Lacrosse legend Kristen Kjellman Marshall mentors young women and works to grow the sport. By Jacob Muñoz
Sarah Albrecht remembers how the dynasty began. It was the 2005 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse National Championship in Annapolis, Md. Northwestern faced Virginia.
With the team’s first title in their sights, Albrecht remembers that her teammate Kristen Kjellman wasn’t blinking.
“She just came out firing,” recalls Albrecht ’06, now head coach for University of New Hampshire women’s lacrosse. “We were just getting out of her way and letting her do her thing.”
Northwestern’s win signaled the beginning of the Wildcats’ reign over the lacrosse world, and Kristen Kjellman Marshall ’07 led the charge with her intensity and work ethic. She helped Northwestern earn its first three national championships, from 2005 to 2007.
Marshall, who twice won the Tewaaraton Award, given to the best player in men’s and women’s college lacrosse, stays involved with collegiate sports as vice president of business development at WePlayed, a community-driven sports video platform for all college sports.
A mother of two with another baby on the way, Marshall also remains active in the lacrosse world. She is an assistant coach for the varsity girl’s lacrosse team at New Hampshire’s Phillips Exeter Academy. She also hosts pro lacrosse camps, serves as a director on the US Lacrosse Foundation board and co-wrote The ABCs of Girls’ Lacrosse.
“The game has given me so much and had such an impact on the trajectory of my life,” she says. “Being a mentor to young women and girls on a personal level is very important to me. It’s part of my purpose to share the lessons I’ve learned with the younger generation and help make others better.”
This fall marks 150 years since women could enroll as Northwestern undergraduate students.
Read more of our 150 Years of Women alumni profiles.
To learn about Northwestern’s 150 years of women and remarkable individuals like Kristen Kjellman Marshall — present and past — who’ve left their mark on the University and the world, visit the 150 Years of Women website.
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