Northwestern University Athletics
Murphy's Mark: What a Year!
6/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
June 1, 2005
A Great Year
The last of our teams completed their seasons this weekend. It is always tough to see teams' seasons end sooner than they and you had hoped, and there is a real void with no teams to cheer for and follow until the fall. As I look back on this sports year, though, we have a lot to be proud of. It was probably the best year in the history of Northwestern athletics. We will likely end up with our highest ranking in the United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup, given annually to the school with the strongest overall athletic program. We won our first NCAA championship in 64 years, had eight teams ranked in the top-25 at one point in the season, won an individual NCAA championship (swimmer Matt Grevers), two conference championships, had numerous All-Americans and Academic All-Americans, and many of our coaches and student-athletes earned individual honors.
National Championship
The highlight of the year was undoubtedly our women's lacrosse team winning the NCAA championship. The team really had a remarkable season, finishing the season with a perfect 21-0 record and winning the championship in only their fourth season at the varsity level. We were also the first team outside of the East Coast to win a championship in lacrosse -- and the success of our team will be a big factor in the development of the sport in the Midwest. It was inspiring to watch our team perform in Annapolis. They played with such purpose, and so well as a team. Head Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller and many of her players, including Kristen Kjellman, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, have won well-deserved honors this year. Congratulations to the entire team on a truly phenomenal season. We are all so proud of their accomplishments.
Spring Success
Many of our other spring teams enjoyed success this spring. Our women's tennis team won an incredible seventh straight Big Ten championship. We hosted an NCAA regional, and defeated Notre Dame to advance to the round of 16. We lost as a team in the round of 16, but freshman Audra Cohen advanced to the singles championships match, and Audra and Cristelle Grier lost in the semifinals in doubles play.
The softball team had its best season in many years, finishing second in the Big Ten, and earning the ninth-seed in the NCAA tournament. We won the NCAA regional at Notre Dame, coming out of the loser's bracket to beat Notre Dame twice and advance to the Super Regional. We faced DePaul last weekend at UIC in a best two-out-of-three series. Although we lost the series, our team showed great character in coming back on Saturday, and the Super Regional was great for softball in Chicago and the Midwest.
Our men's tennis and women's golf teams also advanced to NCAA tournament action. The men's tennis team used a strong schedule and a good finish to the season to qualify, while the women's golf team qualified for NCAA play for the fifth time in the last six years.
