Aug. 3, 2009
The 2008-09 athletic year at Northwestern University was one to be remembered. Filled with a plethora of memorable wins, honors and championships, there was much to be celebrated this past year in Evanston. Be sure to follow along at NUsports.com through August 10 as a look back is taken at just some of the numerous highlights the Wildcats experienced.
Nielsen Captures Second-Straight Tewaaraton Trophy
Nielsen Repeats as Lacrosse Honda Sports Award Winner
Nielsen Becomes NCAA Division I All-Time Assist Leader
EVANSTON, Ill. -- When it comes to the listing the greatest players in NCAA Division I women's lacrosse history, there are a handful of names that come to the top of the list. But after her remarkable four year career in Evanston, Hannah Nielsen's name has officially become a part of that list.
Entering the 2009 season, it would be hard to top what Nielsen had already accomplished during her time in Evanston. She had already been a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist twice, capturing the sport's most prestigious award in 2008, won the Lacrosse Honda Sports Award in 2008 and had three national championship rings.
But Nielsen set the tone early in the year for what would prove to be one of the best single-season performances in NCAA history. In the second game of the year against Duquesne, Nielsen dished out 10 assists, setting a new NCAA single-game record. But that was just the beginning. Entering the year needing just 37 helpers to become the Division I all-time assist leader, Nielsen accomplished the feat in the 11th game of the year, feeding Meredith Frank for a goal against fourth-ranked Duke on April 3 at Lakeside Field.
Nielsen would finish with 83 assists on the year, shattering her previous Division I single-season of 69 set in 2007. She became the first player to eclipse 200 assists in a career, finishing with 224. Nielsen capped her Northwestern career as the program's all-time points leader with 398 (174G, 224A), the third-highest total in NCAA history. And if that weren't enough, her 16 assists in the 2009 NCAA tournament and her 35 career NCAA tournament assists are also Division I records.
Her exploits on the field earned Nielsen a handful of individual accolades. She was named the Tewaaraton Trophy winner for the second-straight year, becoming just the second player in the award's history to capture the honor twice. Nielsen repeated as the Lacrosse Honda Sports Award winner and was named a finalist for the Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year in both 2008 and 2009. A three-time first-team All-American, she was named the Player of the Year by both the IWLCA and American Lacrosse Conference.
But for Nielsen, who was one of four Wildcat team captains, all that mattered was what happened on the field. The Northwestern senior class had joked coming in to the 2009 season that the only thing they hadn't done was go undefeated. Behind Nielsen's leadership, that final mission was accomplished as the Wildcats went 23-0 en route to their fifth-straight national championship. For Nielsen, who started all 88 games in an Northwestern uniform with an 85-3 overall record, it was the perfect ending to an incredible career.