Northwestern University women’s lacrosse coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, who turned a club program into a powerhouse
Kelly Amonte Hiller took over when Northwestern was a club program in 2001. It didn't take her long to make an impact. After a 5-10 record her first year, the team reached .500 the following season. In the last six seasons combined, the Wildcats have lost a total of six games.
in less than a decade, has been named winner of the United States Sports Academy’s C. Vivian Stringer Coaching Award.
The C. Vivian Stringer Coaching Award is presented to an individual who has experienced outstanding achievement as a coach for female teams. This person should exhibit a high standard of propriety, imagination and innovation as a character-builder in the tradition of great teacher-coaches.
Amonte Hiller’s team won its fifth straight NCAA championship in 2009, becoming just the second lacrosse program to accomplish that feat. In 2009, her team finished 23-0 as she improved her career record to 134-24. Including two national titles she won as an All-American at Maryland, Amonte Hiller now has been part of seven national championships.
Entering her ninth season at the helm of the Wildcats, Amonte Hiller has compiled some impressive numbers. She boasts a career coaching record of 134-24 (.848), while her 21-1 (.955) record in the NCAA tournament is the highest winning percentage in the sport’s history. Amonte Hiller has mentored two Tewaaraton Trophy winners (Kristen Kjellman in 2006 and 2007 and Hannah Nielsen in 2008 and 2009) and over two dozen All-Americans. A five-time selection as the American Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year, Amonte Hiller has also been named Coach of the Year by the IWLCA three times.
Amonte Hiller took over when Northwestern was a club program in 2001. It didn’t take her long to make an impact. After a 5-10 record her first year, the team reached .500 the following season. In the last six seasons combined, the Wildcats have lost a total of six games.
Amonte Hiller’s fellow coaches at Northwestern have also recognized her excellence. She has been voted the recipient of the Bob Voigts Coach of the Year Award at Northwestern three straight years and four of the last five years. The Voigts award is voted on by the coaches of all 19 Wildcat sports.
The United States Sports Academy is an independent, nonprofit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.
Amonte Hiller and the Wildcats begin the defense of their five consecutive national titles on Feb. 6, 2010, facing Massachusetts in San Diego, Calif., in a rematch of last season’s NCAA first round showdown.
http://www.laxmagazine.com/college_women/DI/2009-10/news/120309_amonte_hiller
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