Northwestern University Athletics
Kelly Amonte Hiller Looks Ahead To Upcoming 2011 Season
2/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Feb. 8, 2011
Northwestern begins its 10th season of lacrosse since regaining varsity status this season, opening up the 2011 schedule on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Notre Dame in a rematch of last year's NCAA first round. NUsports.com recently sat down with Wildcat head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller to get her thoughts on the upcoming season, and what will be the keys to another successful campaign.
On the motivation coming off last season...
"Sometimes when you win, you lose perspective on making sure the small day-to-day details are important, and hopefully that loss in the championship will help us refocus ourselves on the basics. That's the main goal for the coaching staff is to refocus on what originally brought us to the level of success. We don't have that winning tradition anymore. It's just us going out there and playing and setting our new traditions. It's pretty exciting and it's a fresh new start for the girls, and is something they are really embracing."
On how the team has gelled since returning to campus in the fall...
"We have a very young group this year. We have 11 freshmen, so that is why the cohesiveness is so important and why it has been a point of emphasis. If we are going to have success this year, we need to get that group not only up to speed, but comfortable and confident in their roles. They really got put into the fire in the fall, going up against some great competition and they got a lot of game experience and saw what it takes to be successful at the next level. But along with that, we have a small group of seniors and the leadership from those upperclassmen is extremely important. Without strong leaders, it is extremely hard to be successful and so it has been exciting to see leadership from every class step up. Because we have so many newcomers, we've been stressing the importance of the returning players to let them know what this program is all about and what last year felt like."
On the Wildcat seniors...
"This is the year for this class to shine and really take possession of this team. Colleen Magarity has been a huge leader for us, and last year really emerged as a top defender, being named to the all ALC team. She is very consistent all over the field, and we are going to need that consistency this year. She has really been our on-field leader, but you also look at players like Kirstyn Atkinson, Rachel Fox and Darby St. Clair-Barrie, who may have had more of a reserve role but their leadership is invaluable to this team. I also think youíll see Brooke Matthews in a different aspect this year, as weíve moved her down to attack at times during the fall, so she'll be bouncing back and forth between different positions. But she has done a great job at embracing her role and I think youíll see her elevate her game this season as well."
On the Wildcat juniors...
"This is going to be a big year for our junior class. Shannon Smith is the lone returner on our attack from last year and she has really stepped into that leadership role. We're going to look to her a lot this year, and I think she's excited to embrace that role. In regards to Alex Frank, it's just exciting to see her back and healthy, which is what really hampered her the entire year last year. She's gained a lot of confidence knowing she can go 100 percent and you can see how much she has developed as a player because of that. Lacey Vigmostad bounced back and forth between midfield and defense last year, which is a role she will probably be asked to play again and sheís excited about the upcoming season. As a whole, this is a really solid junior class. Maria Tedeschi is another one that has stepped up her play in the preseason, and I think you will see some new faces emerge."
On the Wildcat sophomores...
"Taylor Thornton really established herself last year, especially at the end of the season, as did Erin Fitzgerald and Gabriella Flibotte. For Taylor, we're looking for her to be more of an impact all over the field. She'll play some offense and some defense and it is something she has really gotten excited about. She has some amazing offensive skills and its her time to start showing those off. Erin has been an incredibly hard-working leader for us and has set the tone for the work ethic ever since the North Carolina loss last year. She has elevated her gave tremendously and you'll see her be a much bigger factor both on attack as well as the midfield. The other sophomores have also shown great strides and learned a lot during their freshman season and will be asked to assume much greater roles than they were last year."
On the Wildcat freshmen...
"This class has great potential. We've got players that scored a bunch of goals in high school and it has been an adjustment to see them at the next level. They've really utilized the fall to grow and learn, and have worked very hard over the break to get where they need to be. We're still trying to figure out where they will fit in position-wise, but fans will be able to see a great production by this freshman class."
On the Wildcats' challenging schedule...
"We've always subscribed to the idea that if you want to be good, you have to play the best teams. But at this point, we're really trying to just focus in on ourselves. If we're going to be good this year, we're going to need to mature and get better every single day, and that has been our focus. We haven't mentioned one team on the schedule because we can't control what they do. With such a long preseason schedule this year, our goal was to utilize this time to get our team to develop and get our team to where it needs to be. Hopefully we do a good enough job so that when we step out on the field against the top teams in the country, we'll be able to take advantage of those opportunities. Having great competition, especially early, is going to elevate us to play better and to compete more as a team. We don't know what will happen, but are excited about the opportunities we have in front of us."
On Amonte Hiller's focus during practices and competition...
"My goal has always been to focus more on how we are playing on the field and not worry about what it says on the scoreboard. This year that is going to be even more important. During a loss, I think people tend to be more focused in on the results and not how we played during the course of the game. If we play to what our standard is, we shouldn't have to worry about the scoreboard. If we don't win and play to our standard, then our opponent deserves all the praise for being the better team. We're just looking to play to the standard of Northwestern lacrosse, which is very high. The team and the coaches have set that standard, which in our minds is more important than what it says on the scoreboard."
On the American Lacrosse Conference...
"The conference is going to be as strong as it's ever been this year. Every game will be extremely competitive. We saw Florida in the fall, and they look very good and very strong -- much more mature than last year, which you would expect from a team that has gotten the chance to play together for a full season. I've know (Penn State head coach) Missy Doherty for years and had the chance to play with her in college and she's a great coach, so I know she's going to do great things with that program. Alexis (Venechanos) is over at Ohio State now and she was one of my assistants, and she is going to do a phenomenal job with that program as well. Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt have shown they are consistent competitors and they will be in the mix this year as well. It's really going to be a fight to the end in our conference, which is exciting. That will elevate the play of everyone in the conference and continue to set ourselves up as one of the best in the country."
On facing her former head coach Cindy Timchal...
"She is a wizard in coaching. That's the best way I can describe it. She is an amazing leader and mentor and that game (against Navy) will be special for us, not just going up against Cindy but also playing in Annapolis at the stadium where we won our first national championship in 2005 and what a special season that was for us. Maybe it will only mean something to Scott (Hiller) and myself, being we're the only two left from that season, but it will be a special game and to play an institution like the Naval Academy is a pretty cool honor. They represent all the right things, and so I have a feeling it will be a special day for our girls."
On the opportunity to play at Cowboys Stadium...
"One of my goals is to help spread the game of lacrosse across the country and help grow the sport. We've had the opportunity to play games in San Diego the last two years and this year I wanted to do something a little different and give another area the chance to see women's lacrosse at the highest level. For Taylor (Thornton), she is very well known in Texas and has really helped increase the popularity of the game in that area, and we're excited for her to get the chance to suit up in her hometown. Add to that the fact that we get to play in Dallas Cowboys Stadium and to have full access to the facility, I just really think its going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our girls."
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