What Kelly Amonte Hiller has accomplished at Northwestern would be a solid resume for any coach: Five consecutive NCAA national championships, six American Lacrosse Conference titles and an .848 winning percentage in addition to coaching two Tewaaraton Trophy winners and over two dozen All-Americans. Considering she has accomplished all this in just eight seasons, taking over a program that had been relegated to club status, makes what Amonte Hiller has accomplished on the Lakefront even more remarkable.
Any doubts as to the impact Amonte Hiller has had on the national lacrosse scene was wiped away in 2009 as her Wildcats ran undefeated through their 23-game schedule, culminating with a 21-7 rout of North Carolina in the NCAA championship game. Northwestern set NCAA records for points (570) and goals (407) in a season, while leading the nation in scoring offense (17.6 goals per game), scoring margin (10.83 goals per game) and draw controls (16.91 per game).
Amonte Hiller came to Evanston to resurrect a program that was one of the nation's best during its initial existence (1982-92). During that span, the Wildcats played in the NCAA Tournament five times. The program was also loaded with plenty of individual talent -- 10 players earned a total of 16 All-America honors, and 12 women earned a total of 25 regional All-America honors. Two women, Antoinette Lucas and Sue Novack, played with the U.S. National Team.
A truly legendary figure in the lacrosse world, Amonte Hiller was the 1995 and 1996 NCAA Division I Lacrosse Player of the Year, leading Maryland to national titles in both seasons. She was a four-time All-America in lacrosse under former NU head coach Cindy Timchal, ending her career as the school's all-time record holder for career goals (187), assists (132) and points (319, 70 more than second place). In addition, Amonte Hiller also earned All-America accolades in soccer for the Terrapins and was named the ACC Female Athlete of the Year in 1996 for all sports. She graduated from Maryland in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in speech communication. In 2002, Amonte Hiller was named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Women's Lacrosse Team. In 2006, she was named to the NCAA Division I 25th Anniversary Women's Lacrosse Team.
Amonte Hiller's legacy extends to the national program as well. She has been a member of the national team for more than a decade -- including the U.S. Women's Elite Team since 1997 -- and won IFWLA World Cup titles with the Elite Team in 1997 and 2001. Most recently, she was named to the All-World Team at the 2005 World Cup in Annapolis, Md., where the U.S. finished second to Australia.
In 2000, Amonte Hiller was ranked 21st by Sports Illustrated on its list of Massachusetts' Greatest Sports Figures of the 20th Century.
In the four years before her arrival at Northwestern, Amonte Hiller coached at the collegiate level. During the 1997 and 1998 seasons, she served as the assistant women's lacrosse coach at Brown. In 1999, Amonte Hiller served in a similar capacity at the University of Massachusetts. In 2000, again as an assistant, she helped guide Boston University to its first top-10 ranking and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Amonte Hiller has three siblings, including Tony who is well-known as a top player in the National Hockey League; he also played the silver medal-winning United States team at the 2002 Olympic Games. Amonte Hiller's husband, Scott, holds a law degree from Suffolk (Mass.); a lacrosse standout in his own right, he has served as the General Manager of the Washington Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse for the past three years after serving as head coach of the Boston Cannons the four seasons prior.
Kelly, husband Scott and daughter Harlee, reside in Evanston.
