Midwest school relies on locals for lacrosse
Coach, players help produce title for Northwestern
Although Northwestern University is in Evanston, Ill., the heart of its national champion women's lacrosse team is from this area.
Start with the coach, Kelly Amonte Hiller. The Hingham native could play any sport and play it well growing up, and starred at Thayer Academy in Braintree.
She went on the University of Maryland where she was a four-time lacrosse All-American, leading them to national titles and being named the College Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996.
For the next three years she was an assistant coach at Brown University, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Boston University before being hired to revive
Her squad this spring featured plenty of Bay State talent, six in all and three from Boston's southern suburbs.
The top player on the team is Kristen Kjellman, a sophomore from Westwood, and one of five finalists for the Terwaaton trophy, given to the best women's lacrosse player in the country. She was the second leading scorer on the team, playing midfield, and was the American Lacrosse Conference Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. Kjellman was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Valuable Player after scoring five goals in the title game.
Laura Glassanos, a junior attack from Hingham and Thayer Academy, was the third leading scorer on the team, and a second-team All-American. But she missed the NCAA tournament with an injury. Sarah Albrect, a senior who sat out the 2003 season and is eligible to play next year, is from Braintree and Thayer Academy. She was the fourth-leading scorer on the team and a third-team All-American. Albrect came up huge in the postseason, scoring three goals in the title game and earning tournament All-Star honors.
Lacrosse runs in the family for Amonte Hiller, with her husband, Scott, head coach of the local Major League Lacrosse team, the Boston Cannons.
