Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Extends Amonte Hiller's Contract Through 2015
4/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 15, 2010
Northwestern Extends Amonte Hiller's Contract Through 2015 
EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University Director of Athletics and Recreation Jim Phillips announced today that head women's lacrosse coach Kelly Amonte Hiller has been given a five-year contract extension through the 2015 season. Amonte Hiller, who is in her ninth season, has guided the Wildcats to five consecutive NCAA national championships.
"To be certain, I am thrilled to announce that we have come to an agreement with Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller which will keep her in Evanston for quite a while," said Phillips. "There is no doubt as to the impact Kelly has had on the sport of women's lacrosse and the impact that success has had on the University. Starting as an All-American player, she has established herself as one of the top coaches in the sport's history, and I am ecstatic about what the future holds for the Northwestern lacrosse program with Kelly at the helm.
"This contract extension is another example of our strong commitment here at Northwestern to attract and retain the very best coaches, as well as leaders, in the country."
"I would like to thank Jim Phillips and President Schapiro for their support of me and the lacrosse program," said Amonte Hiller. "I feel honored to have the opportunity to coach at such a prestigious institution. The commitment that the University has made to athletics, and to our program specifically, is tremendous. Northwestern University is where I want to coach. I will continue to work tirelessly to mentor our young women and to put them in a position to succeed on and off the field."
Through this past weekend, Amonte Hiller has compiled a 145-24 record since re-introducing lacrosse as a varsity sport in 2002. Her .858 winning percentage is tops among active Division I coaches. A three-time Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) National Coach of the Year, she has guided the Wildcats to the past five NCAA national championships, posting a 117-3 mark during that span. Amonte Hiller's Wildcats also have notched a 21-1 record in the NCAA tournament, including 20 consecutive victories: her .955 postseason winning percentage is tops all-time in the sport's history.
Under Amonte Hiller's guidance, 14 different Northwestern players have been recognized with 28 IWLCA All- America honors. She also has coached a pair of two-time Tewaaraton Trophy winners in Kristen Kjellman and Hannah Nielsen. The Tewaaraton Trophy is given annually to the nation's top collegiate lacrosse player. For her contributions to the game of women's lacrosse, Amonte Hiller was named Lacrosse Magazine's Person of the Year in 2008 and was honored with the U.S. Sports Academy's C. Vivian Stringer Coaching Award in 2009.
The success of Amonte Hiller's teams have not been limited to just the playing field. Since 2002, 76 Wildcats have been recognized as Academic All-Big Ten honorees and 15 have been named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll. In addition, Courtney Koester and Hilary Bowen were named the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All- Americans of the Year in the Women's At-Large Division, which encompasses nearly a dozen different sports. Amonte Hiller and her Wildcats also have played an essential role in the development and growth of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, beginning when the team "adopted" then-10-year-old Jaclyn Murphy in 2005 after she was stricken with a brain tumor.
"Kelly truly embodies what Northwestern University is all about," said Phillips. "Her success on the field is unequalled, but that is just the beginning. Her involvement with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation and the tremendous growth that organization has experienced, in part, because of her efforts, along with the success her players achieve in the classroom is what makes us so proud to have her as a key member of the Wildcat family for years to come."
