After working with the California University of Pennsylvania program for eight years, Heather Kearney will have a new task this season. The 2008-09 campaign marks the first season for her head coaching career.
Kearney has the benefit of experience with the program, serving the last four years as associate head coach after working as the assistant coach with the Vulcans from 2000-04.
Involved in all aspects of the Cal U program during her tenure, she inherits a talent-rich program that returns all five starters from last year’s team that advanced to the Elite Eight for the third time in school history.
Despite having a roster of only eight players due to injuries last year, the Vulcans won their final five regular-season games to advance to the Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference (PSAC) Tournament and earn a share of the regular season Western Division title. Cal U advanced to its eighth-straight PSAC Championship game where its seven-game win streak was snapped. The Vulcans then won three games in the NCAA Tournament to capture the NCAA East Regional championship and advance to the Elite Eight.
Since 2000-2001, the Vulcans have made seven-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, won six PSAC-West titles, won 25-plus games six times, won four conference titles, made three NCAA Elite Eight appearances, two NCAA Final Four showings and won the 2004 NCAA Division II National Championship. Cal U’s cumulative record during this time period was 212-47 (.819) with an 82-14 (.854) PSAC-West mark.
In addition to her background with the Cal U program, Kearney features playing experience in the recently-expanded 17-team conference. Originally from Harrisville, Pa., she was a four-year player at Slippery Rock University from 1995-99. She played under head coach Darcie Vincent, who later accepted the head coaching position at Cal U before assuming the head coaching job at Division I Appalachian State University.
While with The Rock, Kearney was a Kodak All-American her senior year and finished her career as the program’s leading scorer with 1,760 points. She also finished her career ranked second in school history with 949 career rebounds. An eventual captain at Slippery Rock, she made an impact as a freshman when she earned PSAC West Rookie of the Year after The Rock advanced to the PSAC Championship game.
Following her playing career, she served a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Slippery Rock in 1999-2000 when The Rock won the NCAA East Regional championship.
She then followed Vincent to Cal U in 2000-01 where the duo helped build the Vulcan program into a perennial power on the national level.
Kearney earned her undergraduate degree in sport management from Slippery Rock in 1999 before completing a master’s degree in Counseling from Slippery Rock in 2003.
