Four-Time National Champion Nielsen Shares Vision as Head Coach
7/6/2017 11:30:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Hannah Nielsen is one of the greats of the game.
Now the two-time national player of the year is on a mission to make the University of Michigan women's lacrosse program great.
Nielsen, winner of the Tewaaraton Award in 2008 and 2009 as the best in her sport while finishing her career with four NCAA championships at Northwestern, was hired Tuesday (June 27) by athletic director Warde Manuel to lead the Wolverines.
Michigan is headed into its fifth season as a varsity squad and about to move into the new South Competition and Performance Complex and a 2,000-seat lacrosse facility, and Nielsen is eager to take the program into the future while aiming for the accomplishments achieved in her past.
Nielsen, 29, has been an assistant coach for six seasons at Northwestern, Colorado, Towson and Penn State. She's continued playing internationally and will be competing in her fourth World Cup for her native Australia in July. She was part of the World Cup champions in 2005 and selected as a World Cup All-Star in 2009 and 2013.
Q: You had a storybook career, going 85-3 with four NCAA titles and those two player of the year awards. Can you put into words what your college career meant to you?
A: A dream come true is the best way to describe it. A lot of people in my club team back home (in Adelaide) ended up at the University of Maryland, and from a young age I knew I wanted to do this. I grew up idolizing college programs and was obsessed with the college lacrosse scene. So, just coming here and playing it was a dream come true. The success I was able to have as a team foremost and then as an individual was just a bonus.
It's taken me getting a little older to realize what we accomplished as a team, and becoming a coach showed me just how hard it was to win those four national championships. At the time, I expected to win and wanted to win. But now, reflecting back, it was something I couldn't have imagined.
Q: Your coach at Northwestern, Kelly Amonte Hiller, was once quoted as saying about you: "She has a Larry Bird characteristic of making the people around her better." That's a high compliment, being compared to one of the NBA's all-time greats.
A: That's how I play, and that's the way I like to be. I'd much rather do things for the people around me than do things for myself. That's the nature of how I played growing up in a very selfless environment in Australia. I just naturally became a playmaker from behind the net. (Nielsen holds NCAA Division I records for assists in a single-season, 83 in 2009, and career, 224.)
Q: That team-first approach translates well into coaching.
A: Yes, that definitely does. It's very individualistic now here and even back home, and I was lucky enough to have great coaches. And now, while coaching, I've been able to continue to develop that knowledge, and I'll be a player again in the World Cup in London that begins July 12. When I get back from that, I'm going to immerse myself in the Michigan culture and people, and work with my assistants to map out our fall and put our culture into place.
Q: You came here in March as an assistant for Northwestern. What were your impressions of the Wolverines you beat that day?
A: They played us really well in that game, and I walked away thinking they were a scrappy group and tough. They never gave up even when we got up by a couple goals and kept coming at us -- which is a great characteristic to have.
Q: And now the Wolverines are your team. You have a strong resume, but getting a chance to be a head coach at 29 is special. Why do you believe you got the job?
A: I think it was the great success I had as a player and being a part of championship teams. I learned what it takes to win, and that set me up for success. Then I was fortunate enough to coach at a few places. The mentors I've had and the things I've taken from them enabled me to be competent in my abilities to coach and develop my own way and vision for the program I am going to take over.
It's time to bleed Blue. I'm so excited for this opportunity. I'm excited to call myself a Wolverine. I can't wait.
Q: Did Kelly Amonte Hiller have the greatest impact on you?
A: She had the most impact on me as a player. But the most impactful mentor I had (in coaching) is probably Ann Elliott (the head coach) at Colorado. We went there together and started the program from scratch. I did a lot of maturing as a person and a coach. And Ann learned from Kelly, coaching under her for a long time. But Kelly also impacted me quite a bit as a coach, too.
Q: Michigan just completed its fourth season, going 5-12 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten. What will it take to get Michigan to the highest level of competition?
A: I think the fact that it's a young program is a positive in my mind. I've had a lot of background in building at Colorado, and so I'm excited about that. They've had up-and-down seasons the last four years, and haven't tasted a ton of success. But it's about bringing in the same experiences I've had as a coach and player in successful programs, and really in just developing a championship culture.
To me, it's the biggest part of coaching -- developing the culture of success. If they're not buying into your vision and way of doing things, and aren't on the same page, it's going to be chaotic and probably not very successful. So, I think my first protocol is getting everybody on the same page. We want to win, but we want to win the right way, and focus on the little things. It will be a lot of teaching and hard work, and I'm really looking forward to it.
Q: What was your reaction when Warde Manuel told you the job was yours?
A: I was shocked. I was honored. I kind of couldn't believe it. I pinched myself a little bit. It all happened so quickly and it was a whirlwind. It's an honor to be able to say I'm the coach at Michigan. It's a prestigious place with so much tradition and a tradition of success. There's so much to learn from other sports and other people, and some of the best coaches in the profession are at Michigan.
Q: What are your thoughts on the new facilities you'll soon be moving into?
A: I did a walk-through when I was there a few weeks back, and I was kind of blown away. There's a lot of attention to detail. Every detail had been thought of, and for a lacrosse facility it's going to be world class. It's probably going to be the best in the country. It's going to be huge for us as a team and for recruiting.
Q: You mentioned your "vision" for the Wolverines. What's at the root of that?
A: I think you really have to love what you do. The most successful teams I've been on, everybody's been on that same page and had a passion. It will be about getting everybody to have the same passion for it that I do. I think that if I can get my players to think the same way I do, and take ownership of the team, it's going to be fun with hard work. The players have to love it, and I've acquired a lot of tools on how to make it challenging, what it needs to be, and at the same time enjoyable.
