June 21, 2010
2010 Northwestern Lacrosse Final Release 
Updated Northwestern Lacrosse History/Record Book
2010 Wildcat Recap
2010 proved to be another memorable season for head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller and her Wildcats as Northwestern finished the year with a 20-2 record, its sixth-straight American Lacrosse Conference title and a national runner-up finish. The Wildcats led the nation in points (488), goals per game (16.59), scoring margin (7.77 goals per game) and draw controls (17.27), boasting a 14-2 record against opponents ranked in the IWLCA top-20 poll and an 8-2 mark against those in the top-10.
Wildcats Notch Sixth-Straight ALC Crown
Since joining the American Lacrosse Conference in 2002, Northwestern has posted a 45-9 (.833) record including six consecutive undefeated conference regular seasons. The Wildcats have won all four ALC Championships, posting an 8-0 record since the tournament began in 2007, and have captured the last six conference titles. With the 23-14 victory over Vanderbilt in the ALC title game, Northwestern extended its conference winning streak to 36 games, including both regular season and tournament games, which dates back to the 2004 season.
Dowd Named Attacker of the Year; Five 'Cats Earn All-American Honors
Senior Katrina Dowd proved to be one of the nation's most electric players, finishing with 77 goals and 33 assists (110 points) and among the top-five nationally in four different category. A Tewaaraton Award and Honda Lacrosse Award finalist, Dowd was named the IWLCA's Attacker of the Year after finishing among the top-five nationally in four different categories, including goals per game (3.67) and points per game (5.24). She was named a first team All-American for the second-straight year and was joined by fellow attackers Shannon Smith and Danielle Spencer. Midfielder Alexandra Frank was named a second team All-American while defender Taylor Thornton garnered third team honors.
Northwestern Extends NCAA Tournament Record Win Streak to 23 Games
With the 15-10 victory over North Carolina in the semifinals, Northwestern continued to solidifiy its place in history. The win was the 23rd-consecutive in the NCAA tournament as Northwestern recently surpassed Maryland's previous record of 21 set from 1995 through 2002. Head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, who played at Maryland from 1993-96, is 24-2 in her career in the postseason for a .923 winning percentage, the tops in the sport's history. Northwestern advanced to the NCAA title game for the sixth-straight season and boasts an overall record of 25-7 in 12 trips to the postseason, as its .781 tournament winning percentage is tops all-time.
Dowd Becomes NCAA's All-Time Leading Tournament Goal Scorer
Katrina Dowd earned the reputation as "Miss May," and with good reason. She closes out her Wildcat career with 45 goals in the NCAA tournament, surpassing former teammate Hilary Bowen as the NCAA's record holder. Dowd, who set the single-tournament mark with 22 goals in 2009, also became just the fourth player in Division I history to surpass 50 career points, finishing with 53 for her career.
Dowd, Spencer End Their Wildcat Careers Among All-Time Greats
Seniors Katrina Dowd and Danielle Spencer continue to make up one of the most feared offensive tandems in the country while moving up the program's all-time scoring chart. Dowd became the fourth member of the Northwestern 200-goal club, sitting at 209 for her career, while ranking sixth all-time in points (266) and 10th in assists (57). Dowd has also proven to be a threat all over the field, ranking eighth in program history in draw controls (83), caused turnovers (57) and ground balls (112). Spencer moved into a tie for seventh all-time in Wildcat history in points (235) and is currently sixth in goals (191) and 11th in assists (44). Spencer has also emerged as one of the country's top draw control threats as her 198 draws are fourth all-time in program history and her 105 on the year is a new program single-season record and is the fourth-highest single-season total in NCAA history.
For the complete final release, click the PDF link above.
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