Northwestern's Madison Taylor and Hofstra's Nikki Mennella both rank high on NCAA women's lacrosse leaderboards
Northwestern's Madison Taylor. Credit: Northwestern Athletics/Ryan Kuttler
Madison Taylor’s college lacrosse career at Northwestern has been a dream come true.
There was the 2023 season, where she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and won a national title. Last year, she shined as a first-team All-American for the national runner-up Wildcats.
This spring has been the best yet.
The 5-7 junior, a two-time Newsday All-Long Island first-team selection from Wantagh and the unanimous 2025 Big Ten Attacker of the Year, helped bring Northwestern the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships.
She leads the country with 125 points and ranks second with 89 goals.
“It's been truly amazing,” Taylor said. “I've never really imagined myself in the position that I am today, so I think that just makes me feel really grateful for this whole year. Not even just this whole year, but my whole experience here at Northwestern has been really amazing. I just can't wait to see what the future holds, especially this coming May.”
Northwestern (16-2) should be one of the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament when the bracket is revealed Sunday night.
Last August, Taylor played for the U.S. U20 Women's National Team, which won the World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship in Hong Kong. She led the team with six goals and two assists in a 23-6 win over Canada in the gold medal game.
Coming off the summer and a sophomore season in which she ranked third in Division I with 83 goals and 116 points, Taylor elevated her game as a junior. She was one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Award, lacrosse’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
She is one of 25 nominees for this year's Tewaaraton. The finalists will be announced next Thursday and the winner May 29.
“I think that award is a team award more than it is individual,” Taylor said. “I think if our team just plays together and just has a lot of fun, all those things will come naturally. I think just really taking advantage and staying present in the moment is one thing that's going to help me and the rest of this team a lot coming into this next month.”
Mennella’s road back
Hofstra attack Nikki Mennella against Campbell on April 5, 2025. Credit: Lee S. Weissman
Nikki Mennella’s path to stardom took a turn six games into her freshman season at Hofstra.
The Smithtown native, a 2022 Newsday All-Long Island second-teamer at Smithtown West, had already posted four goals and an assist in a home game against Army on March 4, 2023. She dodged and planted in the fourth quarter when a non-contact injury occurred: a torn right ACL. Her freshman season was over.
Two seasons later, Mennella cemented herself among the nation’s best.
The redshirt sophomore is sixth in Division I with 99 points – 62 goals and 37 assists – and was named the CAA Attacker of the Year. Her 6.60 points per game average is a CAA record and ranks 11th in Division I history.
“Obviously super happy that I was able to contribute a lot to my team this season, especially after tearing my ACL my freshman year,” Mennella said. “It's been a long road back, and it was nice to be healthy this year and contribute a lot to my team’s success.”
Mennella had 23 goals and six assists in 2023, a season for which she has since received a redshirt. She had 30 goals and 12 assists last season, wearing a knee brace and managing shin injuries. The path back to the field was arduous.
“Obviously it was very difficult – not just the recovery process, but having to be on the sidelines not playing and watching all my teammates play,” Mennella said. “But I think I could see now that I'm on the other side of it, that in the long run, it has taught me more than it has hurt me. I just learned so much more about the sport watching it at the college level alongside my coaches and [coach] Shannon [Smith], and I feel like I learned to be more patient and how to take better care of my body, as far as recovery and rest and fueling it properly.
“I think looking back at it, it makes me appreciate more, so much, the days that I have. And just taking it day by day for everything and just being grateful for being out there healthy on the field.”
Hofstra finished 9-7 and 4-4 in the CAA, a fifth-place result that left it one game short of the four-team CAA Tournament. With two seasons of eligibility remaining, Mennella has her sights set on bringing the Pride back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
“I'm kind of just a super competitive person,” Mennella said. “Obviously I love the game of lacrosse, so I never want to lose.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
