The Big Ten Conference is the oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA. It is based in the Chicago area in Rosemont, Illinois. For many decades the conference consisted of ten prominent universities, which accounts for its name. On August 2, 2024, the conference expanded to 18 member institutions and 2 affiliate institutions. The conference competes in the NCAA Division I and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport.
The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and one of two private universities in the conference, the other being the University of Southern California. Northwestern has eight men's and eleven women's NCAA Division I sports teams and is marketed as "Chicago's Big Ten Team". The mascot is Willie the Wildcat.
The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport; except football and women's rowing where they compete in the Coastal Athletic Association, and women's water polo where the compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. On December 15, 2012, Villanova and the other six, non-FBS schools announced that they were departing the Big East for a new conference. This conference assumed the Big East name on July 1, 2013.
The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays are the 24 intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, Maryland. They compete in the NCAA Division III, except for their lacrosse teams, which compete in Division I. They are primarily members of the Centennial Conference, while the men's and women's lacrosse teams compete in the Big Ten Conference. The team colors are Hopkins blue and black, and the blue jay is their mascot. Homewood Field is the home stadium.
The Florida Gators women's lacrosse team represents the University of Florida in the sport of college lacrosse. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and are single-sport members of the Big 12 Conference, which they joined after the 2024 season. Previously, the team had competed in the American Athletic Conference, and before that the Big East Conference. Before joining Big East women's lacrosse, the Gators were members of the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC), which folded after the 2014 season due to aftereffects of conference realignment. They play their home games in Donald R. Dizney Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach Amanda O'Leary. The Gators have won regular-season conference titles in 11 of the 13 completed seasons of the women's lacrosse program's existence, with four each in the ALC and Big East plus three in The American. Additionally, they have won 10 conference tournament titles and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament six times, with their best NCAA finish being a semifinal berth in 2012.
Kristen Kjellman is an American women's lacrosse player. She played for the Northwestern Wildcats and the USA World Cup Team.
Cindy Timchal is an American lacrosse coach. She is the head women's lacrosse coach at the United States Naval Academy. She has coached for some of the top programs in college women's lacrosse, including Northwestern University, University of Maryland. At Maryland Timchal coached the Terrapins to seven straight NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championships.
Hannah Nielsen is the current head coach of the University of Michigan women’s lacrosse team. She was formerly the first women's lacrosse assistant coach at the University of Colorado. Originally from the Brighton Lacrosse Club in Adelaide, Nielsen played for the Northwestern University Wildcats, and won four national championships as a player. She was a three-time All-American, and is a winner of both the Tewaaraton Trophy and Honda Sports Award in her junior and senior seasons. She holds NCAA records for career assists, assists in a season, and assists in single game.
The Northwestern Wildcats field hockey team is the intercollegiate field hockey program representing Northwestern University. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Northwestern field hockey team plays its home games at Lakeside Field on the university campus in Evanston, Illinois. The Wildcats have won eight regular-season conference titles, two conference tournament championships, and have appeared in the NCAA tournament 18 times, advancing to the Final Four on eight occasions. In 2021, the Wildcats won their first NCAA tournament. After a pair of losses in the national championship in 2022 and 2023, the Wildcats won their second NCAA tournament in 2024. The team is currently coached by Tracey Fuchs.
The 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 24th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The championship game was played at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland during May 2005. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship, and a total of 16 teams were invited to participate.
The 2006 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 25th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The championship game was played at Nickerson Field in Boston, Massachusetts during May 2006. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship, and a total of 16 teams were invited to participate.
The 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 26th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The championship game was played at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during May 2007. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship, and a total of 16 teams were invited to participate.
The 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 27th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The championship game was played at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Maryland during May 2008. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship, and a total of 16 teams were invited to participate.
The 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 28th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The tournament was played from May 10 to May 24, 2009, and the semifinal and championship rounds were played at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Maryland from May 22–24. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship, and a total of 16 teams were invited to participate.
The 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 29th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The first two rounds of the tournament were played at the home fields of higher-seeded teams from May 15–22, and the semifinal and championship rounds were played at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Maryland from May 28–30. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship, and a total of 16 teams were invited to participate.
The 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 30th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The first two rounds of the tournament were played at the home fields of higher-seeded teams from May 14–21, and the semifinal and championship rounds were played at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, New York from May 27–29. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship, and a total of 16 teams were invited to participate.
Alyssa Leonard is an American women's lacrosse player. Having played with the Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse at the collegiate level, she was named to the US national team for the 2015-16 season. In 2016, she was selected by the Long Island Sound with their second pick overall in the inaugural United Women's Lacrosse League Draft. Leonard graduated from Northwestern as the NCAA draw control record holder.
Shannon Elizabeth Smith is an American lacrosse coach and former player. Smith concluded her collegiate career at Northwestern University as their all-time leading goal scorer with 254, three-time IWLCA first-team All-American, three-time All-ALC first-team choice, and a two-time MVP of the NCAA Championship.
Isabelle Rae Scane is an American lacrosse player who competed for the Northwestern Wildcats. She won the 2023 NCAA championship with Northwestern and twice received the Tewaaraton Award as the best player in the country. She broke the all-time NCAA Division I goals record in 2024.
