A lot of Northwestern sports news dropped over the last week while we were dedicating our content to Title IX, but that doesn’t mean we won’t keep you all up to date. Here’s what went down:

Northwestern alum Matt Fitzpatrick wins 2022 US Open

Though he only spent one quarter in Evanston, Northwestern alum Matt Fitzpatrick’s first major win was a win for all of Wildcat nation. The Brit captured the U.S. Open title in Brookline, Mass., by one stroke, beating out Americans Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler at the wire. The top of the standings was tight for the final day, but Fitzpatrick’s last stroke sealed the deal at two under 68. After winning the U.S. Amateur title on the same course in 2013 just before enrolling at NU, this win brings his story full circle for ‘Cats fans. You just love to see it.

Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Pete Nance makes UNC move official

We all saw it coming, but it became abundantly clear after Pete Nance made an official visit to UNC-Chapel Hill as the number one player in the transfer portal that we would not be seeing him back in purple. After withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft just days before the deadline, Nance announced his commitment to UNC on social media on June 18.

Nance will join a star-studded squad, including fellow big man Armando Bacot and Caleb Love, where he could contribute to another deep NCAA Tournament run for the Tar Heels. And, despite the obvious disappointment Nance’s departure spells for Chris Collins and the ‘Cats, he will face off with former teammate Ryan Young, now at Duke, twice next season in a battle many Northwestern fans will be sure to watch.

Casey Simmons enters transfer portal

The second-highest ranked recruit in Northwestern men’s basketball history, Casey Simmons officially entered the transfer portal on June 18 after just one year in Evanston.

In his first-year campaign, Simmons only averaged 2.5 points per game in 27 appearances, but his length and scrappy play on defense had Wildcat fans excited about his future contributions to the program. After losing big men Nance and Young, Simmons’ potential exit strengthens worries fans had about the team heading into the 2022-23 season.

Football reveals 2022 uniforms

Following an ominous string of social media posts to football’s social pages hinting at a new uniform design, the Wildcats took to the steps of Deering Library to reveal their threads.

A nod to the team’s longstanding tradition, this year’s uniforms retain stripes on each sleeve modeling their jerseys from the 20th century, with the numbers and helmet decals slightly modified to match. The change might be small, but it is meaningful to generations of Northwestern players, coaches and fans nonetheless.

Baseball’s Sean Sullivan transfers to Wake Forest

In yet another disappointing development from Northwestern’s batch of young talent, first-year pitcher Sean Sullivan announced this week he will be continuing his blooming college baseball career at Wake Forest University.

Sullivan came out of the gates strong in 2022, earning his first start against UAB in February on his way to becoming the ‘Cats’ Friday ace. He earned seven wins over 13 appearances and finished out the season with a solid 2.63 ERA, good for second-best on the team behind grad transfer Michael Farinelli. Though Sullivan closed out the season on three straight losses, he represented the future of Northwestern baseball — losing him certainly was not the news ‘Cats fans were hoping for.

There’s usually not much happening in the world of Northwestern sports in late June and early July, which means it’s one of the few times a year we’re able to give our staff (of permanently worn-out college students) some much-needed rest. So, we are taking a small content break before summer football coverage gets underway, with the exception of breaking news and recruiting updates as needed — keep an eye on the @InsideNU Twitter for most of those. We’ll be back in full swing the week of July 10 ready to bring you a comprehensive slate of fall content to get the 2022-23 year started.