justin Mullins minutes
Mullins is just such a fun player to watch. The Denver transfer spent much of last season paying his dues, playing sparingly in a reserve role even after Ty Berry went down for the season with a torn meniscus as Blake Smith beat him out for the open minutes. Mullins, who averaged over ten points per game as a true freshman at Denver, buckled down and got better.
In his junior season, Mullins has made himself indispensable. Northwestern’s surefire sixth man, Mullins has time and time again proved his value to this Northwestern squad — primarily with his defense and rebounding, and more recently on the offensive side of the ball as well. Mullins is a balls-to-the-wall horror movie slasher when heading downhill. He’s played himself into closing lineups, and Northwestern does not beat Illinois without his reverse layup late in the second half.
Mullins is playing 21.3 minutes per game, and more minutes would likely come at the expense of Ty Berry. I doubt that will not happen until he gets better from behind the arc — for all his successes against the Illinis, Brad Underwood’s defense had no trouble leaving Mullins open in the corners. But I am counting down the days until Collins slots No. 20 in the starting five, whether that is later this year or in Mullins’ senior season. Because once Mullins gets in, it’s going to be impossible to take him out.