Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse

The Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse team is an NCAA Division I college lacrosse team representing Northwestern University as part of the Big Ten Conference. It was a member of the American Lacrosse Conference until the 2013-14 season, when the conference was dissolved as the Big Ten was sponsoring women's lacrosse from the 2014-15 season. The team began competition at the varsity level in 1982, operated as a club sport from 1993 to 2001, and resumed play at the varsity level in 2002. They play their home games at Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium and Ryan Fieldhouse in Evanston, IL. From 2005 to 2009, the team won the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship five consecutive times and recorded two undefeated seasons.^[2] After losing in the finals in 2010, the Wildcats added their sixth and seventh championships in 2011 and 2012. The Wildcats won their eighth championship in 2023. The Midwestern team's success is a rarity in a sport that enjoys most of its popularity on the East Coast - the Wildcats are the only team from outside the Eastern Time Zone to win the national title.^[3]

Northwestern Wildcats
Founded	1982; relaunched in 2002
University	Northwestern University
Head coach	Kelly Amonte Hiller (since 2001 season)
Stadium	Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium [outdoor] and Ryan Fieldhouse [indoor] (capacity: 2,000)
Location	Evanston, Illinois
Conference	Big Ten Conference (previously ALC)
Nickname	Wildcats
Colors	Purple and white^[1]
NCAA Tournament championships
(8) - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2023
NCAA Tournament Runner-Up
(1) - 2010
NCAA Tournament Final Fours
(14) - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
(18) - 1984, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
NCAA Tournament appearances
(24) - 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
Conference Tournament championships
(9) - 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2023
Conference regular season championships
(10) - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2021, 2023

History

 

2005 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship between the Virginia Cavaliers and Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats began playing in 1982 and enjoyed success early, appearing in the NCAA tournament five times before budget cuts forced the team to disband in 1993. Northwestern hired former Maryland player Kelly Amonte Hiller to be the head coach when the university revived the team in 2002. Hiller had to think outside the box in forming her squad; she recruited two freshmen who had never played the game before after seeing them jog around campus^[4] (they went on to be named All-Americans). Her methods proved successful, however, and the team improved its record every year from its inception until 2005, when the Wildcats went undefeated and won their first national title. Two years and two more championships later in 2007, they joined Maryland as the only teams to win three consecutive national titles. The Wildcats would take home championship trophies again in 2008 and after a second undefeated season in 2009. The streak ended in 2010 when the team lost to Maryland in a championship game that set the attendance record for a women's lacrosse match in the United States.^[5] During their five-year championship run, the Wildcats had a record of 106-3 and were undefeated at home. The Wildcats started a new streak the following year when they won their sixth championship, and then a seventh in 2012. Their streak of finals appearances would end in 2013 following a Final Four loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

When the team visited the White House after winning their first championship, they created a minor fashion scandal when some members wore flip-flops. The publicity inspired the team to auction off their sandals with the proceeds going to the Friends of Jaclyn charity.^[6] The team first met Jaclyn Murphy in 2005 when she was recovering from a brain tumor and their support prompted her father to start a charity that matches other college teams with pediatric brain tumor patients.^[7]

Historical Statistics

Overall
Years of Lacrosse	33
1st Season	1982
Head Coaches	4
All-Time Record	431-146
ALC Games
ALC W-L record	66-17
ALC Titles	8
Big Ten Games
Big Ten W-L record	103-25
Big Ten Titles	3
NCAA tournament
NCAA Appearances	24
NCAA W-L record	54-16
Final Fours	14
National Championships	8

*Statistics thru 2023 season

Individual career records

Reference:^[8]

Record	Number	Player	Years
Goals	288	Izzy Scane	2019-
Assists	224	Hannah Nielsen	2006-09
Points	398	Hannah Nielsen	2006-09
Ground balls	183	Christy Finch	2005-08
Draw controls	496	Shelby Fredericks	2015-18
Saves	553	Morgan Lathrop	2006-09

Individual single-season records

Record	Number	Player	Year
Goals	99	Izzy Scane	2023
Assists	83	Hannah Nielsen	2009
Points	142	Hannah Nielsen	2009
Draw controls	183	Jill Girardi	2022
Saves	169	Mallory Weisse	2017

Seasons

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
NCAA Division I (Independent) (1982–1992)
1982	Cindy Timchal	8–3
1983	Cindy Timchal	11–3			NCAA First Round
1984	Cindy Timchal	10–4			NCAA Quarterfinal
1985	Cindy Timchal	7–4
1986	Cindy Timchal	10–4			NCAA First Round
1987	Cindy Timchal	10–4			NCAA First Round
1988	Cindy Timchal	10–5			NCAA First Round
1989	Cindy Timchal	6–5
1990	Cindy Timchal	4–8
1991	Robin Cummings	1–10
1992	Patti Bossio	2–8
No team (1993–2001)
NCAA Division I (American Lacrosse Conference) (2002–2014)
2002	Kelly Amonte Hiller	5–10	2–4
2003	Kelly Amonte Hiller	8–8	2–4
2004	Kelly Amonte Hiller	15–3	5–1	T–1st	NCAA Quarterfinal
2005	Kelly Amonte Hiller	21–0	6–0	1st	NCAA Champions
2006	Kelly Amonte Hiller	20–1	5–0	1st	NCAA Champions
2007	Kelly Amonte Hiller	21–1	4–0	1st	NCAA Champions
2008	Kelly Amonte Hiller	21–1	4–0	1st	NCAA Champions
2009	Kelly Amonte Hiller	23–0	6–0	1st	NCAA Champions
2010	Kelly Amonte Hiller	20–2	5–0	1st	NCAA Runner–Up
2011	Kelly Amonte Hiller	21–2	3–2	T–2nd	NCAA Champions
2012	Kelly Amonte Hiller	21–2	4–1	2nd	NCAA Champions
2013	Kelly Amonte Hiller	19–3	4–1	T–1st	NCAA Final Four
2014	Kelly Amonte Hiller	14–7	3–3	T–3rd	NCAA Final Four
NCAA Division I (Big Ten Conference) (2015–Present)
2015	Kelly Amonte Hiller	14–7	3–2	3rd	NCAA Quarterfinal
2016	Kelly Amonte Hiller	11–10	3–2	T–2nd	NCAA Second Round
2017	Kelly Amonte Hiller	11–10	4–2	3rd	NCAA Second Round
2018	Kelly Amonte Hiller	15–6	5–1	2nd	NCAA Quarterfinal
2019	Kelly Amonte Hiller	16–5	5–1	2nd	NCAA Final Four
2020	Kelly Amonte Hiller	4–3	0–0	†	†
2021	Kelly Amonte Hiller	15–1	11–0	1st	NCAA Final Four
2022	Kelly Amonte Hiller	16-5	5-1	2nd	NCAA Final Four
2023	Kelly Amonte Hiller	21-1	6-0	1st	NCAA Champions
Total:		431–146 (.747)
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

†NCAA canceled 2020 collegiate activities due to the COVID-19 virus.

Postseason Results

The Wildcats have appeared in 24 NCAA tournaments. Their postseason record is 54-16.^[9]

Year	Round	Opponent	Score
1983	First Round	Harvard	L, 4-9
1984	First Round Quarterfinal	New Hampshire Temple	W, 6-2 L, 8-16
1986	Quarterfinal	Maryland	L, 7-11
1987	Quarterfinal	New Hampshire	L, 9-11
1988	Quarterfinal	Penn State	L, 6-12
2004	First Round Quarterfinal	Notre Dame Virginia	W, 10-8 L, 11-15
2005	First Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final	Mount St. Mary's Princeton Dartmouth Virginia	W, 16-3 W, 8-6 W, 8-4 W, 13-10
2006	First Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final	Stanford North Carolina Duke Dartmouth	W, 17-9 W, 17-6 W, 11-10 (ot) W, 7-4
2007	First Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final	Holy Cross Syracuse Penn Virginia	W, 19-7 W, 14-9 W, 12-2 W, 15-13
2008	First Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final	Notre Dame Princeton Syracuse Penn	W, 15-7 W, 18-11 W, 16-8 W, 10-6
2009	First Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final	Massachusetts Princeton Penn North Carolina	W, 23-6 W, 16-9 W, 13-12 (2ot) W, 21-7
2010	First Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final	Notre Dame Duke North Carolina Maryland	W, 19-7 W, 18-8 W, 15-10 L, 11-13
2011	First Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final	Boston College Albany North Carolina Maryland	W, 11-8 W, 18-4 W, 11-10 W, 8-7
2012	First Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final	Notre Dame Duke Maryland Syracuse	W, 12-7 W, 12-7 W, 9-7 W, 8-6
2013	Second Round Quarterfinal Semifinal	Stanford Penn State North Carolina	W, 15-8 W, 15-7 L, 4-11
2014	Second Round Quarterfinal Semifinal	Louisville Florida Maryland	W, 11-8 W, 12-11 (ot) L, 6-9
2015	First Round Second Round Quarterfinal	Louisville Notre Dame Maryland	W, 10-7 W, 16-11 L, 5-17
2016	First Round Second Round	Louisville Notre Dame	W, 15-5 L, 3-15
2017	First Round Second Round	Albany Stony Brook	W, 15-7 L, 9-13
2018	First Round Second Round Quarterfinal	Richmond Towson North Carolina	W, 24-18 W, 21-17 L, 14-19
2019	Second Round Quarterfinal Semifinal	Notre Dame Syracuse Maryland	W, 13-10 W, 18-14 L, 13-25
2021	Second Round Quarterfinal Semifinal	Denver Duke Syracuse	W, 19-4 W, 22-10 L, 13-21
2022	First Round Second Round Quarterfinal Semifinal	Central Michigan Michigan Syracuse North Carolina	W, 22-7 W, 15-12 W, 15-4 L, 14-15
2023	Second Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final	Michigan Loyola (MD) Denver Boston College	W, 8-7 W, 16-6 W, 15-7 W, 18-6

Awards and records

• Tewaaraton Trophy

Kristen Kjellman – 2006, 2007

Hannah Nielsen – 2008, 2009

Shannon Smith – 2011

Izzy Scane – 2023

• Honda Sports Award – Lacrosse

Kristen Kjellman – 2005, 2006, 2007

Hannah Nielsen – 2008, 2009

Shannon Smith – 2011

Taylor Thornton – 2012

Izzy Scane – 2023

• Big Ten – Suzy Favor Athlete of the Year

Hannah Nielsen – 2008

Shannon Smith – 2011

• Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Division I National Coach of the Year

Kelly Amonte Hiller – 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2023

• Big Ten Tournament MVP – Lacrosse

Mallory Weisse – 2019

Izzy Scane – 2021, 2023

References

1. "Northwestern University's Guide to Using Marks, Colors, Trademarks, and Logos" (PDF). September 21, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
2. Phillip Hersh. . Archived from the original on May 28, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
3. [1] September 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
4. "Chicago - Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Suntimes.com. Retrieved 2015-05-17.
5. "Northwestern loses bid for 6th straight NCAA women's lacrosse championship". Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2015-05-17.
6. "USATODAY.com - NU's lacrosse team sparks flip-flop flap at White House". Usatoday.com. 2005-07-19. Retrieved 2015-05-17.
7. Pete Thamel (2009-05-15). "Four-Time Champions, and All Jaclyn's Big Sisters". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-05-17.
8. "2017-18 Big Ten Records Book" (PDF). Big Ten. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
9. "Division I Women's Lacrosse Championships Records Book" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved October 19, 2017.

External links

• Official website