Northwestern Reloads on Defense with Elite Lacrosse Transfers

The Wildcats are poaching the portal's top players to gear up for another Championship run.

Northwestern Lacrosse celebrates after a Big Ten Tournament semi-final win on April 25, 2025. | Photo: Northwestern Athletics

With Northwestern graduating eight of its 12 starters from this season's National Runners-Up team, the Wildcats are in desperate need of transfer portal talent that can immediately make an impact.

Head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller landed her first big splash of the transfer cycle last week in former James Madison attacker and draw specialist Maddie Epke, pairing another dynamic scorer alongside Tewaaraton finalist Madison Taylor. On Wednesday, the 'Cats shored up their defensive side of the ball with two high-caliber additions.

According to Inside Lacrosse, Northwestern is bringing in graduate Drexel goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco, who joins the Wildcats for her final season of eligibility. Cuocco has won the CAA Goalie of the Year award in each of the past three seasons and has played in 55 games during her time with the Dragons. The Sound Beach, New York, native posted a 14-4 record in 2025, allowing 9.86 goals per game with 173 saves.

Harvard defender Annabel Child is also reportedly transferring to Northwestern for her senior season. Child was an All-Ivy League First Team selection this past season, one of just two Crimson players named to the top conference honor. Over three years in Cambridge, Child posted 84 ground balls and 58 caused turnovers.

Cuocco slots into the starting goalkeeper job with Delaney Sweitzer graduating, while Child will look to fill the holes left by Sammy White, Jane Hansen and Grace Fujinaga. Northwestern still has several areas for improvement on its roster, and Amonte Hiller has already shown she's willing to be aggressive to find the right players in the portal.