Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Host 2008 American Lacrosse Conference Championship
5/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
May 1, 2008
NU Lacrosse Weekly Release - May 1, 2008 
Opening Draw
Northwestern (15-1) welcomes Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Ohio State and Penn State to Lakeside Field as it hosts the 2008 American Lacrosse Conference Championship.
2008 ALC Championship presented by adidas Lacrosse
All five American Lacrosse Conference teams convene in Evanston, Ill., this weekend for the 2008 American Lacrosse Conference Championship presented by adidas Lacrosse. The host Wildcats captured the regular season ALC crown and are the top seed, followed by second seeded Vanderbilt. Johns Hopkins won a pair of conference games this past weekend to secure the third seed, with Ohio State and Penn State earning the fourth and fifth seeds. The winner of the tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships which begin next weekend. Northwestern won the first ALC tournament last season by defeating Johns Hopkins 22-6 in Baltimore, Md.
Conference Championship Schedule
All four games of the 2008 ALC Championship will be played at Lakeside Field on the campus of Northwestern University. The quarterfinal game features fourth-seeded Ohio State against fifth-seeded Penn State at 1 p.m. Friday, May 2. The winner of that game will face top-seeded Northwestern at 12 p.m. Saturday, May 3, followed by second-ranked Vanderbilt and third-ranked Johns Hopkins at 2 p.m. The championship game is set for 12 p.m. Sunday, May 4, and will be televised live on CBS College Sports Network. In addition, live video feeds and live stats of all four games of the ALC Championship will be available free of charge by clicking on the ALC Championship link at NUSports.com. Play-by-play for NUsports.com live video will be provided by Northwestern's student radio station WNUR. For more information about the 2008 American Lacrosse Conference Championships, click here.
Eyeing Another Conference Title
With the 14-12 win over Johns Hopkins on April 18, Northwestern clinched its fifth-straight regular season conference title and the top seed in this week's American Lacrosse Conference Championship. The Wildcats shared the title in 2004, and won the title outright in 2005, 2006 and 2007. NU is 28-9 all-time in regular-season ALC play and has won 21 straight conference games dating to 2004. Northwestern also captured the first ALC tournament in Baltimore last season, defeating eighth-ranked Johns Hopkins 22-6 in the championship game en route to its third-straight NCAA national title.
Milestone Watch
A handful of milestones have been reached already during the 2008 campaign, while others remain within sight. Head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller won her 100th game on the Northwestern sideline with the 14-8 victory over Vanderbilt on March 30, while juniors Hilary Bowen and Meredith Frank each tallied the 100th goals of their careers earlier this season; Bowen against Duquesne on March 7 and Frank against Massachusetts on March 16. Junior Hannah Nielsen tallied her 100th career assist against Massachusetts and currently has 121 helpers, which puts her in second-place all-time behind current Wildcat assistant coach Lindsey Munday (128). Her 218 points (97 goals, 121 assists) ranks fifth all-time in the Northwestern record books. Bowen joined Nielsen in an elite club this past weekend as her three goals against Penn made her the eighth member of the Wildcat 200-point club. The junior has 202 points for her career, including 140 goals (which is tied for fifth-all time) and 62 assists. Senior defender Christy Finch is also making her mark not just on the Northwestern record books but the NCAA ones as well. Coming into the ALC tournament, Finch has caused 53 turnovers on the season, bringing her career total to 166, which ranks fifth in NCAA history. She is 12 behind Duquesne's Megan Hungate (1998-2001) for fourth-place all-time. Georgetown's Michi Ellers (2001-2004) is the all-time record holder at 204.
