Northwestern University Athletics
Amonte Hiller Signs Six to National Letters of Intent
11/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Nov. 16, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill.-- Kelly Amonte Hiller, head coach of the 2005 National Champion Northwestern women's lacrosse team, has announced the signing of six student-athletes to NCAA National Letters of Intent. High school seniors Kim Pantages (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex), Sarah Harrington (Westwood, Mass./Westwood), Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton), Katrina Dowd (Yorktown, Heights, N.Y/Yorktown), Maggie Bremer (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and Caroline Tesar (Lake Bluff, Ill./Loyola Academy) have committed to play for the Wildcats starting in 2007.
"We are extremely excited about this year's recruiting class," said Amonte Hiller, the 2005 IWLCA National Coach of the Year. "We graduate five talented players next year and we are bringing in one of our most talented classes yet to replace them. This new class is versatile, extremely fast, athletic and skilled. One thing I like about this class is that each player has the ability to play any position on the field. In addition to their tremendous ability, we are excited about the personalities of these players and how they will enhance our team. My staff and I cannot wait to continue developing these players."
Amonte Hiller's signing class includes student-athletes from New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Massachusetts and Illinois.
This year the Wildcats return four IWLCA all-Americans, including the 2005 NCAA Honda Award winner Kristen Kjellman (Jr., Westwood, Mass/Westwood), from last year's national championship team that turned in an impeccable 21-0 record. The Wildcats captured Northwestern University's first NCAA team title since 1941 and will aim for nothing less than a repeat of their magical season in 2006.
Northwestern's 2006 Women's Lacrosse Recruiting Class:
Kim Pantages
Midfield
North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex
A three-year member of the West Essex Knights ... Honorable mention all-America selection ... A member of the No. 1 Upper Atlantic Schoolgirls Championship Tournament at Lehigh University ... Scored 81 goals and 35 assists as a junior and 79 goals and 35 assists as a sophomore ... Voted Most Improved in her sophomore campaign in leading the Knights to the Iron Hills Conference championship ... Team captain ... A two-time first team all-state (Group II), all-Iron Hills Conference, all-Essex county and second team all-state selection ... Helped lead West Essex to the Group B New Jersey State championship and the Iron Hills Conference championship as a freshman ... Leading scorer of the Steps Elite Lacrosse Club Team in 2004 and '05 ... selected to the All-Star team at the Elite 300 Camp ... Also considered Duke, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Stanford and Georgetown.
Personal: Born 7/15/88 ... Daughter of Jim and Sally Pantages ... Undecided on a major.
"Kim is a tremendous natural athlete," Amonte Hiller said. "She is strong, extremely fast and has a fiercely competitive spirit. Kim has a knack for scoring and is an equally accomplished passer. Kim's speed and quickness will allow her an easy transition at the next level. Kim was a blue chip recruit for field hockey as well."
Sarah Harrington
Midfield
Westwood, Mass./Westwood
A three-year letterwinner for Westwood High School ... Member of the 2003 and 2005 Massachusetts State Champions ... Helped her team to a 23-0 record in 2005 and a 24-1 record in 2004, losing only in the state championship game ... Recorded 16 goals and 10 assists for 26 points as a sophomore in 2004 and 44 goals and 18 assists for 62 points in 2005 ... A 2005 Tri-Valley League All-Star recipient and Galaxy Award Team I recipient ... Also a member of the 2005 Lower New England Tournament Team I ... Member of the Mass Elite Club Team ... Also a member of the basketball and soccer teams ... Member of the Spanish National Honor Society and National Art Honor Society ... President of the Westwood High School student council.
Personal: Born 4/24/88 ... Daughter of Lynne and Brian Harrington ... Plans to major in communication studies.
"Sarah is a very versatile athlete, equally strong on defense and offense," Amonte Hiller said. "Sarah is a very smart player and has great speed and endurance. Sarah is the player that always makes the big plays that make the difference and sometimes goes unnoticed."
Danielle Spencer
Midfield
Rochester, N.Y./Brighton
Led Brighton to the 2005 Class B State Championship and the to the state finals in 2004 ... Has scored 115 goals in her first three years at Brighton High School ... Recorded 58 goals and 19 assists in 2005, 54 goals and nine assists in 2004 and three goals and one assist in 2003 ... A two-time all-county selection ('04 and '05) and an honorable mention all-America choice in 2005 ... Was a participant in the Empire State Games in 2004 and '05 and a member of the New York National Tournament Team in 2005 ... Also lettered in volleyball and soccer ... academic all-American in lacrosse and volleyball in 2004 and '05 ... Wells College Leadership Award recipient ... Also considered Duke, Cornell, Maryland and Princeton.
Personal: Born 8/7/88 ... Daughter of Joe Spencer and Diane and Scott DeLorm ... Plans to major in broadcast journalism.
"Danielle's most strikingly obvious characteristic is her size," Amonte Hiller said. "In addition to her size, Danielle has great speed and skill. All of these assets make her very tough to stop on the field. Danielle has a knack for leadership on and off the field and we are looking forward to her helping lead the Wildcats."
Katrina Dowd
Midfield/Attack
Yorktown, Heights, N.Y/Yorktown
A two-time all-America selection her sophomore and junior seasons and a two-time All-Galaxy first team choice ... Also named to the all-Elite squads the past two seasons ... A two-time North County News All-Star selection ... Has 95 goals and 79 assists heading into her senior season ... A four-time honor roll student at Yorktown Heights ... Also considered Maryland, Georgetown and Cornell.
Personal: Born 5/10/88 ... Daughter of Stephen and Maureen Dowd ... Undecided on a major.
"Katrina is a student of the game," Amonte Hiller said. "She always has a stick in her hand and wants to learn. Katrina is crafty on the field, has a knack for scoring and is very fast and athletic. She is a well-rounded player that is equally dangerous on attack and defense."
Maggie Bremer
Midfield
Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington
2005 Ohio State Tournament Offensive MVP and in leading her team to back-to-back state titles ... Has 43 goals and 11 assists heading into her varsity season at Upper Arlington ... Named to the all-district and state all-tournament teams in 2004 and '05 and a two-time Great Lakes National Team member ... A first team Galaxy all-American ... also earned two letters in basketball ... Member of the National Honor Society ... Also considered Notre Dame and Columbia.
Personal: Born 4/4/88 ... Daughter of Don and Diane Bremer ... Undecided on a major.
"Maggie has a great nose for the game of lacrosse," Amonte Hiller said. "She brings her basketball skill onto the lacrosse field to help her excel. Maggie always finds a way to score, come up with a draw, or make a big defensive play when her team needs her to. We are looking forward to that competitive spirit and can do attitude on the field."
Caroline Tesar
Midfield
Lake Bluff, Ill./Loyola Academy
A two-time all-state and all-America selection ... Led her team to the state championship three-consecutive seasons (2003-05), winning the titles in '03 and '05 with a runner-up finish in 2004 ... Scored eight goals at the 2005 State Lacrosse Championship ... A three-year member of the Wildcat Elite Club team ... An all-round talented athlete, Tesar also competed in diving, field hockey and ice hockey ... A two-time all-state field hockey selection ... Placed 26th at the 2002 Illinois State Diving meet ... Member of the 2003 and 2004 State Champion Ice Hockey teams and state runner-up in 2005 ... Four-year honor student ... Older brother, Robbie, is a member of the varsity hockey team at Connecticut College ... Also considered James Madison.
Personal: Born 3/6/88 ... Daughter of Robert and Kathleen Tesar ... Plans to major in education and international studies.
"Caroline is a natural athlete," Amonte Hiller said. "She has breakaway speed in the midfield and acute quickness on attack and defense. Caroline is tenacious every time she steps on the field. Her personality is electric and she makes everyone around her want to play harder. We are excited to have another local product join our program."
