Bleav in Northwestern

The nine-time national champion head coach of the Northwestern lacrosse team joins Zach to talk about how the 2026 Wildcats turned their season around after a slow start, what having the Final Four in Evanston meant to her and the program, her best Madison Taylor stories and what her next goal is for growing the sport. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information a...

Kelly Amonte Hiller is a champion once again! Northwestern’s legendary women’s lacrosse coach won a historic ninth title over the weekend in a revenge game against North Carolina. Zach is joined by Yanyan Li to break down how the Wildcats pulled this off after a horrible start to the season, the officiating controversy coming out of the game and what the victory means for the legacies of Hiller an...

Northwestern lacrosse survived a thrilling rematch against Colorado in the NCAA quarterfinals to advance to the Final Four, which will be played in Evanston. Zach breaks down the win and highlights the program’s resiliency under Kelly Amonte Hiller. Then, he comments on softball narrowly missing out on the NCAA tournament and why he feels realignment played a part in the outcome. Finally, Zach dis...

The Wildcats have added five players in the transfer portal and Zach is joined by Sports Illustrated college basketball writer Kevin Sweeney to break down the new faces. Plus, the two evaluate the state of the program and what the turnover means going forward, as well as how Northwestern stacks up from a resource-standpoint in the college sports arms race. They also discuss what the new age-based...

Pat Fitzgerald spoke with USA Today for a rollercoaster of an article, and Zach weighs in on what the former Northwestern coach said. And speaking of rollercoasters, Kelly Amonte Hiller’s lacrosse team is on fire. With two wins over two No. 1-ranked teams in a matter of two weeks, Zach is joined by Big Ten+ broadcaster Noah Coffman to go inside the Wildcats’ turnaround—and why this year could be b...

After a brief hiatus for the show, Zach is back to talk about the mass exodus into the transfer portal from Northwestern men’s basketball. He shares his conflicted feelings on the moves and whether or not they indicate something more concerning is at play. Plus, he reacts to Northwestern women’s hoops hiring Princeton’s Carla Berube as head coach and why he think its a home run. Hosted by Simpleca...

Nick Martinelli suited up as a Northwestern Wildcat for the final time at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Wednesday’s loss to Purdue and delivered yet another signature performance on his home floor. So Zach calls in Northwestern Roundtable’s Gavin Dorsey to discuss the legacy of the star forward, given the lack of success the past two years but the undeniably impressive individual play. Plus, they discuss No...

Spring sports are already underway and one of the best programs in Evanston is back in action! Lacrosse has two games in the book—one a blowout of powerhouse Boston College, the other a stunning defeat at the hands of unranked Colorado—so Inside NU editor-in-chief Yanyan Li joins Zach to break down the results. The pair talk about the drastically different performances around Madison Taylor in the...

Well, that happened. Northwestern lost to Illinois by 40 points and Zach tracks his thoughts throughout the game and why it looked like both teams were playing different sports. He provides the numbers and signs that showed just how bad this loss was, along with his reaction to Chris Collins’s telling postgame comments. Finally, he projects where Northwestern goes from here this season and beyond—...

Northwestern football received its 2026 schedule early this week, and Zach is joined by Gavin Dorsey of Northwestern Roundtable to dissect the Wildcats’ slate for next season. The pair discusses how difficult the path forward is, as one of the most difficult in the conference and country. They also lament the early bye week, and hypothesize if delays in the building of the new Ryan Field resulted...

Northwestern football had a busy two weeks in the transfer portal, adding 12 new players—including a new top quarterback in former Michigan State signal-caller Aidan Chiles. Wildcat Report’s Matt Shelton joins Zach to break down Chiles’s career thus far and project what he might be able to showcase in Chip Kelly’s offense. Then, the pair talks about some of the other moves Northwestern made, highl...

Amid a hectic football offseason, Zach traveled to Rutgers to watch Northwestern basketball try to dig its way out of an early Big Ten hole—and what he saw gave him very little hope of a quick fix. He breaks down the game from Nick Martinelli’s one-man show, to frustrating guard play to KJ Windham’s status and more. Then, Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney joins the show to have it out about what...

Northwestern landed Chip Kelly to be its offensive coordinator. What?!? Zach welcomes ESPN senior college football writer Adam Rittenberg to learn more about how the shocking move came to be, as well as what role Kelly will play and the latest on the Wildcats’ search for a transfer portal quarterback. Zach then returns solo to dive deeper on his reaction to the hire, and what larger trend it might...

Northwestern football is once again victorious in the postseason! The Wildcats cruised to victory over Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl and Zach is back to share his biggest insights from the win. After bidding farewell to the seniors on the roster, he then discusses the rumored “offensive reset” that could be on the horizon. He also addresses what Northwestern might do at quarterback...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: bowl season! Zach is joined by Alex Scheer of the MAC Sports Connection to preview Northwestern’s opponent in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, Central Michigan. The pair talks about the surprise of the Chippewas this year in the MAC in the first season under new head coach Matt Drinkall and discuss the glaring similarities between the approaches of both programs...

We’re still two weeks away from Northwestern traveling to Detroit for its 2025 bowl game against Central Michigan, so it’s reflection time on the podcast—and we’re handing out grades. Zach is joined by Wildcat Report managing editor Matt Shelton to grade the performances of David Braun (5:05), Zach Lujan (15:26) and Preston Stone (23:55) as well as Caleb Komolafe, the offensive line and the receiv...

Just over a week ago, Northwestern field hockey won its third championship in five seasons, cementing itself as one of the premier programs in the sport. Head coach Tracey Fuchs joins Zach to talk about how the Wildcats got the job done during a thrilling Final Four, why this title was different and how she’s established a dynasty in Evanston. Then, star midfielder Maddie Zimmer reflects on her ac...

After a loss in the regular-season finale to Illinois, Zach reflects on what went wrong during rivalry week. He explains why this was a full-circle moment for the 2025 Northwestern season and how two of the Wildcats’ biggest woes this year combined to result in a frustrating outcome. Then, Zach reacts to Michigan State hiring former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, detailing the complicated natu...

To celebrate Thanksgiving, Zach shares why he’s thankful for Northwestern returning to a bowl game after a thrilling victory over Minnesota. He lauds Preston Stone’s best game as a Wildcat, while highlighting some other standout performances on offense. Then, Mike Cagley of the Illini Guys joins the show to preview the rivalry game against Illinois. The pair breaks down the Illini’s season thus fa...

Northwestern has another chance to become bowl eligible at Wrigley Field Saturday against Minnesota. Zach breaks down the Golden Gophers, from their stellar edge rushers to their lackluster offensive firepower. Then, he gives three keys to the game for the Wildcats and, of course, makes his final score prediction. Can Northwestern break the Wrigley Field curse? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz com...

The fallout of Northwestern’s disappointing loss to Michigan at Wrigley Field continues to hover above the program going into this week’s matchup against Minnesota, so its time to have the conversation: does David Braun’s rhetoric of competing for a Big Ten championship align with his coaching decisions on the sideline? Noah Coffman joins Zach on the show to debate the head coach’s decision-making...

Northwestern nearly stole a win against Michigan thanks to five turnovers and some timely scores late, but the Wrigley Field curse continues. Zach breaks down the loss and why it felt so aggravating, from the horrible production in the red zone to an inability to capitalize off of the Wolverines’ mistakes. Plus, he gives his thoughts on why this game exemplifies how Northwestern can continue to co...

Northwestern is set to play some Friday night lights football at the L.A. Coliseum against USC and Zach is joined by Sports Illustrated writer and editor Nick Selbe to preview the matchup. The two discuss how they feel about this being a conference game before diving into the Trojans, who nearly had their season completely derailed with a scare at Nebraska. They dive deep on the performance of qua...

Though there’s still plenty of action left on the gridiron, Zach turns his focus to the hardwood of Welsh-Ryan Arena with Northwestern men’s basketball set to get underway. He begins by giving an overview of the Wildcats going into what may seem like a transition year, yet is anything but (2:10). Then, Sports Illustrated college basketball reporter Kevin Sweeney joins the show to break down what w...

It’s mailbag week! You’ve got questions, the Bleav in Northwestern podcast has answers. To help go through the questions, Zach is joined by Wildcat Report’s Matt Shelton and the pair covers a number of topics in football and men’s basketball. Was Nebraska the most disappointing loss of David Braun’s tenure? Is Preston Stone not what we all thought he was? Will Northwestern still make a bowl game?...