Bio

Hillary Hamm joined the University of Tampa women's lacrosse coaching staff in the fall of 2021 after serving seven years as the head lacrosse coach at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

While leading the Tribe, standouts benefited from Hamm’s tutelage during her six seasons. In total, 17 W&M players combined to garner 22 all-conference honors. Belle Martire, Starr Howard and Lauren Russell continued to add to that legacy last season with all-league distinction. En route to earning postseason honors, Russell shattered the program’s single-season record for draw controls (79), while Martire equaled W&M’s freshman single-season goals record (45). Hamm also helped W&M rank among the league’s best in multiple statistical categories during her tenure, as the Tribe was among the CAA’s top four in ground balls and caused turnovers during each of the past six seasons. Additionally, W&M led the league in ground balls per game during four of the last five seasons, while it led the CAA in caused turnovers in 2016 after ranking first in the conference in draw controls in 2015.

Some of W&M’s impressive numbers also rank among the top-10 single-season totals in school history, including draw controls (212 in 2017; 202 in 2015; 199 in 2014), caused turnovers (190 in 2017; 106 in 2018; 155 in 2016) and saves (158 in 2018). The impressive caused turnovers total in 2017 ranks fourth in school history. Highlighting the individual accomplishments on the field were those by All-CAA standouts Abby Junior and Ellen Shaffrey, two of the most accomplished players in school history. Junior, a two-time all-league performer, set the single-season school record for caused turnovers (46) as a senior and finished her career ranked third all-time (126). Shaffrey posted the top two single-season draw controls totals in school history in 2014 and 2015 and finished her career as the program’s all-time record holder in the statistical category. 

While W&M experienced success on the field, the Tribe has also excelled in the classroom during Hamm’s tenure. In addition to earning Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaching Association (IWLCA) Academic Honor Squad recognition during each of her five seasons for posting a team cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, Tribe student-athletes have combined to garner 35 IWLCA Academic Honor Roll selections (through 2018). In 2015, Ellen Shaffrey exemplified the academic success by earning a long list of impressive honors, including: IWLCA Division I Scholar-Athlete of the Year; CAA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year; CAA Women’s Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Academic All-America At-Large Third Team; and Academic All-District 3 At-Large First Team.

Prior to W&M, she served as an assistant coach at Northwestern University from 2010-13. During her time with the Wildcats, she helped the program claim back-to-back NCAA national titles in 2011 and 2012, as well as a national semifinal appearance in 2013. NU posted a 61-7 overall record during the impressive three-year stretch and earned American Lacrosse Conference championships in 2011 and 2013. In addition to helping the Wildcats achieve tremendous success as a team, a number of individuals thrived under Hamm’s tutelage as she mentored a pair of Lacrosse Honda Sports Award winners (Shannon Smith, Taylor Thornton) and 12 IWLCA All-Americans. While coaching at NU, Fratzke had a lead role in coordinating all aspects of the Wildcats program, including training sessions, film study, recruiting, program operations and marketing. She also coached extensively in Northwestern’s national youth camps and clinics and served as a liaison with Northwestern Lacrosse's booster club.

Hamm entered coaching after an exceptional playing career at Towson University, where she earned IWLCA All-America honors three times and ranked fourth in NCAA women’s lacrosse history in draw controls (327). Additionally, Hamm, a four-time All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, was a two-time Tewaaraton Trophy nominee and garnered CAA Player of the Year honors in 2008 and 2010. A native of Centreville, Md., Hamm played in 72 games for Towson with 70 starts. She tallied 199 goals and 63 assists during her career, both of which rank third all-time in program history, while her 262 points are second in the Tiger record book. Fratzke also sits atop the Towson career leaders in ground balls (193), draw controls (327) and caused turnovers (144). She helped lead Towson to back-to-back CAA titles in 2008 and 2009, as the Tigers qualified for the NCAA tournament three consecutive seasons from 2008-10. She was honored in 2010 by being named to the CAA’s 25th Anniversary Team. Hamm recorded a point in 70 consecutive games while notching a goal in 64-straight contests, the second-longest streak in NCAA history. As a junior, she netted a career-best 62 goals and 24 assists en route to being named a first-team IWLCA All-American, the CAA Player of the Year and a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee.

Hamm continued her playing career as a member of the Long Island Sound of the United Women’s Lacrosse League and helped the franchise claim back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. Additionally, she served as an assistant with the team in 2018. Active in the lacrosse world, she was the owner of 2for7 Sports from 2016-19 and coached several youth camps.