If you’re a hockey fan, especially one living in Chicago, you know the name Amonte, as in Tony Amonte, the cog that keeps the Chicago Blackhawks offense running.
If you’re a lacrosse fan and you live in Chicago, you may not be familiar with the name Amonte, as in Kelly Amonte-Hiller, the new women’s lacrosse coach at Northwestern. But you will be soon enough.
In its attempt to find a coach to resurrect a varsity lacrosse program that folded in 1991, NU’s athletic department went out and nabbed a proven winner from one of Boston’s most prominent athletic families.
Amonte-Hiller’s sister and both of her brothers played sports at the college level. Her mother has a cousin who played professional hockey. And Tony’s wife played lacrosse at Boston College.
“We definitely have good genes,” Amonte-Hiller said.
To most it would seem that Tony got the best of the genes, but Amonte-Hiller said her dad used to tell people she was a better athlete than her more famous brother.
Need an example of her athletic prowess? Look no further than her history on the lacrosse field, which landed her on Sports Illustrated’s list of Massachusetts’ greatest sports figures of the century (she’s ranked No. 21).
As a kid, Amonte-Hiller remembers playing every sport possible. Yet she never picked up a lacrosse stick until she was in the ninth grade.
Four years later she was on her way to Maryland to play varsity lacrosse for one of the most prestigious Division I programs in the country. And when she wasn’t starring in lacrosse she was playing varsity soccer.
The list of accolades Amonte-Hiller earned as a Terrapin could fill a children’s book. She helped lead her team to the national semifinals her junior year and to the title game her senior year. She was a four-year All-American in lacrosse, and she also earned All-American honors in soccer. In 1996 she was named Atlantic Coast Conference female athlete of the year.
Amonte-Hiller left Maryland with the school’s all-time record for goals, assists and points. She also scored points in the classroom as a member of the Dean’s List.
And her playing days are far from over. She was recently named to the 2001 American women’s World Cup lacrosse team and will compete in England this summer.
But perhaps Amonte-Hiller’s greatest accomplishment was that during her entire four years at Maryland, the women’s lacrosse team dropped only three games.
“I don’t like to lose,” Amonte-Hiller said.
Neither does her team at NU.
As a club team, the Wildcats are currently No. 2 in the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse League poll and have posted a 7-0 mark so far this season.
And they haven’t just beaten opponents – they’ve annihilated them.
During last weekend’s NU Playday, the Cats embarrassed Bethel, Wheaton and Washington by a combined score of 50-3. Even though these were wins over club teams, the pure domination NU has displayed shows that Amonte-Hiller’s ambition has already worn off on her players.
When the Cats become a varsity team next year, they will most likely have to forget the double-digit victories and just worry about coming out on top. But if anything, Amonte-Hiller has made sure the Cats will be prepared.
Besides having a year to work on the field with next year’s returning players, Amonte-Hiller has taken her hard-working mentality off the field and begun to prepare for the future. In December she got nine recruits to commit to her and a program that has not played a varsity game in more than 10 years (since then the number has risen to 14).
Older brother Tony is slowly becoming a Chicago hockey legend and will no doubt leave an impression on the city by the time he leaves the Blackhawks. And if Amonte-Hiller’s start at NU – and her life to this point – is any indication, Tony might not be the only sibling to leave a lasting memory.
