Sports
We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern, which was publicly announced in 2014, set out to amplify the University’s local and global impact and to elevate its status as a leading teaching and research institution.
Chris Williams, who grew up figure skating and playing hockey in north Minneapolis, says he didn’t encounter racism on the rink until he got to high school. “Some of the guys on the hockey team were real cool, but a handful weren’t,” recalls Williams, now a pediatrician in his hometown.
Izzy Scane’s offensive dominance on the lacrosse field earned her the nickname the “Scane Train” — and for good reason. The attacker has gone full steam ahead through some of the best defenses in the country.
Veronica Burton is a leader of the women’s basketball team’s vaunted “blizzard” defense. The two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year averaged better than four steals per game this season, tops in the nation.
Cincinnati Reds baseball operations analyst Katie Krall ’18 works on player acquisition and development to create a cohesive and competitive club.
Chicago Red Stars defender Kayla Sharples cherishes growth experiences on and off the pitch. Sharples, the 26th overall in the 2019 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) draft, was among the first professional athletes in the country to compete last summer through the NWSL’s 2020 Challenge Cup.
Former Wildcat hurler Eric Jokisch finds fulfillment with the Korean Baseball Organization’s Kiwoom Heroes. In May, Jokisch returned to the mound at a time when many leagues worldwide could not conceive of resuming play because of the coronavirus — and he walked into an international spotlight.
Multilingual international alum Alex Saratsis represents some of the NBA’s best from around the globe, including his fellow countryman — the “Greek Freak,” Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In 2017 Howard Trienens gave $20 million to transform Trienens Hall, the indoor turf field he helped fund with a leadership gift in 1996, into a world-class developmental facility for Wildcats volleyball, baseball, softball, and men’s and women’s basketball teams. Northwestern Athletics and Recreation celebrated Trienens’ decades of service to and support for Northwestern at the November 2019 dedication.
