Inside Kate Ratanaproeksa’s Nontraditional Path to Northwestern’s Midfield ‘Workhorse’

EVANSTON, Ill. — Kate Ratanaproeksa's route from the Pacific Northwest to national lacrosse prominence took a fateful turn early in her high school career.

Lauren Gilbert, a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection at Northwestern, had returned to her home state to coach Ratanaproeksa's Oregon Pride team during its summer slate. In Ratanaproeksa, Gilbert saw signs of her own play style.

"She is just an absolute workhorse," Gilbert said. "You immediately notice her presence on the field. She's extremely fast and athletic, and that archetype really resonates with me because I was the same way. I came from a nontraditional area, and what always carried me from the jump was my athleticism and my speed."

Ratanaproeksa's recruiting summer arrived in 2023. She'd grown accustomed to spending extended periods on the East Coast in hopes of catching college coaches' attention.

At that point, the Wildcats had long been Ratanaproeksa's dream program.

"Funny enough, what made Northwestern stand out to me the most was that in eighth grade, my favorite color was purple," Ratanaproeksa said. "I was like, 'The uniforms are so cool because they're purple.' But there's just an amazing culture here. I really liked how everyone wasn't from Maryland or Long Island. Everyone's from everywhere."

For Combe Family Head Lacrosse Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, the admiration was mutual. But before she and assistant coach Scott Hiller extended an offer, Amonte Hiller sought a trusted source's advice.

Amonte Hiller and her husband called Gilbert, the first-ever Oregon native to compete for the 'Cats.

"Lauren gave her blessing about Kate," Amonte Hiller said. "We think really highly of Lauren's word. She was obviously a phenom in our program and had very similar characteristics: very hard-working, just loving the game."

Ratanaproeksa, who committed to NU less than a week into her recruiting window, has delivered a standout first-year campaign in 2026. The midfielder earned a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team on April 21 and has continued to elevate her play in the postseason.

She has posted six goals, four assists, 15 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers and 32 draw controls this year. Above all, Ratanaproeksa has seen her game transcend since she first arrived on campus in the fall.

"I was just really excited to get after it and prove the West Coast can produce good players, too," Ratanaproeksa said. "I feel like I'm a completely different player now."

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A three-sport athlete at Grant High School, Ratanaproeksa seldom found a scene she didn't excel in. In addition to lacrosse, Ratanaproeksa competed in basketball and soccer. She credits both with helping mold her lacrosse skill set into its current versatile state.

A striker on the Grant soccer team, she helped her school capture state championships in 2021 and 2023. But it took some convincing from Generals soccer coach Manolis Tjuanakis to get Ratanaproeksa to try out for his team as a freshman.

"She had the work ethic, the tenacity," Tjuanakis said. "She was small, but had no fear. It was fantastic because she's a good listener. The things you talked about at practice, she was working on them in the games. She wasn't the most outspoken person early on, but then you see her growth, and she's taking on a leadership role on the field."

While Ratanaproeksa developed a knack for bagging goals in clutch moments on the pitch, her scoring on the lacrosse field was routinely so significant that coaches cut her off from shooting to avoid running up scores.

Grant lacrosse coach Helen McDevitt marveled at how Ratanaproeksa never demanded the limelight. But Ratanaproeksa's talent was undeniable, and McDevitt knew her former player's drive to compete would push her to the sport's highest level.

"She truly has the best first step I've ever seen," McDevitt said. "I don't think she was ever pushed to her full potential out here. She's just sort of unshakeable. She always wanted to be challenged more. She was craving that level of competition."

As a senior, Ratanaproeksa guided Grant to its first lacrosse state championship game. While the Generals ultimately came up short, Ratanaproeksa garnered a plethora of individual accolades. She was a USA Lacrosse All-American and the OGLA All-State Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year in 2025.

Ratanaproeksa culminated her prep career with an invitation to the Adrenaline All-American Game in Frisco, Texas. She posted four points in the June 27 showcase. Less than three months later, Ratanaproeksa reported to campus ahead of fall ball.

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Recruited as an attacker, Ratanaproeksa had long evaluated her performance on points produced. But that scorer's mentality soon underwent a shift when Amonte Hiller approached the first-year about a potential position change.

"Just knowing her athletic ability, I really wanted her to hone in on all of her skills, her ability to play both offense and defense," Amonte Hiller said. "We started from scratch with her, taught her defense. She's a quick study on anything that she does. She's very smart and hard-working, so it makes our jobs very easy."

Although Amonte Hiller's initial suggestion of taking on defensive reps caught Ratanaproeksa by surprise, she embraced the chance to help the team. The midfielder said her bolstered defensive acumen has afforded her a new perspective on offense.
Gilbert, who'd navigated the transition from Oregon to Northwestern as a first-year in 2018, experienced growing pains early in her college career. She remained in contact with Ratanaproeksa as the latter made a similar leap this past fall.

"I went home after my freshman year after having a really difficult time mentally, just going through the cycles of questioning myself and that self-doubt creeping in, like 'Oh my God, am I even supposed to be here?'" Gilbert said. "You know you're from this different area that's not at all known for lacrosse, and even people from your hometown are doubting."

Ratanaproeksa broke into the starting lineup as a defensive midfielder in Northwestern's season opener at Boston College on Feb. 6. She's stepped into myriad roles, competing as a circle player on the draw team and recently shifting into a true two-way midfielder.

While she showcased her goal-scoring savvy with a game-winner at then-No. 1 Maryland on April 9 and a critical conversion against No. 8 seed Colorado in May 14's NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal, Ratanaproeksa has relished the opportunity to impact winning through "invisible stats."

"I focus more on the gritty plays that aren't on the stat sheet and hustle rather than basing my success on goals," Ratanaproeksa said. "I think it's such a great feeling to be able to make a defensive stop or force a shot clock violation. And it's celebrated a lot more in college, which is really fun."

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Ratanaproeksa knows that when she steps onto Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium for Friday afternoon's NCAA Tournament Semifinal against No. 4 seed Johns Hopkins, she'll be playing for something larger than herself.
It's a privilege Gilbert said she didn't fully appreciate until her postgraduate career.

"You just never know who's watching you and who you have the ability to impact," Gilbert said. "That's something so incredible about what Kate is doing. She's showing all these young girls. They say, 'You have to see it to be it.' And Kate's being it so that other girls can see it and believe it themselves. That's just so powerful, and she should be immensely proud of that."

Just as Gilbert did for players like Ratanaproeksa, the first-year midfielder will serve as a beacon of hope for lacrosse players from Oregon and across the country.

"It's super special, and I'm very grateful to be in the position that I am," Ratanaproeksa said. "I just want to be a positive role model for people who are in my shoes and make them believe they can do it too, if they work hard."

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

Inside Kate Ratanaproeksa’s Nontraditional Path to Northwestern’s Midfield ‘Workhorse’

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