Hall of Famer Kjellman Marshall’s Reflections on the Northwestern Dynasty

She was there at the start.

That’s about all that needs to be said about Kristen Kjellman Marshall, one of the members of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

Quite simply, she was one of the catalysts that jump started one of the greatest women’s lacrosse dynasties in collegiate history.

Kjellman, a native of Massachusetts, arrived at Northwestern in the fall of 2003 following an All-America high school career at Westwood High School. The Wildcats, who had returned to varsity status just two years earlier under new head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, had yet to post a winning record, let alone earn an NCAA tournament berth. But all of that changed rather quickly.

In Kjellman’s first season, Northwestern finished 15-3, shared first place honors in its league, and recorded its first NCAA tournament win of Amonte Hiller’s tenure. The next year, the Cats rolled to an undefeated 21-0 record and captured their first NCAA national championship. And it was just the beginning.

Kjellman became one of the pillars for a program that added two more NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007 and has become one of the sport’s iconic brands. The Wildcats now own eight national championships, along with 53 NCAA tournament wins since it all started with Kjellman in 2004.

“Kelly and (assistant coach) Scott (Hiller) were able to assemble a group of people who were hard workers, believed in the vision, played for each other and were very unselfish,” Kjellman Marshall said. “There were times when they wanted me to lead, and there were times where I wanted someone else to take the lead, and we all really worked together and knew what our common goal was. Everyone played a part.”

Kjellman still has vivid memories of Northwestern’s 2005 championship run, capping its first undefeated season with a 13-10 win over Virginia in the NCAA final. She was named tournament MVP after scoring five first-half goals in the championship game.

“That final game was probably one of the most memorable moments of my life,” Kjellman Marshall said. “That unexpected feeling of winning for the first time is incredible and hard to describe. I think a lot of us were shocked and surprised, but at the same time, we knew we could be there and knew that we deserved to be there.”

Kjellman earned the first of her three straight national midfielder of the year awards following the 2005 season, and also became the first back-to-back winner of the Tewaaraton Award in her junior and senior seasons as Northwestern added two more NCAA titles. The Cats finished with a cumulative 62-2 record in Kjellman’s final three seasons.

“The personal achievements were really a result of all the people around me, and a reflection of the team’s success” said Kjellman, who finished as Northwestern’s all-time leader in goals scored (250) and points (349). “Honestly, I just really believed in our system and our people, and Kelly did an amazing job of resetting us each year. She was so good at keeping us in the moment.”

As evidence, Kjellman points to Northwestern’s practices as being the secret sauce for the overwhelming success.

“I think the practices were what separated us at that time,” she said. “They were intense, with a lot of focus and hard work. But they were awesome.  We had a great offense and defense in those years, so that really helped us become strong on both ends. We pushed each other, which made me better and made all of us much more confident going into our games. I loved going to practices.”

Two years after capping her collegiate career with the third national championship, Kjellman added another title to her illustrious resume, winning a world championship as a member of the 2009 U.S. Women’s World Cup Team.

“It had always been a dream of mine to make a World Cup team, and I was fortunate to make that team, which was kind of icing on the cake for my career,” she said. “It was super special.”

Kjellman retired from being an active player shortly after the world championship, leaving one of the most impactful legacies in women’s lacrosse history.

“Kristen is absolutely one of the best ever to play the game of lacrosse,” Amonte Hiller said. “I still run across people all the time that know her career and all that she accomplished. There is absolutely nobody more deserving than Kristen for this Hall of Fame award.”

Kjellman Marshall and the other members of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 will be officially inducted on January 11 at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. Tickets are available for online purchase at www.usalacrosse.com/HOF.