Stronger Together: A Moment of Opportunity for Northwestern Athletics
I was honored to join Northwestern University as the Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation in 2024. Since then, I have connected with extraordinary student-athletes, coaches, staff, faculty, alumni, donors, campus leaders and fans who make this place so special. What has stood out most is a shared commitment to excellence, integrity and the student-athlete experience — values that define Northwestern.
We build from a position of strength. Together, we have celebrated three national championships, reaffirmed our standing as a national leader in academic success, and navigated a rapidly evolving college athletics landscape with purpose and confidence. We continue to graduate student-athletes at the highest rate in college athletics, and they continue to choose Northwestern — and stay — because they believe deeply in the value of a Northwestern degree. Our focus remains clear: recruit and retain outstanding student-athletes by delivering an unmatched academic and athletic experience, and graduate them into one of the most esteemed alumni populations in the world.
This is a moment of tremendous opportunity. As we move through a year marked by new facilities, new partnerships and new possibilities, the student-athlete experience remains at the center of everything we do in Athletics and Recreation — academically, athletically and personally. Amid constant change, we approach the future of college athletics with strategy and determination.
As we embrace the future together, I want the University community to learn more about my priorities as the Athletics Director.
Be Aligned with the Mission of Northwestern
Northwestern is one of the world’s great institutions of higher education, and I am proud to have Athletics and Recreation at Northwestern integrated into its broader mission. Over the past 18 months, we have strengthened and deepened our partnerships across the University, recognizing that true alignment is how sustainable success is created. For example, in January the new Intercollegiate Athletics Committee was established to advise Northwestern’s president on issues related to the welfare and academic performance of our student-athletes.
Additionally, our Recreation Department serves 28,854 students, 835 faculty and staff members, 247 alumni and 1,315 community members. During the past fiscal year, Recreation hosted more than 250 private wellness events and over 300 no-cost community events.
We have worked collaboratively with University leadership, faculty and campus partners to ensure that Athletics supports, and is supported by, the academic enterprise. World-class faculty alongside world-class coaches and administrators create collective advancement and shared success. Our aspiration is to serve as a national model in which we leverage faculty expertise to advance athletics, and leverage athletics to enrich teaching, learning and the broader student experience.
Graduate Complete Student-Athletes
Northwestern continues to set the national standard for developing complete student-athletes. Together, student-athletes across our 21 varsity programs have achieved a 99% Graduation Success Rate, tied for No. 1 in the entire NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the second consecutive year and No. 1 in the Big Ten Conference for the 21st consecutive year. In Fall 2025, 140 Wildcat student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, reflecting both individual excellence and a culture that prioritizes academic achievement.
These outcomes are the result of deep, intentional partnerships across the University, including close collaboration with Admissions, exceptional leadership within our academic support services, and outstanding and supportive faculty.
We have also made meaningful advancements in the holistic development of our student-athletes by investing in the people who lead and support them. In July 2025, we launched the Kellogg Coaches Leadership Academy in partnership with Kellogg School of Management, our teammates across the parking lot from Walter Athletics Center. Since its launch, we have already completed two impactful leadership and development sessions for our coaches and staff, reinforcing our belief that investing in leadership elevates the student-athlete experience academically, athletically and personally — and serves as a long-term competitive advantage for Northwestern.
Win Championships
In an increasingly competitive and expanded Big Ten, our teams have risen to the challenge, guided by exceptional head coaches, dedicated staffs and student-athletes committed to doing things the right way.
Our success has been broad and meaningful. Northwestern has celebrated three national championships since my arrival, underscoring both sustained excellence and momentum across our department. Football has continued its upward trajectory under Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun, whose leadership has translated into one of the most successful early tenures in program history. A highly effective transfer portal cycle and strong coaching hires have further strengthened the program and positioned it well for continued success.
Field Hockey has delivered one of the most remarkable runs in collegiate athletics, capturing a second consecutive national championship and a third straight Big Ten championship in 2025, while Maddie Zimmer once again earned National Player of the Year honors.
Women’s Golf added to this championship legacy by claiming the first national title in program history last year.
Lacrosse advanced to the 2025 national championship game, finishing as national runner-up — an achievement that reflects both competitive excellence and program stability.
Cross Country achieved the highest ranking in program history last season, competed on the national stage at the NCAA Championships, and saw Jill Miller recognized as USTFCCCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year.
These accomplishments reflect a department-wide commitment to excellence, alignment and competitive integrity — one that allows Northwestern student-athletes to pursue championships while representing the University with pride, humility and distinction.
Create a Culture of Compliance and Community
Northwestern has taken meaningful, lasting steps to strengthen culture, accountability and collaboration. Through cross-campus working groups, increased transparency and stronger faculty engagement, we have elevated both the internal culture of Athletics and our partnerships across the University. Notably, this work also resulted in enhanced sport administration oversight, further strengthening structure and accountability.
Be Fiscally Sound and Generate Revenue
We continue to maintain a strong focus on driving revenue while delivering exceptional experiences for our fans across all our sports. With updated transfer rules, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules, revenue sharing, roster limits and new approaches to talent evaluation, we are embracing this moment with intention and building a modern leadership structure that includes a C-suite and general manager model designed to allocate resources strategically, independently and responsibly.
That focus is complemented by continued strength in fan engagement and attendance. Looking ahead, the opening of world-class venues such as the new Ryan Field and Kip and Sara Kirkpatrick Stadium for softball will create extraordinary financial and experiential opportunities for our supporters and our community. The new Ryan Field, made possible through the vision and generosity of the Pat and Shirley Ryan family, will open in October and will be the best stadium in the country — a college football venue unlike any other.
As we prepare to compete and thrive in a transformational new home, I am excited to pack the new Ryan Field in purple and showcase a program under Coach Braun’s leadership — and a stadium — built to match our ambitions on and off the field. This will be an incredible asset for students, faculty, staff and the Evanston community.
Tell Our Story
We have placed a renewed emphasis on storytelling because Northwestern Athletics is about far more than wins and losses. It is about the remarkable student-athletes who represent this University and who go on to make an impact in the world long after they have left the playing field.
Our staff expanded the approach to long-form storytelling and significantly increased written and multimedia content, in partnership with talented Northwestern students who help bring these stories to life. We will celebrate milestones such as the 150th year of Northwestern Football, the hosting of Lacrosse Day in Chicago, and the 2026 Women’s Lacrosse Final Four on our campus, while continuing to tell the stories of all 21 varsity programs and the student-athletes who power them.
To Northwestern’s dedicated faculty, staff and students: Thank you for your continued support of Northwestern Athletics and Recreation. None of this progress happens alone. Together, with shared purpose and shared pride, we are building something special.
We are stronger together.
Go ’Cats!