[NU Sports] Northwestern and the National Championship

[Jim Bendat]

Not that I've ever watched a lacrosse game (or does one call it a match?), but I'm definitely aware that our women's team is presently undefeated and ranked #1 in the country.  This got me to wondering how many national championships we've ever won.  The NCAA basketball championship officially began in 1939, but eight years earlier -- in 1931 -- Northwestern won the mythical championship, as determined by the Helms Athletic Foundation:  http://www.rauzulusstreet.com/basketball/college/helmscollegechampionship.htm

To the best of my knowledge, Northwestern has only won one official NCAA championship -- in fencing, and I'm not sure what the year was.  We've probably had some individual champions here and there -- tennis with Riessen and Graebner, and golf's Luke Donald certainly come to mind.  But NCAA champions don't come around Evanston too often.  Our 1962 football team was ranked #1 six games into the season, but that didn't last.  The women's lacrosse championship game will be on CSTV on May 22nd.  If we're in it, I promise to watch.

Jim B.