Wildcats Hilary Bowen Single-Season Wildcat Goal Leader Hannah Nielsen Big Ten Conference Suzy Favor Award Winner Kelly Amonte Hiller IWLCA National Coach of the Year Christy Finch NCAA Champions
ta Ble of contents WILDCAT LACROSSE 2-10 Quick Facts... 2 2008 NCAA Champions... 3 2008 Season Recap... 4-5 Friends of Jaclyn... 6 Wildcats in the Media... 7 2009 Season Preview... 8-9 Lakeside Field... 10 2009 WILDCATS 12-40 Head Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller... 12-14 Assistant Coach Lindsey Munday... 15 Assistant Coach Ann Elliott... 15 Volunteer Assistant Coach Scott Hiller... 16 Support Staff... 16 2009 Wildcat Roster... 17 2009 Seniors... 18-30 2009 Juniors... 31-33 2009 Sophomores... 33-37 2009 Freshmen... 38-39 Senior Reflections... 40 WILDCAT HISTORY 42-49 2009 Opponents... 42-43 ALC Opponents... 44 2008 Results/Statistics... 45 Year-By-Year Results... 46-48 NCAA Tournament History... 48 All-Time Series Records... 49 2009 QuICK FACTS NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Location...Evanston, Ill. Founded... 1851 Enrollment... 8,000 President... Henry S. Bienen Nickname...Wildcats Colors...Purple and White Conference... American Lacrosse Facility... Lakeside Field Director of Athletics and Recreation... Jim Phillips Senior Women s Administrator... Noreen Morris WOMEN S LACROSSE FACTS Head Coach... Kelly Amonte Hiller Alma Mater... Maryland, 1996 Record at Nu...111-24 (eighth season) Career Record...Same Assistant Coach... Lindsey Munday Alma Mater...Northwestern, 2006 Assistant Coach... Ann Elliott Alma Mater...Northwestern, 2007 volunteer Assistant Coach...Scott Hiller Alma Mater... Massachusetts, 1990 2008 Overall Record...21-1 (.955) 2008 ALC Record/Finish...4-0 (1.000)/1st 2008 Postseason... NCAA Champions Letterwinners Returning/Lost... 22/6 Starters Returning/Lost... 10/2 WILDCAT RECORDS 50-53 Wildcat Team Records... 50 Wildcat Individual Records... 50 Yearly Leaders... 50 Season/Career Leaders... 51 Honors and Awards... 52-53 THE university 56-64 This is Northwestern... 56-57 Academic Services... 58 Academic Achievement... 59 Athletic Excellence... 60 Community Service... 61 Athletic Endowments... 62 Chicago... 63-64 MEDIA SERVICES Asst. Dir./Lacrosse Contact... Rand Champion Office Phone...(847) 467-3758 Cell Phone...(847) 833-3220 E-mail... champion@northwestern.edu Media Services Fax...(847) 491-8818 Media Services Office Address Athletic Media Services Northwestern University 1501 Central Street Evanston, IL 60208 Official Web Site... NUsports.com Asst. AD for Media Services...Mike Wolf Associate Director... Nick Brilowski Assistant Director... Doug Meffley Asst. Dir./Publications Coordinator... Julie Dunn Big Ten Network Liaison... Dan Platt Media Services Intern... Scott Hammer Program Assistant...Jocelyn Serranilla Photography...Stephen Carrera Printing... Multi-Ad Services, Inc. Cover Design... Multi-Ad Services, Inc. The 2008 Northwestern University Women s Lacrosse Media Guide was produced by the Northwestern University Media Services Department. 2
2008 ncaa champions N orthwestern captured its fourth-straight national championship on May 25, 2008, defeating second-seeded Penn 10-6 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md. The Wildcats capped the season with a 21-1 record, avenging their only loss of the season an 11-7 defeat at the hands of the Quakers in the regular-season finale. The class of 2008 left Northwestern with a nearly unrivaled resumé as it compiled a four-year record of 83-3, including 16-0 in the postseason. They never lost a game at home, finishing their careers with a 43-0 mark in Evanston, and capped each season of their collegiate career by hoisting the national championship trophy. The 2008 national champion Wildcats visit President GEORGE W. BUSH at the White House on Nov. 12, 2008. 3
2008 season recap After Northwestern won its third-straight national championship in 2007, many in the lacrosse world began referring to head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller s squad as a dynasty. But after finishing 2008 with a 21-1 record, winning its fifth-straight American Lacrosse Conference championship and capping the year hoisting its fourth-straight national title, NU has firmly cemented itself among the sport s all-time greats. 2008 was viewed as a rebuilding year for Northwestern, and with good reason. Gone from the Wildcats were seven senior starters, including All-Americans Kristen Kjellman, Lindsay Finocchiaro and Aly Josephs. Many thought those departures would signal the end of the Northwestern s reign. Add to that the challenging schedule that laid ahead for the Wildcats. If Northwestern was going to return to the NCAA Championship, it wasn t going to be easy. NU was looking at matchups with 10 ranked teams in the regular season alone, including five games against top-five opponents. With the showdowns against Syracuse, Duke and Penn (the other three final four teams) all taking place on the road, it looked like if there was ever a year someone could overtake the Wildcats, it was this one. But NU took care of business from the opening draw, cruising to an 8-0 start, which included victories over 20th-ranked Rutgers, 14th-ranked Boston University and Ohio State. The Wildcats even opened up Lakeside Field in style, taking a 21-6 decision over Duquesne in the home opener. All eyes from the women s lacrosse world were on Syracuse, N.Y., on March 24 as the Wildcats prepared to take on the sixth-ranked Orange at the Carrier Dome. Fans saw what they expected after the first 30 minutes as Northwestern took a 5-4 lead into the break, which was quickly answered by a Syracuse goal early in the second half to knot the game at five. But the Wildcats decided it was time to make a statement, as they would score the next 10 goals to break the game open and thump the Orange 19-7 on their home field. DANIELLE SPENCER tallied 59 goals on the year, tied for second all-time among sophomores, en route to being named ALC Second-Team All-Conference. After home victories over nationally ranked Georgetown and Vanderbilt, NU made the trip to Durham, N.C., looking for the program s first victory over Duke on its home field. The Wildcats found themselves in unchartered territory, as for the first time in 2008 they found themselves trailing at halftime 8-6. But thanks to six second-half points from Hannah Nielsen, Northwestern remained perfect with a come-from-behind 15-11 win over the Blue Devils. Northwestern survived a couple of scares in conference games against Penn State and Johns Hopkins to finish undefeated in conference play for the fourth-straight season, then flexed its muscles once again in the 16-3 thumping of North Carolina in the regular-season home finale. The Wildcats extended their winning streak to 36 games, and all that stood between them and a perfect regular season was a trip to Philadelphia, Pa., to face the fifth-ranked Penn Quakers. The showdown with Penn started out in a similar fashion to nearly all of the Wildcats previous games as Northwestern jumped out to a 7-4 lead late in the first half. But a last-minute goal for the Quakers trimmed the lead to 7-5 and swung momentum in their favor. They responded by holding the Wildcats scoreless in the second half, something that hadn t been done since the program returned to varsity status in 2002, outscoring NU 6-0 to upset the top-ranked Wildcats 11-7 and bring the winning streak to an abrupt end. While dejected by the loss, many of the Northwestern players admitted that the loss to Penn may have been the best thing to happen to the Wildcats, as it forced them to take a step back and re-focus on the task at hand. It also provided just the right amount of motivation as the postseason began, knowing the `Cats might just get their chance for some payback. Amonte Hiller s squad indeed got back on track in the American Lacrosse Conference Championship, breezing past Penn State and Vanderbilt at Lakeside Field en route to a fifth-straight crown. The `Cats were rewarded with CHRISTY FINCH led the nation in caused turnovers with 70 and finished her career ranked fourth all-time in NCAA history in the category. the number one overall seed heading into the NCAA Women s Lacrosse Championship, continuing their quest to become just the second team in the sport s history to win four consecutive national titles. With home field advantage through the first two rounds, Northwestern took care of business against ninth-ranked Notre Dame and 10th-ranked Princeton, meaning the five Wildcat seniors on the team went their entire four years without ever losing a game in Evanston. It also extended NU s home winning streak to 44 games, an NCAA record. But perhaps even more fitting, the victories over the Irish and Tigers meant a rematch with fourth-ranked Syracuse in the NCAA semifinals in Towson, Md. The Orange hadn t lost since their 19-7 thumping at the hands of the `Cats back in March, and those who saw the first meeting experienced a major case of déjà vu, as after taking a 7-6 lead into the half, Northwestern scored the first nine goals of the second to blow the game open and punch its ticket to the finals with a 16-8 pounding of Syracuse. In a storyline too good for even Hollywood, Northwestern would face Penn in the NCAA championship game the only team that was able to defeat the `Cats in the regular season. After a quick Quaker goal to break the game open, the Wildcats would score eight of the next 10 to hold an 8-3 advantage with just over 20 minutes to play. The NU faithful felt their heart rate rise, as Penn would tally three quick goals to trim the lead to 8-6 with just under 14 minutes remaining. But the Wildcats were not going to be denied, as a pair of late goals slamed the door on the Quakers, clinching the Wildcats fourth-straight national title. 4
2008 season recap Hannah Nielsen, who was asked at the start of the year to play a bigger role than she had before, responded with arguably the top performance in Northwestern history. She tallied 114 points, the second-highest total in the nation, becoming the first Wildcat to record back-to-back 100-point seasons. The all-time assist leader, she also ranks fourth all-time in points (256) and ended the season just 37 assists shy of the NCAA all-time record. Her accomplishments on the field garnered national attention, as she became the third-straight Wildcat to capture the Tewaaraton Trophy, given annually to the nation s top collegiate lacrosse player, as well as the lacrosse Honda Sports Award and Big Ten Conference Suzy Favor Award, given to the conference s top female athlete. Named a first-team All-American by Inside Lacrosse and IWLCA, she earned Player of the Year honors from a handful of different outlets. Nielsen was even named as one of 10 finalists for the Women s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year, along with names such as Candace Parker, Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh, and Venus and Serena Williams. Christy Finch capped her senior campaign in storybook fashion, raising a national championship trophy every year she was a Wildcat. A Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, Finch led the nation in caused turnovers with 70, and her 183 for her career ranks fourth all-time in the NCAA record books. A first-team All-American, she was named National Defender of the Year for the second-straight season and posted an overall record of 83-3 during her NU career. Hilary Bowen continued to establish herself as one of the most feared scorers in the country, as her 81 goals on the year set a Wildcat single-season record. She ended the season fifth on the Northwestern all-time goals list (164) and sixth all-time in points (233). Bowen enters 2009 having netted a goal in 40 consecutive games (tied for the thirdlongest streak in NCAA history) and has tallied at least one point in 44 straight games. A number of Wildcats also came through with career seasons. Danielle Spencer netted a careerhigh 59 goals on the season, tying former Wildcat Kristen Kjellman for the second-best goal output by a sophomore. Katrina Dowd s 40 goals on the year was a career high, as was Casey Donohoe s 39. Freshman Brooke Matthews made an immediate impact in her first season in Evanston, netting 17 goals, while Meredith Frank had the most inspirational performance of the season, netting 29 goals and adding nine assists despite tearing her Achilles tendon just months before the start of the season. Defensively, the Wildcats continued to clamp down on the opposition, allowing just seven goals per game in 2008. Sophomores Maggie Bremer and Sara Harrington both had breakthrough seasons for Northwestern, consistently shutting down the opponent s top scorer. Goalkeeper Morgan Lathrop finished the year ranked second in goals against average (6.87) and finished with 129 saves on the season, including a season-high 11 in the championship game victory over Penn. As the players stormed the field and hoisted the championship trophy, again, the word dynasty was almost audible on the turf at Towson. And with only two senior starters gone from next year s team, try as she might, it is a phrase Amonte Hiller might need to become comfortable with. I m not going to call ourselves a dynasty, she said following the fourth-straight championship. But if you want to, I m okay with it. 2008 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS TEAM HIGHLIGHTS Fourth-straight NCAA national championship Fifth-straight ALC championship 44 consecutive victories at Lakeside Field (NCAA record, surpassing Maryland s home winning streak of 41 from 1997-2001) 16 consecutive NCAA tournament victories (second longest streak all-time) KELLY AMONTE HILLER IWLCA National Coach of the Year Lacrosse Magazine Person of the Year Recorded 100th career win vs. Vanderbilt (3/30) HANNAH NIELSEN Tewaaraton Trophy winner NCAA Honda Award winner for lacrosse Big Ten Conference Suzy Favor award winner IWLCA First-Team All-American IWLCA Midfielder of the Year NCAA All-Tournament Team selection Inside Lacrosse First-Team All-American Inside Lacrosse Player of the Year Finalist for Women Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year ALC Player of the Year ALC Championships Most Valuable Player Became Northwestern s all-time assist leader in ALC finals against Vanderbilt (5/4), surpassing current assistant coach Lindsey Munday CHRISTY FINCH Tewaaraton Trophy finalist IWLCA Defender of the Year IWLCA First-Team All-American Inside Lacrosse Defender of the Year Inside Lacrosse First-Team All-American NCAA All-Tournament Team selection ALC First-Team All-Conference Led the nation in caused turnovers (70) HILARY BOWEN NCAA Championships Most Valuable Player Inside Lacrosse First-Team All-American IWLCA Second-Team All-American ALC First-Team All-Conference CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine First-Team Academic All-American Became Northwestern s single-season goal leader with 81 on the year HILARY BOWEN set a new single-season record with 81 goals in 2008, including tying an NCAA record with 17 in the tournament en route to being named the NCAA Women s Lacrosse Championship Most Valuable Player for the second straight year. MEREDITH FRANK IWLCA Second-Team All-American Inside Lacrosse Second-Team All-American NCAA All-Tournament Team selection ALC Second-Team All-Conference DANIELLE SPENCER ALC Second-Team All-Conference Tied for second in goals by a sophomore (59) 5
friends Back in 2005, the friendship between the Northwestern lacrosse team and 10-year-old Jaclyn Murphy began as the Wildcats did what they could to raise the spirits of a young girl diagnosed with a brain tumor, with Jaclyn in turn helping helping providing inspiration to the `Cats as they drove to their first national championship. Today, that friendship between NU and now 14-year-old Jaclyn continues to deepen. After seeing the impact the team had on his daughter, Jaclyn s father Denis started the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a non-profit organization created to raise public awareness regarding pediatric brain tumors. To date, over three dozen collegiate and high school teams have adopted children with brain tumors. In 2007, Northwestern and Massachusetts participated in the first annual Friends of Jaclyn Brain Tumor Awareness Challenge, raising over $30,000 for the foundation. Last season, the Wildcats hosted Georgetown and duplicated the results from the previous year. This year s challenge will again feature the `Cats and Hoyas, taking place on Saturday, March 7, in Washington, D.C. For more information on the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation or this year s Brain Tumor Awareness Challenge, including purchasing tickets to the game or banquet, or for other ways to contribute to the cause, visit friendsofjaclyn.org. of JaclYn Play in the moment, live in the moment. 6
wildcats in the media Northwestern s four-straight national championships have earned the Wildcats recognition not only in Chicago, the nation s third largest media market, but nationally as well. In the past year alone, the `Cats have been featured on the Big Ten Network, CBS College Sports, Lacrosse Magazine, Inside Lacrosse, ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated, as well as more than a dozen of the top newspapers in the country. Northwestern s rise to prominence was the focus of a Sports Illustrated feature story, written by Jon Wertheim, in the May 12, 2008 edition. Former Wildcat KRISTEN KJELLMAN appeared on the cover of Inside Lacrosse, while CHRISTY FINCH, HILARY BOWEN and HANNAH NIELSEN graced the cover of Lacrosse Magazine. HILARY BOWEN, CHRISTY FINCH and KELLY AMONTE HILLER chat with Judy Hsu on ABC 7 s morning show after capturing their fourth-straight national championship. Northwestern also appeared on Fox News Chicago s Good Day Chicago with Mike Barz following the victory. The Wildcats on the set of Pardon the Interruption, ESPN s popular sports talk show hosted by Northwestern alumnus Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. 7
2009 season preview What a difference a year makes. Heading into the 2008 season, there was a question of uncertainty when it came to Northwestern. It had just lost an extremely talented senior class, including two-time Tewaaraton Trophy winner Kristen Kjellman, saw Meredith Frank, one of its top players go down with an Achilles injury during fall ball and faced a grueling schedule, including three road games against top-10 opponents. Fast forward a year later as the Wildcats prepare for the 2009 season. They have all but two starters returning on a senior-laden club, including 2008 Tewaaraton Trophy winner Hannah Nielsen, an incoming freshman class which is arguably one of the top in the nation and face those same top-10 opponents on the Lakeside Field turf. But head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller will be the first to admit this season will be anything but a cake walk. We are going to be challenged a lot this season, maybe more so than in years past, Amonte Hiller said. But we have a very experienced and deep team, and I know they are very excited about the season ahead. Experience will be the key for Northwestern as it boasts perhaps its most veteran roster in the program s history, as 11 seniors, four juniors and nine sophomores return for the Wildcats. Northwestern is optimistic that will be the edge it needs to make a return trip to Towson, Md., to defend its national championship come May. COACHES Amonte Hiller returns for her eighth season at the helm of the Wildcats, looking to build upon her Despite recovering from an injury, MEREDITH FRANK tallied 29 goals in 2008 and was second on the team in draw controls with 48. 111-24 career record. She notched her 100th career victory in just her 123rd game against Vanderbilt last March, and improved to 17-1 in the NCAA tournament, as her.944 postseason winning percentage is tops in NCAA history. Her teams have posted an impressive 83-3 record since the beginning of the 2005 season, including an NCAA-record 44-game home winning streak. Former Wildcat All-American Lindsey Munday joins Amonte Hiller on the sideline for the third season as an assistant coach, and they will be joined by another `Cat in Ann Elliott, who was hired as an assistant coach during the offseason. Scott Hiller will also be back for a seventh season as Northwestern s volunteer assistant coach. ATTACKERS The offensive attack is once again lead by the one-two combination of Nielsen and Hilary Bowen, who last year combined for an incredible 215 points. Nielsen resumes her role as the offensive quarterback for the `Cats, and has solidified her place among the all-time greats. She is already NU s all-time assist leader, and needs just 38 helpers on the year to become the NCAA s all-time record holder. Nielsen also enters the year fourth on the Wildcats all-time points list with 256 and is tied for 10th in goals (115). Bowen set a program record with 81 goals in 2008, including 17 in the NCAA tournament en route to being named the MVP for the second-straight year. Bowen enters the year ranked fifth on the all-time Wildcat goals list with 164, and is sixth all-time in both points (233) and assists (69). Senior Casey Donohoe is also coming off a career year, registering 39 goals and adding four assists in 2008, and should continue to provide another scoring threat for the Wildcats. She will be joined by fellow senior Meghan Plunkett who is coming off her best year as a Wildcat, including notching a crucial goal in the NCAA tournament in her hometown. Junior Danielle Spencer emerged as not just a big, physical presence for Northwestern, but also as a dangerous scoring threat, as her 59 goals is tied for the second-most in the program s history among sophomores. Spencer also was third in the team in draw controls and will continue to fill a number of roles for the Wildcats. Sophomores Kendall Santulli and Brittany Wilbon add to the depth of the potent Wildcat attack. MIDFIELDERS The deepest position on the Wildcat roster, the midfield should again serve Goalkeeper MORGAN LATHROP was second in the nation in goals against average (6.87), upping her Wildcat career record in net to 60-3. as the anchor for Northwestern. After playing at less than 100 percent in 2008, Frank should be back to full strength in 2009, which is good news for NU. She still netted 29 goals and added nine assists, and was second in the team in draw controls with 48. Frank is also among the `Cats all-time leaders in goals (122) and assists (49), and is on the verge of cracking the top-10 in points, too. Junior Katrina Dowd looks to build upon her breakthrough sophomore campaign in which she netted 40 goals and added five assists. She also proved to be a key asset defensively as well, as she was second in the team by causing 15 turnovers. Sophomore Brooke Matthews had an impressive start to her NU career, netting 17 goals. One of the fastest players on the field, her speed will play a key role in transition. Amonte Hiller also brought in a strong freshman class which should also make an immediate impact. Lizzie Abramson, Alexandra Frank, Jessica Russo, Shannon Smith and Maria Tedeschi all bring solid prep resumes to Evanston and should add to an already stacked midfield lineup. A handful of returners also will play a vital role in the Wildcats success, lead by senior Mary Kate Casey. She will be complimented by sophomores, Kirstyn Atkinson, Rachel Fox, Kim Pantages and Samantha Santulli. DEFENDERS Defense is perhaps the position with the biggest question mark for Northwestern, as it will have to replace two-time Defender of the Year Christy Finch. But the position will have no shortage of talent as seniors Ali Jacobs, Caitlin Jackson, Laura Clemente and Kristin McCandlish make 8
2009 season preview the transition to the backfield, joining the junior duo of Maggie Bremer and Sara Harrington and sophomore Colleen Magarity. The defense proved to be a key component for the Wildcats last season, giving up just 6.87 goals per game, the second-best performance in the nation. Bremer and Harrington also were key players in holding Syracuse s Katie Rowan, the nation s leading scorer, to no points and just one shot combined in the two meetings with the Orange. Freshman standout Lacey Vigmostad also figures to play an immediate role after being named a two-time All American during her high school career. GOALKEEPERS All-American Morgan Lathrop once again will protect the nets for the Wildcats, as the senior looks to close out her career as one of the top goalkeepers in the program s history. She enters the year with 422 saves, a.509 save percentage and a 6.88 goals against average, all of which rank near the top of the Northwestern record books. Lathrop ranked second in the nation in 2008 with a 6.87 goals against average and has posted an amazing 60-3 record in the nets for the `Cats. Sophomore Darby St. Clair-Barrie was able to gain some valuable playing experience last year and will be joined by freshman Brianne LoManto to give Northwestern arguably one of the top goalkeeping units in the country. THE SCHEDULE Amonte Hiller refers to the 2009 schedule as perhaps the toughest in the program s history, and it would be hard to argue with her. Of the 17 regular season games, 10 are against opponents who finished the 2008 campaign ranked in the top-20. Northwestern will be challenged early as the first six contests are on the road, with five of those opponents (Denver, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Georgetown) boasting top-20 rankings. The `Cats also face Johns Hopkins and Virginia on the road, both of which will likely be ranked as well. The second half of the schedule is stacked with home games as NU looks to build upon its NCAArecord 44-game home winning streak. All eyes will be on Evanston a number of times this season, as Syracuse, Duke and Penn, last season s other final four participants, all make the trip to Lakeside Field. In American Lacrosse Conference play, the Wildcats look to defend their five-straight conference titles by hosting Penn State and Ohio State in Evanston and travel to both Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins. The 2009 ALC Championships will be hosted by the Nittany Lions in University Park, Pa., May 1 and 2. We are going to be challenged more this year than in years past, but it will be good for us, Amonte Hiller said. I know I m excited for this year, and I know the girls are excited as well to play some of the top competition from across the country. Hopefully that will set us up to be very experienced at the end of the season. HEAD COACH KELLY AMONTE HILLER S THOUGHTS On the Wildcats focus after winning fourstraight national championships... The way we look at it is that those championships are in the past. I know this team is very excited about this season, and I think it will bring a lot of different challenges than any other season we ve had. In the offseason the focus is to see how the team matures, getting people up to speed and challenging them to see how they respond, and it s been exciting to see different people step up. But we know we have a lot of challenges ahead of us, so we ve been focused on working extremely hard now so that hopefully we can have success. On the different feel of this year s team... Coming into the season last year, not only were we young, but we lost one of our best players (Meredith Frank) to an injury early in fall ball, and there were a lot of questions in the air. This year, we do have a senior-laden team, and I think one of the good things about having a bunch of veterans is they understand how hard they need to work, and I think this group has also worked hard to inspire the younger players. Each year is different. I don t necessarily think one is better than the other, it s just different challenges that are unique to every team. On the impact of this year s senior class... Obviously they mean a lot to the program, but more than anything this senior class is always looking to raise the bar higher than what they ve accomplished in the past. They know that their challenge this year is to take this team and lead them not just to success on the field, but to teach them to enjoy the experience and be successful. It sounds like such an easy thing, but it really is difficult, and during the fall this class really identified what they wanted to accomplish both on and off the field with this team. This is a very deep senior class, and each one of them has re- ally stepped up to take ownership of this team and this program. On who she feels will step up... It really is up in the air right now. Obviously last year players like Danielle Spencer, Casey Donohoe and Katrina Dowd played a huge role for us, and I expect them to continue to do so. But top to bottom, we have a lot of depth, and I think our freshman class is very strong as well. That s the exciting part is we re still figuring out what roles people will take on, and during the fall we feel like a lot of players really stepped up. I m excited as we head toward the season to see where people mesh in and how it all plays out. On the incoming freshman class... This freshman class was really the first time we had been able to get kids that were very high profile. In the past we ve gone after the kids that either came to light later in their careers or knew before, but this class we have known for a long time. They have come to camps and have followed the program for the last few years and we re really excited to see what they can bring to the program. I think it s been an adjustment for them in terms of the pace of play. Having such a senior-laden team, we had a very competitive fall and I think the girls realized that they need to pick it up that much more at this level, which will only help this team down the road. On the challenging 2009 schedule... I think this is probably the toughest schedule we ve ever had. I m excited about it and I think our girls are excited about it as well. Playing a great team like Denver very early in the year to test ourselves will be big for us, and also adding a team like Virginia, but also keeping the rest of the opponents from last year, the girls couldn t be more thrilled. It will definitely pose a major challenge, considering we re playing a lot of the top competition from across the country. Hopefully that will set us up to be very experienced at the end of the season. On if there is pressure to keep up the Wildcat tradition... I don t think the girls feel any pressure on them to keep up what teams in the past have accomplished because we never mention it. What has been accomplished is in the past, and we re focused on today, on what they can achieve this season. If you get caught up in the past, you lose focus on what you can achieve today. We will face some major challenges this year, so we need our focus to be on the moment, and the more focused we are, the better we are going to be. On what makes her smile about this team... The different personalities on this team. We have some amazing girls and watching them learn from their mistakes, get better, and re- ally put their mind to improving shows what strong people they are, both on and off the field. KELLY AMONTE HILLER has won six national championships: two as a player and four as a head coach. 9
la Keside field One of the highlights of the 2008 season was the opening of Lakeside Field, Northwestern s brand new, state-of-the-art home. Dubbed by Chicago Tribune sportswriter Phil Hersh as The House that Kelly Built, Lakeside Field boasts an all-weather playing surface by FieldTurf, seating for 2,000 fans, a new scoreboard, lights for night games, a game operation booth with roof-top camera deck and a stunning view of both Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. In 2008 alone, Lakeside Field served as the host facility for a pair of CBS College Sports broadcasts as well as the American Lacrosse Conference Championship and the NCAA tournament first round and quarterfinal games. Despite being just a year old, Lakeside Field has already been a part of history, as the Wildcats enter the 2009 season having won their last 44 games on the lakefront, the longest home winning streak in NCAA history. ABOVE: Over 1,200 fans saw NU defeat Princeton 18-11 in the NCAA quarterfinal game on May 17, 2008. BELOW: Lakeside Field served as the host for the 2008 American Lacrosse Conference Championship, with the Chicago skyline serving as a backdrop. 10 LEFT: Northwestern hosted Georgetown in its first home night game on March 28, 2008. The game, which also served as the 2008 Friends of Jaclyn benefit game, proved to be a memorable one, as the Wildcats held on to defeat the Hoyas 7-6.
2009 WILDCATS HEAD COACH KELLY AMONTE HILLER... 12-14 ASSISTANT COACH LINDSEY MUNDAY... 15 ASSISTANT COACH ANN ELLIOTT... 15 VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACH SCOTT HILLER... 16 SUPPORT STAFF... 16 2009 WILDCAT ROSTER... 17 2009 SENIORS... 18-30 2009 JUNIORS... 31-33 2009 SOPHOMORES... 33-37 2009 FRESHMEN... 38-39 SENIOR REFLECTIONS... 40