For Northwestern lacrosse, the future matters as much as the now

“Win-now mode” is a phrase you hear constantly in the world of modern college athletics. With transfers and blue-chip recruits waiting at the doorsteps of top programs, building the best team possible in the moment seemingly trumps long-term rebuilding or development.

Northwestern lacrosse was seemingly headed down that “win-now” trajectory coming into the 2026 season. Its roster was headlined by senior Madison Taylor, joining the hyped-up transfer class of Annabel Child, Maddie Epke, Olivia Adamson and Jenika Cuocco — none with more than one year of eligibility remaining. These players provided NU major starpower for the current season, but that had zero implications on the program’s future rosters.

This is not a new narrative for the Wildcats, whose roster has leaned on the older end in recent years. In 2025, when Northwestern acquired its largest transfer class ever of six players, only one had multiple years of eligibility. Six graduate students and three seniors were consistent starters on the 2024 squad. Meanwhile, Northwestern’s 2023, 2024 and 2025 teams each had just one regular first-year starter. Things are especially sparse on the offensive end, where Taylor is still the player most recently recruited by NU out of high school to score 30 or more goals in a single season.

With few young, homegrown stars emerging from Northwestern’s squad over the last couple of years, it’s fair to ask: Will the ‘Cats’ transfer and senior-heavy rosters come back to bite them in future seasons? The answer, based on Northwestern’s start to the 2026 season, seems to be no.

For the first time since at least 2023, Northwestern is seeing significant contributions from multiple players with several years of eligibility remaining. Five games into 2026, that’s the most notable storyline of the season so far: that after two years of graduate-focused rosters, the ‘Cats can build upon their future while focusing on the now.

“We have a really large group of newcomers, whether it be first-years or transfers coming in,” Northwestern head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said on Monday. “I think that the potential is really there. The team is elevating each other — someone does something great, the other person wants to step up that standard as well. That’s where you can really find that growth.”

The most obvious culprit of this trend is sophomore Aditi Foster, a first-year starter who surpassed her 2025 goal total of 12 with 17 goals and three assists in just five 2026 games. Even while playing alongside four senior attackers, there is a legitimate argument that Foster is Northwestern’s No. 2 offensive option. Barring a disaster, she’s on track to score way more than 30 goals this season, and therefore replace Taylor as the youngest Wildcat to hit that mark. Taylor herself described Foster as “a really hard worker, really fun to play with and coachable.”

We don’t know how good Foster can be, but a high-volume contributor with multiple years of eligibility left is exactly what Northwestern needs. From Selena Lasota to Izzy Scane to Taylor, there’s always been an emerging attacker waiting in the wings to replace the current top scorer, and before 2026, we didn’t quite know who that would be once Taylor left. With Foster’s recent success, there may finally be an answer to that question.

There’s also much to be said about Northwestern’s first-year class, which is on track to be its most impactful rookie group since the 2022 class with Sammy White, Sam Smith and Emerson Bohlig. Kate Ratanaproeksa and Mckenzie Brown are the first Northwestern first-year duo to start multiple games for the ‘Cats since White and Smith four seasons ago.

Ratanaproeksa has taken on a Swiss Army knife-type role in the midfield, recording 14 draw controls, five ground balls and four caused turnovers. In Northwestern’s Feb. 15 home contest against Central Michigan, lacrosse parents in the Ryan Fieldhouse stands gushed over her speed across the field. As a defender, Brown has similar speed, alongside three ground balls and three caused turnovers. She came off the bench versus Marquette after four previous starts, but still saw significant minutes against the Golden Eagles.

Other first-years making an impact include Gabriella McCollester, who has four goals and two assists to her name and took draws at Boston College. Redshirt first-year Jenna Soto, returning from an injury suffered last year, is ranked fifth on the team in points with six goals and six assists. Just like her older sister Sam, who became a dominant draw taker in her second year, redshirt sophomore Madison Smith has 38 draw controls to her name and is a big reason why the Wildcats are outdrawing their opponents 99-46 right now.

That’s not to diminish the importance of Northwestern’s older players and transfers, who will naturally get more playing time due to their experience and are needed on the team. Taylor is still pulling significant weight on offense. Cuocco is NU’s X-factor on defense with a .560 save percentage (the ‘Cats have started a transfer goalie for four consecutive seasons), while Amonte Hiller spent over two minutes Monday praising Adamson, who the coach says is coming into her own after adjusting to a new offensive system. The ‘Cats don’t reach the NCAA title game without Niki Miles, Riley Campbell or Delaney Sweitzer.

But the growing presence of several newer, younger players alongside them, something we haven’t seen as much in past seasons, reassures that Northwestern is here to stay. That it won’t completely revamp its identity once the 2026 season ends, that there is a group of players who will build a legacy for years to come and grow throughout four seasons in a Wildcat uniform.

After all, Amonte Hiller is renowned across the lacrosse world for her development and her ability to find diamonds in the rough. But especially with the COVID-19 fifth-year era now over, that development to produce standout younger players must be sustained to stay at the top of the lacrosse world, as the transfer portal is volatile and often just a short-term solution. With increasing parity in the NCAA this season, spurred by the emergence of teams like Stanford, Notre Dame, Colorado and Clemson, the need to build a consistently competitive roster rises.

“It’s anyone’s game,” Amonte Hiller said. “We have to walk into the games knowing that we have to really give our best effort in order to be in the hunt.”

As Northwestern chases a national title on home turf, it will rely on its veteran experience. But alongside them is a group of underclassmen who have proven that, regardless of what happens in 2026, this team is in good hands.