- Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse
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Northwestern Wildcats 
Founded 1982; relaunched in 2002 University Northwestern University Conference ALC Location Evanston, Illinois Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller (since 2001) Stadium Lakeside Field
(capacity: 2,000)Colors Purple and White
NCAA Tournament Champions 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 NCAA Tournament Runner-Up 2010 NCAA Tournament Final Fours 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals 1984 NCAA Tournament Appearances 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Conference Regular Season Champions 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 The Northwestern Wildcats Women's Lacrosse Team is a NCAA Division I college lacrosse team representing Northwestern University as part of the American Lacrosse Conference. 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 Lakeside Field in Evanston, IL. From 2005 to 2009, the team won the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship five consecutive times and recorded two undefeated seasons.[1] The Wildcats added a sixth championship in 2011 after losing in the finals the previous year. 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 first and only team from outside the Eastern Time Zone to win the national title.[2]
Contents
History
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[3] (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.[4]
During their five-year championship run, the Wildcats had a record of 106-3 and were undefeated at home.
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.[5] 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.[6]
Historical Statistics
Overall Years of Lacrosse 20 1st Season 1982 Head Coaches 4 All-Time Record 233-84 ALC Games ALC W-L record 34-9 ALC Titles 7 NCAA Tournament NCAA Appearances 12 NCAA W-L record 25-7 Final Fours 6 National Championships 5 *Statistics thru 2010 season
Year-By-Year Records
Year Overall Conference Coach Postseason 1982 8-3 Cindy Timchal 1983 11-3 Cindy Timchal First Round 1984 10-4 Cindy Timchal Quarterfinal 1985 7-4 Cindy Timchal 1986 10-4 Cindy Timchal First Round 1987 10-4 Cindy Timchal First Round 1988 10-5 Cindy Timchal First Round 1989 6-5 Cindy Timchal 1990 4-8 Cindy Timchal 1991 1-10 Robin Cummings 1992 2-8 Patti Bossio 2002 5-10 2-4 Kelly Amonte Hiller 2003 8-8 2-4 Kelly Amonte Hiller 2004 15-3 5-1 Kelly Amonte Hiller Quarterfinal 2005 21-0 6-0 Kelly Amonte Hiller National Champion 2006 20-1 5-0 Kelly Amonte Hiller National Champion 2007 21-1 4-0 Kelly Amonte Hiller National Champion 2008 21-1 4-0 Kelly Amonte Hiller National Champion 2009 23-0 6-0 Kelly Amonte Hiller National Champion 2010 20-2 5-0 Kelly Amonte Hiller National Runner-Up 2011 21-2 3-2 Kelly Amonte Hiller National Champion Awards and Records
- Kristen Kjellman – 2006, 2007
- Hannah Nielsen – 2008, 2009
- Honda Sports Award – Lacrosse
- Kristen Kjellman – 2005, 2006, 2007
- Hannah Nielsen – 2008, 2009
- Big Ten – Suzy Favor Athlete of the Year
- Hannah Nielsen – 2008
- Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Division I National Coach of the Year
- Kelly Amonte Hiller - 2005, 2008, 2009
External links
References
- ^ http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-25-nu-lax-chicago,0,7199998.story
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/more/05/06/lacrosse0512/index.html
- ^ http://www.suntimes.com/sports/colleges/1565585,CST-SPT-nux10.article
- ^ http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-0531-northwestern-lacrosse--20100530,0,1747565.story
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-07-19-flip-flops_x.htm
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/sports/othersports/16northwestern.html?_r=1
Northwestern University Academics Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences • School of Communication • Bienen School of Music • Kellogg School of Management • McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science • Medill School of Journalism • School of Education and Social Policy • Feinberg School of Medicine • Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary • School of Law • The Graduate School • School of Continuing StudiesResearch Argonne/Northwestern Solar Energy Research Center • Infrastructure Technology Institute • Journal of Criminal Law & CriminologyCampus Athletics Northwestern Wildcats • Big Ten • Football • Men's Basketball • NUMB • Women's Lacrosse • Softball • Patten Gymnasium • Rocky Miller Park • Ryan Field • Sweet Sioux Tomahawk • Land of Lincoln Trophy • Welsh-Ryan Arena • Willie the WildcatMedia Traditions People Categories:- College lacrosse teams in the United States
- Northwestern Wildcats
- Women's lacrosse
- Lacrosse teams in Illinois
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