Northwestern Receives No. 3 Seed in NCAA Women's Lacrosse Tournament

The 'Cats are primed for yet another Final Four run.

Northwestern attacker Niki Miles in the Big Ten Women's Lacrosse Tournament Championship game against Maryland on 4/27/2025. | Photo: Northwestern Athletics

After completing an undefeated run in Big Ten play, the Wildcats are headed to the NCAA Tournament with the opportunity to reach their sixth consecutive Final Four and third consecutive title game.

Northwestern was rewarded with the No. 3 seed on Selection Sunday, giving the 'Cats a first-round bye and a top four seed for the sixth tournament in a row. The Big Ten Champions will also have home-field advantage and host at least the first two rounds of their region at Martin Stadium in Evanston.

The Wildcats went 16-2 in the regular season and have won eight straight games, with Big Ten Attacker of the Year Madison Taylor leading the way. Taylor's 4.94 goals per game rank first in the nation and her 89 goals are just 13 shy of the single-season NCAA record.

North Carolina earned the No. 1 seed overall thanks to a flawless 18-0 record and ACC title, followed by Boston College as the No. 2 seed. The Golden Eagles' only two losses are both to the Tar Heels, while Northwestern has lost once to each of the teams in front of it.

Outside of the preseason survey, Inside Lacrosse's media poll ranked North Carolina, Boston College and Northwestern as the top three teams in the nation each week of the 2025 regular season.

The Wildcats will face the winner of Michigan and Akron on May 11 at 2 p.m. CT, with the Wolverines and Zips playing two days earlier at Martin Stadium. Northwestern previously beat Michigan,15-6, in a game where the 'Cats went on a 15-1 run.

If Northwestern gets past the Wolverines or Zips, it could set up a potential Big Ten Championship Game rematch with No. 6 seed Maryland. The Wildcats easily won in the regular season by the score of 16-4, but narrowly defeated the Terrapins in an 8-7 conference tournament win that came down to the final seconds. If Maryland gets upset in the first two rounds, the 'Cats could take on Fairfield, Army or Penn in the quarterfinals.

Under head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, Northwestern has won eight national titles, the second-most in NCAA history. The Wildcats got the job done in 2023, but after falling to Boston College in the Championship last season, Amonte Hiller and the champions of the Midwest are out for redemption and a chance at ring number nine.