Northwestern’s Kelly Amonte Hiller Emphasizes “Gift” of Adversity

If every Kelly Amonte Hiller tournament run carries a different meaning, this recent one felt distinctly special.

Though lacrosse history at Northwestern experienced a discontinuity from 1993 to 2001 after a budget cut that forced the team disbanded, Amonte Hiller made it extensive in recent history, who was assigned to rejuvenate this program in 2001, launching it as a varsity team the following year, capturing the first national championship in 2005 and becoming the apex of college women's lacrosse after securing the program's ninth title on Sunday. 

For the first decade, the 'Cats dominated with seven titles, but struggled for a repeat for more than 10 years until 2023. In a Chicago Magazine's story published before the season, Amonte Hiller described that period as a resettlement that made her decide to make the sport more enjoyable rather than asserting the unrelenting championship standard onto players.

This year was different. It was survival through adversity — midseason hurdles that eventually transformed into gifts.

When Northwestern women's lacrosse failed to open the home slate strong, dropping to Colorado 10-9 at Ryan Fieldhouse, the humiliation from the other side haunted, as the Buffaloes' players waved their team flag and celebrated on the field in front of a Wildcats crowd.

It felt like a gut punch to a program accustomed to winning.

"The biggest thing is you have to have a level of humility," Amonte Hiller said after that February loss, "because if you don't, you're gonna get humbled quick. We obviously didn't come out strong."

Fresh off a statement 20-12 win over Boston College in the season opener, the sudden collapse when the ‘Cats returned home raised questions. Though they resumed dominance against lesser opponents, the real tests came midseason when Syracuse and Ohio State consecutively upset Northwestern. 

The team could have fractured with loss and uncertainty looming in the most critical junctures of the season. However, they strung together.

"When those tough moments happen, we were able to talk through a lot of things and we had a lot of self-reflection," senior attacker Madison Taylor said on Sunday. "Once we're able to do that and build that belief up, I think we're able to do anything, and nothing was going to stop us."

As Taylor said, the 'Cats became unstoppable after that. Facing then-No. 1 North Carolina as a No. 12 team, Northwestern delivered a stunning 17-16 overtime victory at Dorrance Field — a moment Amonte Hiller believed was a "confidence booster," moving forward.

"Those adversities at the beginning of the season were such a gift to us," Amonte Hiller said on Sunday. "That's what we said. We said we can either look at this as a 'poor us,' or we can look at this as a massive gift, an opportunity to look at ourselves, reflect and find a way to really love each other more, be stronger individually, be stronger collectively."

The 'Cats let that momentum fly, consecutively upsetting Maryland, the other top-ranked team, and closed out the season undefeated. They beat that same opponent later in overtime to win the Big Ten Tournament.

Entering the NCAA Tournament from an underestimated position to the top seed, the 'Cats swept through the early rounds, slaughtering James Madison 17-5. But as the mood of delight gradually loomed larger, Amonte Hiller stepped in with a message to cool her players down: the job wasn't done yet.

"The No. 1 seed is a label; we don't focus on labels," she said before facing No. 8 Colorado again, the team that embarrassed them early. "We just go out there and try to be our best version of ourselves, and if we get caught up in who we are, what we've done in the past, we're going to get off track. What we're focused on is getting better every single day, enjoying the experience with each other and putting our best foot forward."

Just as expected, the Buffaloes proved why they upset the ‘Cats first and their underdog potential in the NCAA Tournament, troubling Northwestern again in Evanston and forcing overtime. But Northwestern, having battled twice in overtime before the tournament, translated that tenacity into the extra period. When all eyes focused on Taylor with the stick, she had proud teammates to take over. Junior midfielder Noel Cumberland delivered the game-winning free-position swing.

That poetic-justice moment came with Northwestern's aggressive attack and an already-resilient belief in winning it all. Whenever the 'Cats picked up ground balls and stepped through the midfield, they roared and bit. Despite being in a man-down scenario, Northwestern overwhelmed Colorado 6-0 in shot attempts during overtime until Cumberland's defining strike.

"We've had a lot of tough moments and we never stopped believing," Amonte Hiller said on Sunday when reviewing the season. "I just saw the Colorado coach on the field after we won. I gave her a hug and said, 'You know, this could have gone either way. You could have been here.' I just think that speaks to our resiliency."

Once Northwestern punched its ticket to the semifinals and hosted championship week at home, the sport blossomed from Chicagoland across the Midwest. From rebuilding the program two decades ago to tallying record-breaking attendance at Martin Stadium for a single women's lacrosse game, Amonte Hiller didn't just reinvent the program — she reinvented the sport itself in the area.

"I know a lot of people behind the scenes at Northwestern worked really hard to get those fans here," she said. "I've never been in a situation where we've had this many fans. That was a huge asset to us. Their energy carried us, and I'm just so grateful for them all coming out."

With 8,316 fans watching Sunday's title game, the 'Cats delivered. Though midgame ups and downs tugged on heartstrings, Amonte Hiller's in-game judgment proved crucial — particularly when she threw out the challenge flag on UNC's Reese King goal. That play, later overturned due to a crease violation, proved a momentum-shifting moment as it prevented Northwestern from trailing 10-7.

"That was massive. I was very confident in both challenges because I had the review with different angles," Amonte Hiller said.

Even in the championship game, her brevity was exemplified in deploying freshman Gabriella McCollester when Lucy Munro went down with an injury. The 'Cats pushed for a one-goal game, trailed by two and gradually fought back to a tie, then took the long-awaited lead after Aditi Foster's goal and McCollester's emergence—four goals in the second half from a freshman who had waited her turn.

In last year's title game, Taylor was shut down without a goal. This time, she decided differently, moving back as a major facilitator, delivering a career-high six assists for her most-trusted teammate.

"What we talked about going into this game was just attack, attack, attack," Taylor said. "Every time we got the ball, we just wanted to go, go, go."

But when the 'Cats needed her most to seal the game, she responded. Just like the game opened with cloudy and humid conditions after the early-morning storm and closed under glaring sunshine shed on the turf, Taylor, one of the Tewaaraton Award finalists this year, delivered her only goal of the afternoon in the final minute — wrapping up her Wildcats career glamorously with two crowns, bringing the team's campaign to its ninth national championship that allowed Amonte Hiller to become the winningest coach in Division I women's lacrosse championship history.

"After our Ohio State loss, you kind of doubt for a second, 'are we going to make the NCAA Tournament?'" Amonte Hiller reflected. "To see what we've done and to go wire-to-wire after that moment, to have that big first win against North Carolina, which I think was a huge confidence booster. It showed that when we believe in each other and put our whole heart into it, we really can do anything we want to do."

Learning from adversities, Amonte Hiller rewrote the narrative for Northwestern women's lacrosse in 2026 and capped the season in a storied ending.