Ann Elliott Whidden

Ann Elliott Whidden
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamColorado
ConferenceBig 12
Record146-79 (.649)
Biographical details
Born (1984-09-06) September 6, 1984
Shaker Heights, Ohio
EducationNorthwestern University
Playing career
2004–2007Northwestern
PositionDefender
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2009–2012Northwestern (Assistant Coach)
2012–presentColorado
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Big 12 Tournament (2026)
Pac-12 Regular Season (2018)
NCAA National Champion (2005, 2006, 2007) (as player at Northwestern)
NCAA National Champion (2009, 2011, 2012) (as assistant coach at Northwestern)
Awards
Big 12 Coach of the Year (2026)
Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2018)

Ann Elliott Whidden (born 1984), née Ann Michelle Elliott, is an American college lacrosse coach and former player. She is the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes women's lacrosse team at the University of Colorado Boulder. Elliott was an All-American defender for the Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse team of Northwestern University, where she was a member of four NCAA championship teams. She later served as an assistant coach at Northwestern, winning two additional NCAA championships.

Playing career

During her collegiate playing career, Ann Elliott Whidden was a three-year starter for the Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse team from 2004 to 2007.[1] During her senior season in 2007, she earned third-team All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse.[2] As a member of the Wildcats, Whidden won three consecutive NCAA national championships in 2005, 2006, and 2007.[3] As a senior, she served as a team captain and was part of a defensive unit that allowed an NCAA-low 6.1 goals per game. In 2022, she was inducted into the Ohio Lacrosse Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as a player at both the high school and collegiate levels.[3]

Coaching career

On March 26, 2012, the University of Colorado Boulder announced that Ann Elliott Whidden had been named the first head coach of the newly established Buffaloes women's lacrosse program.[4] Before accepting the position, she spent four seasons on the coaching staff at Northwestern University. She served as an assistant coach from 2009 to 2011 before being promoted to associate coach for the 2012 season, her final year with the program.[2] During her tenure at Northwestern, the Wildcats won three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in 2009, 2011, and 2012.[2]

Whidden served as an assistant coach for two United States national team championship teams. In 2019, she was an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's U19 National Team, which won the gold medal at the 2019 World Lacrosse Women's U19 Championship. She also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's U20 National Team, which won the gold medal at the 2024 World Lacrosse Women's U20 Championship.[5]

The Colorado women's lacrosse team began competition on February 22, 2014. Whidden's first recruiting class consisted of 23 players, including four US Lacrosse high school All-America selections,[6] three Academic All-America selections, and six all-state honorees.[7]

In the inaugural season of the Colorado women's lacrosse program in 2014, Whidden led a roster composed primarily of freshmen to an 11–8 record.[2] Colorado later made three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship from 2017 to 2019.[8] The program earned its first NCAA tournament victory in 2018, defeating the Jacksonville Dolphins team in the first round before losing to the Florida Gators team in the second round.

In 2026, Colorado won its first Big 12 tournament championship, defeating Florida in the championship game and earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.[9] The Buffaloes subsequently defeated Jacksonville and Denver to advance to the program's first NCAA quarterfinal appearance, where they lost to Northwestern.[10] Through the conclusion of the 2026 season, Colorado had compiled a 143–79 record under Whidden's leadership.[2]

Personal

Ann Elliott Whidden (née Elliott) was born in 1984 and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where she attended Shaker Heights High School.[2] She graduated from Northwestern University in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in radio, television, and film.[11] She married Nick Whidden in 2017. The couple has twins, a daughter and a son, who were born in May 2020.[2]

Head coaching record

Women's lacrosse

Record table
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Colorado Buffaloes (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) (2014–2017)
2014 Colorado 11–86–33rd
2015 Colorado 11–75–44th
2016 Colorado 13–57–23rd
2017 Colorado 16–47–12ndNCAA First Round
Colorado Buffaloes (Pac-12 Conference) (2018–2024)
2018 Colorado 14–69–11stNCAA Second Round
2019 Colorado 11–88–22ndNCAA Second Round
2020 Colorado 3–21–0
2021 Colorado 8–74–33rd
2022 Colorado 11–65–54th
2023 Colorado 11–87–33rd
2024 Colorado 13–65–23rd
Colorado Buffaloes (Big 12 Conference) (2025–present)
2025 Colorado 8–84–12nd
2026 Colorado 16–44–12ndNCAA Quarterfinals
Colorado: 146–79 (.649)72–28 (.720)
Total:146–79 (.649)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ↑ Brockway, Ella (February 6, 2020). "How Kelly Amonte Hiller's Coaching Tree has Been a Gateway to the West". USA Lacrosse Magazine. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Ann Elliott Whidden Bio". Colorado Buffaloes. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "CU lacrosse's Ann Elliott Whidden inducted onto Ohio Lacrosse Hall of Fame". The Daily Camera. July 14, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Ann Elliott Named First Head Coach of Colorado Women's Lacrosse". Northwestern Wildcats. March 26, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Ann Elliott Whidden Bio". USA Lacrosse. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  6. ↑ "CU Lacrosse Begins Inaugural Season In Florida". Colorado Buffaloes. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  7. ↑ Nguyen, Joe (June 3, 2014). "CU Buffs lay sound foundation for success in women's lacrosse". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  8. ↑ Newman, Kyle (May 7, 2026). "CU Buffs women's lacrosse, fresh off Big 12 title, set to host first NCAA Tournament". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Colorado and Florida to Represent Big 12 Conference in 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship". Big 12 Conference. May 3, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  10. ↑ Rooney, Pat (May 15, 2026). "Colorado lacrosse toppled team records during historic season". The Daily Camera. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Annie Elliott Bio - 2007 Women's Lacrosse Roster". Northwestern Wildcats. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
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