Northwestern Basketball, Lacrosse Stars Up for Prestigious Big Ten Honor
The 2024-25 academic year was an outstanding one for Northwestern athletics, filled with stellar moments and exceptional athletes. On Sunday, two of the Wildcats' best capped off their career years with nominations for a prominent conference award.
Basketball forward Nick Martinelli and lacrosse attacker Madison Taylor are finalists for the Big Ten Male and Female Athlete of the Year Awards, respectively, after historic junior seasons. The two are looking to snap Northwestern's more than decade-long streak without a winner of the award.
Martinelli's ascent over the last year was nothing short of remarkable. After averaging just 6.5 points per outing in his first two seasons, the lanky big man broke out to lead the Big Ten in scoring in 2024-25, posting 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Martinelli also broke Northwestern's single-season records for points and field goals made, leading the Wildcats to their third consecutive winning record.
Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year Nominee 🏅
— Northwestern Athletics (@NU_Sports) June 15, 2025
🏀 Nick Martinelli pic.twitter.com/Bz6JhtUCfA
Taylor had a record-setting season in her own right, as her 109 goals this spring were the most ever by an NCAA Division I lacrosse player. The All-American, Tewaaraton Finalist and unanimous Big Ten Attacker of the Year led Northwestern to the National Championship game, proving to be a nearly unstoppable force against goalies around the country. Taylor's 158 points are also a program record.
Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year Nominee 🏅
— Northwestern Athletics (@NU_Sports) June 15, 2025
🥍 Madison Taylor pic.twitter.com/QUy0Kg1aPr
Northwestern has not had a player honored as the Big Ten Athlete of the Year since lacrosse's Shannon Smith in 2011. Taylor is looking to become the fifth Wildcat woman to win the award, joining
softball's Lisa Ishikawa (1984), field hockey's and lacrosse's Jennifer Averill (1987), lacrosse's Hannah Nielsen (2008) and Smith.
Meanwhile, Martinelli would be the third Northwestern man to win the honor. He would join golfer Luke Donald (1999) and wrestler Jake Herbert (2009).
The Big Ten has recognized a Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year since 1982 and a Female Athlete of the Year since 1983. Each Big Ten full member school has one male and one female nominee each year. Basketball stars Zach Edey (Purdue) and Caitlin Clark (Iowa) each won their respective awards in the last two academic years.
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Gavin Dorsey is the Lead Writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and covers a handful of other teams in the On SI network. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.