Northwestern Lacrosse Welcomes Four Transfers for 2026
7/2/2025 2:50:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. - Combe Family Head Lacrosse Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller announced Wednesday the addition of four graduate transfers to Northwestern's roster: attacker Olivia Adamson, defender Annabel Child, goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco, and attacker Madison Epke.
Olivia Adamson
Adamson joins the Wildcats' squad after playing at Syracuse for four years, where she totaled 129 goals and 61 assists over her career. With the Orange, Adamson reached two NCAA Tournament semifinals, those coming in 2023 and 2024. She has one year of eligibility remaining.
During her junior campaign in 2024, Adamson was named to the IWLCA All-America Third Team and All-ACC First Team. She tallied 58 goals, ranking seventh in the ACC, and 23 assists over her 22 games. She played an instrumental role in Syracuse boasting the nation's 13th-best scoring offense. Adamson set her career-high of six goals in Evanston when Syracuse came to town on Feb. 10, 2024.
Adamson is coming off a 2025 season that was cut short due to a lower-body injury after playing three games. To start the season, she recorded 10 goals and six assists.
During her sophomore season in 2023, the year in which Adamson became a starter, she led Syracuse in draw controls, corralling 107 during the season. She also registered 51 goals and 21 assists as Syracuse nearly reached the national championship.
Adamson came off the bench in her freshman season and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.
Before venturing to Syracuse, Adamson was a three-time US Lacrosse All-American and Florida Dairy Farmers Player of the Year at Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, Fla.
What Amonte Hiller is saying: Olivia Adamson is a smart and skilled lacrosse player who has demonstrated a love of the game. Coaching against her, you can clearly see her ability to make those around her better.
Annabel Child
Child comes to Evanston with one year of eligibility after four years at Harvard. A two-time All-Ivy League player, Child is set to bolster the Wildcats' defense. Child helped anchor the Crimson's defense to be one of the Ivy League's top three scoring defenses in her junior and senior seasons.
During the 2025 season, Child was named First Team All-Ivy League after scooping 34 ground balls and causing 24 turnovers. She ranked second in the conference in both ground balls per game and caused turnovers per game, while Harvard led the conference in both metrics.
Child set season-high marks with six ground balls and five caused turnovers, a career-high, in the Crimson's 14-8 win over Dartmouth on March 16, 2025.
In her junior year, Child registered 33 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers, earning a Second Team All-Ivy nod. Harvard won 10 games that season, the most during Child's tenure in Cambridge, Mass.
Child missed the entirety of her sophomore season due to injury. During her freshman campaign, she started in 11 of 13 games and logged 17 ground balls and nine caused turnovers.
Before playing collegiate lacrosse, Child was named to the U19 Team Canada Women's Lacrosse Team and won silver at the U19 World Championships. She was also a four-year starter and two-time captain and team MVP at The Hill Academy.
What Amonte Hiller is saying: Annabel is an incredibly versatile athlete. She has had the opportunity to lead throughout her collegiate career and as a member of the Canadian National Team.
Jenika Cuocco
Cuocco joins Northwestern after years as one of the nation's top goalkeepers at Drexel, where she won three consecutive CAA Goalkeeper of the Year awards, making her the first player in conference history to do so. She has one year of eligibility remaining.
During the 2025 season, Cuocco allowed just 9.86 goals per game, as she registered 173 saves and a save percentage of .493, both of which ranked in the nation's top 15. She was named a USA Lacrosse All-American Team Honorable Mention. In her final game as a Dragon, the Sound Beach, N.Y., native tied her career-high with 18 saves against Stony Brook.
During her redshirt sophomore season in 2024, Cuocco led the nation with 224 saves and a 0.569 save percentage, leading Drexel to the NCAA tournament. Her 9.05 goals against average ranked among the nation's 10 best. She was named to the USA Lacrosse All-American Second Team.
Cuocco won CAA Rookie of the Year during her redshirt freshman season after ranking fourth in the nation in save percentage with a .532 and seventh in saves with 185, helping the Dragons reach the NCAA tournament.
At Rocky Point High School, Cuocco was a three-sport athlete who was named the lacrosse team MVP and an All-County Honorable Mention.
What Amonte Hiller is saying: Jenika is an elite competitor. Throughout her collegiate career, she has consistently stepped up and made plays to elevate her team.
Madison Epke
Epke joins Amonte Hiller's squad after becoming one of James Madison's best players in program history during her three-year tenure in Harrisonburg, Va. Epke ranks first in the Dukes' program history in career draw controls with 485 and also places in the top 10 in career goals, assists, and points.
Epke is coming off her junior season, in which she was named a Tewaaraton Nominee and IWLCA First Team All-American after pouring in 65 goals, 23 assists, and a program single-season record 235 draw controls over 19 games. She also set the AAC single-game draw control record with 23 against Charlotte. She tied the program's single-game goals record by scoring eight against Temple.
In her sophomore season, Epke was a USA Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention after notching 57 goals, 23 assists, and 178 draw controls, which ranked sixth in the nation.
James Madison reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in Epke's freshman year, where she was the team's only freshman starter. She tallied 17 goals and 28 assists with 72 draw controls on the year.
Attending Guilford High School, Epke was a two-time Lacrosse All-American and named the 2021 Connecticut High School Female Athlete of the Year. She was named Conference Player of the Year in her junior and senior seasons.
What Amonte Hiller is saying: Maddie Epke brings great energy and work ethic to the program. I had the privilege to coach Maddie on the USA National Team, and during that time it was obvious to me she has a very competitive nature and an elite drive to want to be the best.
Olivia Adamson
Adamson joins the Wildcats' squad after playing at Syracuse for four years, where she totaled 129 goals and 61 assists over her career. With the Orange, Adamson reached two NCAA Tournament semifinals, those coming in 2023 and 2024. She has one year of eligibility remaining.
During her junior campaign in 2024, Adamson was named to the IWLCA All-America Third Team and All-ACC First Team. She tallied 58 goals, ranking seventh in the ACC, and 23 assists over her 22 games. She played an instrumental role in Syracuse boasting the nation's 13th-best scoring offense. Adamson set her career-high of six goals in Evanston when Syracuse came to town on Feb. 10, 2024.
Adamson is coming off a 2025 season that was cut short due to a lower-body injury after playing three games. To start the season, she recorded 10 goals and six assists.
During her sophomore season in 2023, the year in which Adamson became a starter, she led Syracuse in draw controls, corralling 107 during the season. She also registered 51 goals and 21 assists as Syracuse nearly reached the national championship.
Adamson came off the bench in her freshman season and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.
Before venturing to Syracuse, Adamson was a three-time US Lacrosse All-American and Florida Dairy Farmers Player of the Year at Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, Fla.
What Amonte Hiller is saying: Olivia Adamson is a smart and skilled lacrosse player who has demonstrated a love of the game. Coaching against her, you can clearly see her ability to make those around her better.
Annabel Child
Child comes to Evanston with one year of eligibility after four years at Harvard. A two-time All-Ivy League player, Child is set to bolster the Wildcats' defense. Child helped anchor the Crimson's defense to be one of the Ivy League's top three scoring defenses in her junior and senior seasons.
During the 2025 season, Child was named First Team All-Ivy League after scooping 34 ground balls and causing 24 turnovers. She ranked second in the conference in both ground balls per game and caused turnovers per game, while Harvard led the conference in both metrics.
Child set season-high marks with six ground balls and five caused turnovers, a career-high, in the Crimson's 14-8 win over Dartmouth on March 16, 2025.
In her junior year, Child registered 33 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers, earning a Second Team All-Ivy nod. Harvard won 10 games that season, the most during Child's tenure in Cambridge, Mass.
Child missed the entirety of her sophomore season due to injury. During her freshman campaign, she started in 11 of 13 games and logged 17 ground balls and nine caused turnovers.
Before playing collegiate lacrosse, Child was named to the U19 Team Canada Women's Lacrosse Team and won silver at the U19 World Championships. She was also a four-year starter and two-time captain and team MVP at The Hill Academy.
What Amonte Hiller is saying: Annabel is an incredibly versatile athlete. She has had the opportunity to lead throughout her collegiate career and as a member of the Canadian National Team.
Jenika Cuocco
Cuocco joins Northwestern after years as one of the nation's top goalkeepers at Drexel, where she won three consecutive CAA Goalkeeper of the Year awards, making her the first player in conference history to do so. She has one year of eligibility remaining.
During the 2025 season, Cuocco allowed just 9.86 goals per game, as she registered 173 saves and a save percentage of .493, both of which ranked in the nation's top 15. She was named a USA Lacrosse All-American Team Honorable Mention. In her final game as a Dragon, the Sound Beach, N.Y., native tied her career-high with 18 saves against Stony Brook.
During her redshirt sophomore season in 2024, Cuocco led the nation with 224 saves and a 0.569 save percentage, leading Drexel to the NCAA tournament. Her 9.05 goals against average ranked among the nation's 10 best. She was named to the USA Lacrosse All-American Second Team.
Cuocco won CAA Rookie of the Year during her redshirt freshman season after ranking fourth in the nation in save percentage with a .532 and seventh in saves with 185, helping the Dragons reach the NCAA tournament.
At Rocky Point High School, Cuocco was a three-sport athlete who was named the lacrosse team MVP and an All-County Honorable Mention.
What Amonte Hiller is saying: Jenika is an elite competitor. Throughout her collegiate career, she has consistently stepped up and made plays to elevate her team.
Madison Epke
Epke joins Amonte Hiller's squad after becoming one of James Madison's best players in program history during her three-year tenure in Harrisonburg, Va. Epke ranks first in the Dukes' program history in career draw controls with 485 and also places in the top 10 in career goals, assists, and points.
Epke is coming off her junior season, in which she was named a Tewaaraton Nominee and IWLCA First Team All-American after pouring in 65 goals, 23 assists, and a program single-season record 235 draw controls over 19 games. She also set the AAC single-game draw control record with 23 against Charlotte. She tied the program's single-game goals record by scoring eight against Temple.
In her sophomore season, Epke was a USA Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention after notching 57 goals, 23 assists, and 178 draw controls, which ranked sixth in the nation.
James Madison reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in Epke's freshman year, where she was the team's only freshman starter. She tallied 17 goals and 28 assists with 72 draw controls on the year.
Attending Guilford High School, Epke was a two-time Lacrosse All-American and named the 2021 Connecticut High School Female Athlete of the Year. She was named Conference Player of the Year in her junior and senior seasons.
What Amonte Hiller is saying: Maddie Epke brings great energy and work ethic to the program. I had the privilege to coach Maddie on the USA National Team, and during that time it was obvious to me she has a very competitive nature and an elite drive to want to be the best.
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