Kelly McCollum Position: Head Coach Experience: Fourth Season

Kelly McCollum, a former standout player in the Northwestern field hockey program and a 1995 graduate of the University, is entering her fourth season as head coach of the Wildcats.

McCollum is the sixth head coach in the program's 24-year history. She replaced Marisa Didio, who retired following the 2003 campaign.

In her first season, McCollum led the Wildcats to a 7-13 mark against one of the toughest schedules in the nation. NU began the year with a 4-0 record, and played games against three of the four NCAA semifinal squads.

In addition, Northwestern's 2004 record in the Big Ten was good enough for a fifth-place tie in the standings--the Wildcats' best finish since 2000.

McCollum also coached Candice Cooper to NU's first All-America selection since 1996.

In 2005, she again challenged her team with one of the toughest schedules in the nation, finishing 7-11 overall. Last season got no easier for McCollum and the Wildcats, as the 'Cats again played one of the nation's toughest schedules and finished with a record of 7-12.

McCollum is certainly no stranger to the Northwestern program--in addition to playing on some of the greatest teams the Wildcats ever fielded, she spent four years as Didio's top assistant from 2000-03. Prior to the 2003 season, McCollum was promoted to associate head coach.

As an athlete, McCollum captained the Wildcats' 1994 Big Ten champion field hockey team that advanced to the NCAA semifinal round and was ranked No. 1 for five consecutive weeks during the season. She was named to the Midwest Region All-America team and was an All-Big Ten selection in 1993 and 1994.

A 1995 graduate of Northwestern, McCollum earned a degree in chemical engineering.

Prior to assuming coaching duties at NU, McCollum spent three years as an assistant coach at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., and two years as an assistant coach at the University of New Hampshire.

McCollum is a master coach for the Windy City winter club program. She has also been an active coach in the U.S. Field Hockey Association, including three years as head coach for the Under-19 Futures Site. She also helped coach the U.S. Under-19 National Team at the 2002 Cal Cup, and coached at the 2002, 2003 and 2004 "B" Camps.

For the past two years, she has been involved in the Elite Performance Training Center. In that time, she has seen eight NU players make the training squads.

McCollum is an active member of the National Field Hockey Coachers Association. She is currently serving her second term as the Division I Group Representative.