Recognizing the Northwestern Women's Lacrosse Team

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I would like to congratulate the Northwestern Wildcats for winning this year's National Collegiate Athletics Association--NCAA--Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship. This historic victory marks the team's first national title since 2012, nearly a decade in the making.

Clinching a championship comes down to a series of moments: split- second decisions during showdowns on the field, putting in extra sprints after practice, and taking time to strategize after a close loss. For the Northwestern women's lacrosse team, this year's victory can be traced back to one moment in 2002. That was the year Northwestern started its varsity women's lacrosse program with Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller at the helm, a role she still holds to this day. A lacrosse legend in her own right, Coach Amonte Hiller has cultivated a culture of excellence at Northwestern.

During her first year, Coach Amonte Hiller built an impressive team, recruiting players from across the country and adding students from around campus. Two players on the inaugural team had never even played lacrosse. Nonetheless, Coach Amonte Hiller saw something in the young team--and her instincts were right: The players, who began as freshmen, went on to finish the 2005 season 21-0. It was the first time the Wildcats were crowned national champions, but not the last. And with their victory in 2005, Northwestern became the first non-Eastern Time Zone school--male or female--to win an NCAA national championship in lacrosse. In every season that followed, Coach Amonte Hiller led the Wildcats to the NCAA finals--and secured the championship eight times.

Throughout her tenure, Coach Amonte Hiller has been applauded for her recruitment efforts--searching for players across the country and shaking up the model for what collegiate lacrosse teams traditionally have looked like. While lacrosse was invented by Native Americans, collegiate teams have been predominantly White, with the majority of recruits coming from the East Coast. Instead of limiting her recruiting efforts to this area of the country, Coach Amonte Hiller has sought to discover talent from all over. In fact, one member of the Wildcats was inspired to play at Northwestern as a young athlete, after watching a fellow Black player and Texas native, who Coach Amonte Hiller had recruited, compete in the NCAA finals. And in 2011, ``ESPN The Magazine'' named Coach Amonte Hiller one of the 20 best recruiters across all college sports, joining the ranks of other NCAA championship winning coaches.

Resilience can be defined as believing in the possibility of success and remaining determined to overcome any challenge. And the Wildcats rise to this year's NCAA national championship was a masterclass in resilience. Last season, after a bitter loss that knocked Northwestern out of the semifinals, alongside season-long injuries that kept key players on the sidelines, the Wildcats dusted themselves off and committed themselves to bringing home a national title. Several players even made the decision to stay on campus and play in their fifth year of eligibility as graduate students, which meant putting their postgraduation plans on hold. And it was a sacrifice worth making.

The Wildcats never shied away from a challenge, and the team filled their schedule with tough, matchups. They opened the 2023 season with a game against a top-ranked team, which they lost by a single point. It was the Wildcats' first and final loss of the season, and they began a 21-game winning streak.

In the championship game, the Wildcats faced Boston College. With vital contributions from both freshman players and graduate students alike, the depth of the Wildcats' bench was on full display. They finished the game with a 12-point lead. And as a result, for the first time in 11 years, the Northwestern Wildcats claimed the national title.

The continued success of this program has inspired young athletes throughout the region. The expansion of lacrosse to other colleges and westward, along with the rise in demand for youth lacrosse in Illinois, is a testament to the excitement Northwestern has helped generate. Since that fateful moment in 2002, when Amonte Hiller took the reins as coach, Northwestern has emerged as a powerhouse in women's lacrosse.

I would like to congratulate every member of the Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse team, and especially Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller for her years of leadership. This year's national championship will be Amonte Hiller's eighth national title, matching Navy coach, Cindy Timchal, for the most won championships in women's college lacrosse history.

Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller and her team represent the best of Illinois. I hope their resilience, dedication, and commitment will continue to serve as an inspiration for young athletes across the country for years to come.

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