Sybil Bauer, 1924
Sybil Bauer was so dominant that she made world records obsolete. Every time she jumped in a swimming pool, she had a shot at shattering the previous marks. And many times, she did.
Otto Graham, 1943
“Automatic Otto” was a swiss-army knife. He was the best passer in the sport — he would finish the season as the Big Ten’s all-time leader in pass competitions. He was a ruthless and agile runner. He was a ballhawking defender. He returned kicks and punts. He averaged a solid 38 yards per punt. He even kicked PATs.
Jim Golliday, 1952
Throughout his time at Northwestern, Jim Golliday was considered the world’s fastest human on multiple occasions. He is the best sprinter in school history.
Lisa Ishikawa, 1984
Lisa Ishikawa led the Cats to four consecutive Big Ten titles and three straight trips to the Women’s College World Series, compiling some truly mind-boggling numbers along the way.
Anucha Browne, 1984-85
Anucha Browne was going to go down as an all-time great no matter what happened her senior season. But instead of settling for sustained excellence, Brown put together a final campaign that will likely remain unmatched in the history of Northwestern basketball.
Jennifer Averill, 1986
As a four-time All-American in field hockey, Jennifer Averill was clearly a difference-maker for NU. The Cats’ first-ever NCAA tournament appearance — which was also their first Final Four — was in Averill’s freshman season in 1983. The season began a streak of nine straight tournament appearances.
Todd Martin, 1990
Todd Martin had a two-year stint at Northwestern, beginning with the 1989 season, in which he earned both Big Ten Freshman of the Year and all-conference honors after finishing with a 28-6 singles record. Following his sophomore year, he left Evanston to begin his career on the ATP tour.
Mark Loretta, 1993
There have been many great seasons in the Cats’ history, but Loretta's 1993 campaign was a truly special one for the baseball program. Before he made a splash in MLB, it would have been a treat to watch him spray line drives in the Big Ten.
Evan Eschmeyer, 1998-99
For his four seasons in Evanston, Evan Eschmeyer was nothing short of extraordinary. An All-American. The fourth-best player in the country measured by win shares. An NBA draft pick. At Northwestern!
Luke Donald, 1999
Luke Donald, who initially wanted to play golf at Stanford like his idol Tiger Woods, ended up at Northwestern, where he broke the collegiate record for lowest stroke average in the 1999 season — beating even Tiger’s numbers.