Northwestern Women's Basketball Makes Intriguing Move for Lacrosse Star

All-American lacrosse defender Sammy White will be changing sports for the Wildcats this fall.

Northwestern defender Sammy White runs onto the field before an NCAA Lacrosse Tournament game against Michigan on May 11, 2025. | Photo: Northwestern Athletics

Sammy White was an integral part of Northwestern's lacrosse success during her four years in Evanston. As the backbone of NU's defense, the Wildcats went a combined 74-12 with White on the roster, including four trips to the NCAA Final Four and a National Championship win in 2023.

The star defender is now set to take on a new challenge, swapping her stick and cleats for a pair of hardwood sneakers. Northwestern announced Friday that White will be joining the women's basketball team for a graduate season in 2025-26.

"We are really excited to have Sammy as part of our program," head coach Joe McKeown said. "She brings incredible passion, along with a highly competitive attitude to the court! Sammy is one of the best lacrosse players Northwestern has ever seen and enjoyed a terrific high school basketball career in Maryland. Her toughness and leadership will be a great addition to the Wildcats."

White, listed in the team's introductory social media post as a 5-foot-6 guard, was a three-sport athlete at Dulaney High School in Timonium, Maryland. She scored 1,000 points in three seasons, but focused on lacrosse at Northwestern. White would be the shortest player on NU's women's basketball roster and joins a packed guard room that includes Caroline Lau, Casey Harter and Furman transfer Tate Walters.

As a lacrosse player, White earned two-time All-American honors, three-time All-Big Ten honors and the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year award. She played in 81 games with 75 starts, compiling 210 draw controls, 153 ground balls and 101 caused turnovers. While mainly dominating in the defensive half, White also had 17 goals and 12 assists in her career.

White's lacrosse career isn't over yet, though. She was recently named to Team USA's roster for the Pan-American Lacrosse Association Women's Championship, held in late June, and Inside NU's Yanyan Li reported that White is "leaving the door open" for professional opportunities like the Women's Lacrosse League or the U.S. National Team. The 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics will be the first games in over a century where lacrosse will be officially played.

When she takes the court this fall, White will join an exclusive club of recent dual-sport Northwestern athletes. Golden State Warriors guard Pat Spencer was a four-time All-American lacrosse player and Tewaaraton Award winner at Loyola before playing a graduate season of basketball at Northwestern in 2019-20.

Quarterback Jack Lausch played for both the football and baseball teams this past year, while softball pitcher Lauren Curry recently announced she'd be joining the Wildcats' volleyball team in the fall. Field hockey National Champion Alia Marshall also played lacrosse for the 'Cats and basketball forward Anna Morris transferred to Ohio State to play volleyball.