Northwestern Wildcats Women's Lacrosse
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse team is an
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
college lacrosse College lacrosse is played by student-athletes at colleges and university, universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played at both the varsity and club levels. College lacrosse ...
team representing
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
as part of the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
. 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. 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 The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
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 The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 U.S. states, states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five ...
to win the national title.


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 Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
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 (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. 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 The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...
. When the team visited the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
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. 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.


Historical Statistics

*Statistics through 2023 season


Individual career records

Reference:


Individual single-season records


Seasons

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


Postseason Results

The Wildcats have appeared in 26 NCAA tournaments. Their postseason record is 60-18.


Awards and records

* Tewaaraton Trophy : Kristen Kjellman – 2006, 2007 : Hannah Nielsen – 2008, 2009 :Shannon Smith – 2011 : Izzy Scane – 2023, 2024 * Honda Sports Award – Lacrosse :Kristen Kjellman – 2005, 2006, 2007 :Hannah Nielsen – 2008, 2009 :Shannon Smith – 2011 : Taylor Thornton – 2012 : Izzy Scane – 2023, 2024 * 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, 2024 :Jane Hansen – 2025


References


External links

* {{Big Ten Conference women's lacrosse navbox 1982 establishments in Illinois Lacrosse clubs established in 1982