With No. 1 Northwestern clinging to a one-goal lead in the closing minutes of Sunday’s regular season finale at then-No. 4 Michigan, Wolverine midfielder Annabelle Burke darted toward the visitors’ cage. Burke boasted a sure-fire chance, but graduate student defender Jane Hansen tracked her mark and laid down a swift stick check, jarring the ball free into the crease.
“Jane just has no fear,” junior defender Sammy White said. “She’s so good at the back check, and I just love watching her play.”
Hansen’s textbook stop helped the Wildcats secure their second consecutive Big Ten regular season title — the team’s third in the past four years.
One of two NU defenders to have started all 15 games in 2024, Hansen seldom played the position before coach Kelly Amonte Hiller slotted her there last season.
“I got put on the (defensive) end, and I was definitely nervous about it at first,” Hansen said. “That wasn’t really my strong suit for the majority of my career, but Kelly had a vision for me.”
A four-year varsity starter at Cohasset High School, Hansen scored 472 points, shattering her older sister Elle’s program points record. The younger sister shone as a two-way midfielder, earning US Lacrosse All-American honors in her final three high school seasons.
Cohasset coach Joe Fitzgerald said Hansen was a transcendent player pivotal to the program’s first-ever Massachusetts state championship in 2017.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone as fast as her on the field,” Fitzgerald said. “I’ve never seen anybody play like she did.”
Following in her sister’s footsteps to Evanston, Hansen actualized a childhood dream to play for Amonte Hiller’s Midwestern powerhouse. Around the time she first picked up a lacrosse stick, Hansen’s cousins Meredith Frank McGinnis and Alex Frank won seven combined national titles with the ’Cats.
Hansen made a midfield mark as a true freshman before COVID-19 canceled the season after just seven games. She then stepped into an elevated role during her sophomore year. However, a torn ACL derailed her would-be junior campaign.
“That was the first time I was ever taken away from the sport that I love,” Hansen said. “It was a growth opportunity for me. I learned a lot about myself through adversity.”
Embarking on the ACL recovery process alongside Elle and graduate student attacker Izzy Scane, Hansen said the trio drew significant inspiration from one another. She added that a “super intentional” approach in the weight room and training facility ensured optimal rehabilitation.
Upon returning to play, Hansen shifted into newfound territory. Amonte Hiller possessed a deep attacking and midfield arsenal, but Hansen became a key defensive piece off the bench, catching fire at the grandest moment — NU’s 2023 national championship run.
“She really found her groove toward the end of the season,” Amonte Hiller said. “She’s just an unreal takeaway defender … She can do things all over the field.”
While Hansen emerged as a nationally touted prospect before she even stepped foot on a high school field, she said she has struggled with confidence issues throughout her career.
Hansen said her eight-time national champion coach has consistently helped her embrace gratitude and make the most of every opportunity.
“I’ve struggled a lot with letting mistakes get to me, and she’s helped me let that stuff go and be a more positive person,” Hansen said of Amonte Hiller. “I have a great support system on the team and the staff that I know I can lean on.”
With defender Allie Berkery graduating in June 2023, Hansen attacked her first fully-healthy offseason in two years, eyeing a coveted starting spot.
The 2024 season also marked her first collegiate action without her sister by her side.
“We’ve been playing together ever since second grade,” Hansen said. “Getting to play with her for four years (here) was a special experience.”
Hansen said the adjustment was tough at first, but she went through the same experience in her final high school season. Much like her final go-around at Cohasset, Hansen — who said she tended to quietly push her teammates by example earlier in her career — has made significant strides as a vocal leader.
Heading into postseason play, Hansen has helped anchor a stout shot-stopping unit, scooping 26 ground balls and compiling 23 caused turnovers. As she vies for a second national crown, Hansen said she wants to set an example for the next generation of lacrosse stars.
“She has incredible abilities, and she’s really starting to believe in those abilities,” Amonte Hiller said. “She’s only going to get better from week to week.”
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