Cats’ lacrosse coach taking on global competition in England

Kelly Amonte-Hiller hasn’t coached her first varsity game at Northwestern just yet, but that hasn’t stopped her from having an impact on the lacrosse world.

The Wildcats’ leader, once a four-time All-American with Maryland, is currently in High Wycombe, England, representing the United States in the 2001 Women’s World Cup. The Americans won the tournament in 1997 and are off to a good start once again, thanks in large part to the Cats’ coach.

Amonte-Hiller racked up 14 points in her team’s first three games. She also picked up Player of the Match honors against Australia in a 7-5 U.S. win that was also a rematch of the 1997 final. The Americans were 3-0 after Monday, with the win over the Aussies sandwiched by blowout wins against Wales and England. As a result, the team earned a top seed in its pool and will square off against competitors from a second four-team pool to determine the world champion. In order to get to the championship, the United States has to win two more contests.

The tournament concludes on Saturday with a playoff for third place and the championship game.

NU sophomore victim to 1st round defeat at U.S. Publinx

Northwestern sophomore Tom Johnson dropped his first-round match in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Chanmpionship Wednesday to Michigan native Michael Austin.

Johnson, who played second fiddle to recently graduated Luke Donald on last year’s NU team, had qualified for match play by finishing eighth in a field of 64 at a two-round tournament in San Antonio. Johnson actually did five shots better than Austin in the stroke-play qualifier but lost 3-and-2 when they went head-to-head.

Austin will next play Jason Winter of Camarillo, Calif., in the second round.

With Donald’s graduation, Johnson is expected to take on the burden of being the Wildcats’ top player beginning this fall.