Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Taylor, Epke Headline NU’s USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American Selections
1/20/2026 12:01:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
SPARKS, Md. — Five Northwestern players earned USA Lacrosse Division I Preseason All-American honors on Tuesday. The figure marks the most among all Big Ten programs.
Senior attackers Madison Taylor and Maddie Epke received first team selections, while graduate student attacker Olivia Adamson, graduate student defender Annabel Child and graduate student goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco garnered honorable mention plaudits.
After breaking the NCAA's single season goalscoring record with 109 tallies in 2025, Taylor earned first team preseason All-American honors for the second consecutive year. The two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist posted a Wildcat record 158 points last year.
Taylor's 344 career points rank first among all active NCAA Division I players, and the Wantagh, N.Y., native sits 139 points behind two-time Tewaaraton Award winner Izzy Scane's program record of 483.
Epke, who transferred to the Lake Show this past summer after a standout career at James Madison, was tabbed as a first team preseason All-American draw specialist. The senior pulled down a JMU record 485 draw controls and tallied 213 points in three seasons with the Dukes.
A member of the US U20 Women's National Team under Combe Family Head Lacrosse Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, Epke set a U20 World Championship record with 110 draw control during Team USA's path to a Gold Medal in the 2024 tournament.
A dynamic transfer addition to the Northwestern attack, Adamson was one of three Wildcats named an honorable mention preseason All-American. In 67 games with Syracuse, Adamson netted 129 goals and dished out 61 assists. Serving as the Orange's primary draw taker in 2023, Adamson recorded 107 draw controls.
Adamson scored 16 points in three games with Syracuse in 2025, leading the Orange to a 3-0 start before her senior season ended prematurely due to injury. Now back to full health, she'll look to bolster the nation's No. 9 scoring offense from 2025.
Child, a member of the Canada Women's National Team, was a First Team All-Ivy League selection with Harvard in 2025. In 42 career appearances, Child has tallied 19 points, 84 ground balls, 27 draw controls and 58 draw controls.
The veteran will help shore up 2025's No. 3 ranked scoring defense in Division I.
One of the nation's most impactful netminders, Cuocco was a three-time CAA Goalkeeper of the Year recipient during her time at Drexel. A 2024 USA Lacrosse Second-Team All-American selection, Cuocco carries a 39-16 career record into Evanston.
Cuocco has posted 582 saves on a .532 save percentage in 55 games played. She led the nation in save percentage in 2024 (.569) and is the only goalkeeper to have ranked top 10 in save percentage in each of the past three seasons.
The Wildcats will begin their 2026 campaign at Boston College on Friday, February 9 at 4 p.m. CT. The matchup will feature four First Team Preseason All-Americans.
Senior attackers Madison Taylor and Maddie Epke received first team selections, while graduate student attacker Olivia Adamson, graduate student defender Annabel Child and graduate student goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco garnered honorable mention plaudits.
After breaking the NCAA's single season goalscoring record with 109 tallies in 2025, Taylor earned first team preseason All-American honors for the second consecutive year. The two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist posted a Wildcat record 158 points last year.
Taylor's 344 career points rank first among all active NCAA Division I players, and the Wantagh, N.Y., native sits 139 points behind two-time Tewaaraton Award winner Izzy Scane's program record of 483.
Epke, who transferred to the Lake Show this past summer after a standout career at James Madison, was tabbed as a first team preseason All-American draw specialist. The senior pulled down a JMU record 485 draw controls and tallied 213 points in three seasons with the Dukes.
A member of the US U20 Women's National Team under Combe Family Head Lacrosse Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, Epke set a U20 World Championship record with 110 draw control during Team USA's path to a Gold Medal in the 2024 tournament.
A dynamic transfer addition to the Northwestern attack, Adamson was one of three Wildcats named an honorable mention preseason All-American. In 67 games with Syracuse, Adamson netted 129 goals and dished out 61 assists. Serving as the Orange's primary draw taker in 2023, Adamson recorded 107 draw controls.
Adamson scored 16 points in three games with Syracuse in 2025, leading the Orange to a 3-0 start before her senior season ended prematurely due to injury. Now back to full health, she'll look to bolster the nation's No. 9 scoring offense from 2025.
Child, a member of the Canada Women's National Team, was a First Team All-Ivy League selection with Harvard in 2025. In 42 career appearances, Child has tallied 19 points, 84 ground balls, 27 draw controls and 58 draw controls.
The veteran will help shore up 2025's No. 3 ranked scoring defense in Division I.
One of the nation's most impactful netminders, Cuocco was a three-time CAA Goalkeeper of the Year recipient during her time at Drexel. A 2024 USA Lacrosse Second-Team All-American selection, Cuocco carries a 39-16 career record into Evanston.
Cuocco has posted 582 saves on a .532 save percentage in 55 games played. She led the nation in save percentage in 2024 (.569) and is the only goalkeeper to have ranked top 10 in save percentage in each of the past three seasons.
The Wildcats will begin their 2026 campaign at Boston College on Friday, February 9 at 4 p.m. CT. The matchup will feature four First Team Preseason All-Americans.
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