If there’s one name that has become synonymous with the success of Northwestern women’s lacrosse, it’s Kelly Amonte Hiller.
The Hall of Fame head coach of the seven-time national champion Wildcats holds records for most NCAA Tournament victories and career winning percentage, as if her seven American Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year awards didn’t already crowd her résumé.
Still, if there is one thing clear about Amonte Hiller, it’s that she’s never satisfied. As Northwestern looks to add another national title to its already stacked trophy case, North by Northwestern caught up with Amonte Hiller to discuss the incredible program she has anchored and her expectations for 2013.
When you’re as decorated as you have been, can the season still be considered a success if you don’t win the national title?
I think it can. The expectation is to win, but there’s only one team that wins. If we feel that we’ve put everything out there, I think that’s the measure of your success. Do you feel like you played with no regret and you put everything out there and you did everything you could? I think as long as can you feel that every time you step out on the field, that’s really what it’s about. Its not about the wins and losses. Hopefully, if you do that, and your standards are high, you can put yourself in a position to win.
The one recent year that you didn’t win it all (2010, in a championship game loss to Maryland), did that reignite the fire within you and your players? Do you think there was a bit of complacency after winning so many years in a row?
I don’t think that I have complacency. I was brought up to be very, very driven. That’s one thing that helps this program. Our staff is really driven, and really not settling for anything less than the standard we started in the beginning. [We’re] trying to be innovative and creative. It’s our job to convey that to our players. Anytime you have a setback, it inspires you to do better, whether it’s a regular season game or the loss against Maryland in the championship game. I think that was a tough one to take. Even our current assistant, Danielle Spencer, she was a senior on that team, and she still has that fire inside based on that loss. Sometimes it can inspire, and sometimes it’s just a regular season game that can ignite us. That’s happened several times in the past several years. Last year, [a loss] against Florida in the ALC Championship, that game definitely ignited this team.
How do you handle the pressure of being No.1, and how do you help the girls who haven’t necessarily been through this before go through a season where the team has a target on its back?
Pressure is what you put on yourself, so I don’t really feel any pressure. The biggest pressure that I feel is the pressure I put on myself to keep the standard that I want. For my team, I hope they feel that same way too, and that the biggest pressure they feel is the standard that we create for ourselves and each other. If we can do that, it doesn’t really matter what someone else thinks of us. Some other ranking? That’s just someone’s opinion. What matters is what we do everyday and the standard that we keep for ourselves everyday.
There’s talk of Northwestern lacrosse having a family atmosphere. How does that go into helping you guys be successful on the field?
If you want to be successful in anything, you have to be passionate about it. If you’re working in a group setting, you have to be passionate about each other. If you don’t do that, it’s very hard to get that connection, that chemistry you need to be successful. It’s just really putting it all out there, and not being afraid, and seeing what happens.
How would you compare this team to teams you’ve had in the past? Is it too early to tell?
This team is unique. I think they’re very athletic, they’ve got some really big personalities, in a good way. And I think they’ve got a lot of potential, so I’m really excited about this team.
How do you go about replacing a player like Shannon Smith, the program’s all-time leading scorer who graduated back in June?
She’s a fantastic player. [Just like] any other time we’ve lost a great player, everyone’s got to step up to fill the gaps.