Karen Heggernes was named Hamline's inaugural lacrosse coach on January 22, 2015 and is in her eighth season with the Pipers during the 2022-23 academic year. The Woodbury native has been involved with the sport for over a decade and wasted no time making an imprint on the world of D-III women's lacrosse.
Since joining the Midwest Women’s Lacrosse Conference (MWLC) in 2017, Heggernes has been named the league’s Coach of the Year four times.
Her first team competed in the 2016 season and went 10-6 as an independent. HU finished the season on a roll, winning their last five games.
After joining the MWLC in 2017, the Pipers made an indelible first impression. HU went 9-2 in conference play to advance to the four team conference playoffs. There, they swept by Aurora and host Concordia (Wisconsin) -- winning the latter game on a goal with five seconds left in regulation time -- to advance to the NCAA D-III tournament. HU lost their first-round game but finished the year with a 15-5 overall won-loss mark.
They took things a step further in 2018, going undefeated in MWLC play and winning the conference tournament title game at home against Augsburg, 8-7. The Pipers' school-record 13-game winning streak came to an end with an 18-8 loss at Illinois Wesleyan in the second round of the NCAA D-III tournament. HU finished 15-5 for the second year in a row.
In 2019, the Pipers once again went undefeated in conference play to return to the NCAA Tournament. They earned the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win with an 11-9 first-round win over Rhodes College, but fell to Illinois Wesleyan in the second round. The team returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2021, after winning the MWLC title game 14-5 over Northwestern. The Pipers were back in the NCAA tournament again in 2022 after winning the MWLC title game in overtime 13-12 against Lake Forest.
So far at Hamline, Heggernes has coached 17 All-MWLC First Team players, including four conference Players of the Year. She has also had three players earn IWLCA All-Region honors. Academically, a record-setting 15 players were recognized on the MWLC All-Academic Team in 2021.
Heggernes was one of the founders of Cretin-Derham Hall's lacrosse program, captaining the team in her junior and senior seasons. She went on to play and serve in an administrative role with the University of Minnesota club team. In 2009-10, her senior season, she served as team captain and vice president. She was the MVP of the league championship game, an honor she also won her freshman season. She received a bachelor's degree there in 2010 and in 2013 earned a Master of Science degree in kinesiology.
"I'm excited to become part of a growing tradition of excellence at Hamline," Heggernes said. "Minnesota is a fast-growing area for lacrosse. We aim to look for players here as well as around the country to help grow diversity on the campus and in the Twin Cities."
Prior to coming to Hamline, Heggernes had been serving as an assistant coach at Olivet College. In addition to her time at Olivet, Heggernes' coaching resume includes work with the Minnesota Lakers Select team, Lacrosse Connections LLC, the Minneapolis Area Youth Lacrosse Association, and three seasons as a co-head coach with the Holy Angels High School varsity team. She also has worked with the Detroit Lacrosse Club, coaching girls ranging in age from 10-17.
"I'm thrilled. Karen was among a very talented pool of candidates for the open lacrosse position," said HU athletic director Jason Verdugo. "She brings a lot to the table and passion for overall student-athlete development is at the forefront of her qualities. Karen's familiarity with the local landscape of lacrosse will serve us well as we embark in establishing a very competitive lacrosse program here at Hamline."
Heggernes has also worked with Winning For Life, a nonprofit dedicated to developing positive leadership and life skills through athletics.
Karen Heggernes’ Hamline Coaching Numbers:
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
Conference Tournament |
NCAA Tournament |
| 2016* |
10-6 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| 2017 |
15-5 |
9-2 (3rd) |
2-0 |
0-1 |
| 2018 |
15-5 |
11-0 (1st) |
2-0 |
0-1 |
| 2019 |
19-2 |
11-0 (1st) |
2-0 |
1-1 |
| 2020# |
3-0 |
2-0 |
N/A |
N/A |
| 2021 |
8-5 |
5-0 |
1-0 |
0-1 |
| 2022 |
7-8 |
4-1 |
2-0 |
0-1 |
| Totals |
77-31 |
42-3 |
9-0 |
1-5 |
*Played as an independent
# Season cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic
