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Northwestern Women's Lacrosse News |
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May 29, 2008
NU's Hannah Nielsen Captures Tewaaraton Trophy
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WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Tewaaraton Trophy will remain in Evanston as junior midfielder
Hannah Nielsen (Adelaide, Australia/Brighton Secondary) was honored as the top female
collegiate lacrosse player in the nation. A finalist last season, Nielsen becomes
the second
Wildcat to capture the sport’s most prestigious award as former teammate Kristen
Kjellman
took home the trophy in 2006 and 2007.
“Hannah really was such an incredible leader for the program this year,” head coach
Kelly
Amonte Hiller said of Nielsen. “No matter what the situation, she stepped up and
made a
difference for the team. It’s so exciting for Northwestern lacrosse to have this
award won
by a team member three consecutive years.”
Nielsen was a vital component of Northwestern’s fourth-straight national championship,
serving as the quarterback of the Wildcat offense. She led the team in points for the
second-straight year with 114, becoming the first player in the program’s history to
put
together back-to-back 100 point seasons. Her 63 assists on the year led the
Wildcats, and
she was one of three players to record at least 50 goals, finishing with 51. She
finishes her
junior campaign ranked fourth on the all-time points list at Northwestern with 256
points
(115g, 141a). During this year’s NCAA tournament run, Nielsen tallied 12 goals and 10
assists, including the final two against Penn to clinch the title en route to being
named to
the all-tournament team.
The American Lacrosse Conference Player of the Year and ALC Championship Most
Valuable Player, Nielsen surpassed current assistant coach Lindsey Munday as the
Wildcats’
all-time assist leader in the ALC finals, and her 141 career assists already places
her third
in the NCAA record book, just 37 shy of Maryland’s Jen Adams’ all-time record of
178. She
set the single-season assist record in 2007 with 69, and followed it up with 63 in
2008 – the
third-best single-season performance in NCAA history. A first-team IWLCA/US Lacrosse
All-
American, Nielsen also added to her reputation as one of the most consistent players
in the
country, contributing at least one point in 44 consecutive games for the Wildcats.
Nationally, Nielsen was among the nation’s best in a handful of categories. She
ranked
second in points (114) and assists (63), third in points per game (5.18) and assists
per
game (2.86), and was fifth in draw controls (63). She recently was named one of four
finalists for the 2008 Lacrosse Honda Sports Award and earned WomensLax.com Player of
the Year honors.
It marked the second-straight year that Northwestern had a pair of Tewaaraton Trophy
finalists, as Nielsen was joined by senior defender Christy Finch (Hudson,
Ohio/Hudson), the
nation’s leader in caused turnovers (70). Finch finished her impressive Wildcat career
ranked fourth in NCAA history in caused turnovers (183) and compiled an overall
record of
83-3 in a Northwestern uniform.
“To have two players nominated as finalists for this award is a great honor for our
program,” Amonte Hiller said.
Northwestern fans are invited to celebrate Nielsen’s Tewaaraton Trophy as well as the
team’s fourth-straight national championship at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, at Lakeside
Field.
The Wildcats will be on hand to sign autographs and mingle with fans, and a tailgate
will
also be provided.
Source: Northwestern Sports Information Department
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