Highlander Athletic News

Athletics Welcomes Five New Head Coaches

Five Houghton sports programs have new head coaches for the 2024-2025 seasons.

• Danielle Heffernan, women’s volleyball
• Jordan Crouch ’18, men’s and women’s tennis
• Olivia Kincanon, softball
• David Bourne, men’s volleyball
• Austin Beauregard, men’s and women’s track and field

“We are thrilled with our five new head coaches that have joined our staff over the past few months and excited about the impact they are each going to make on our programs and with our student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Matthew Webb. “The new track and field coach is part of a strategic initiative with potential for both enrollment growth and competitive gains.  Track is a sport with a plethora of specialized events, and adding Coach Beauregard specifically for sprints, hurdles, and field events, should allow us to grow in roster size in a sport which has much more room for growth than most of our other sports.”

Former track coach Patrick Hager will continue to serve as head coach of the cross country programs while providing oversight to the track program as Director of Cross Country and Track & Field.

Full bios for each coach can be found on each team’s respective page.

Athletics Experiences Record Number of First-Year Student-Athletes

Roster numbers are booming in Houghton Athletics this fall as Highlander teams surpassed the department recruiting goals for the incoming class by 152 percent.

Success can be owed to the efforts of each program’s coaching staff and the support and relationship between Athletics and the Department of Admission.

“Athletics continues to be a significant reason that students choose to attend college,” said Director of Athletics Matthew Webb. “Our coaches are a big reason for this continued growth and attraction to Houghton. Coaches typically spend the majority of their time as a coach recruiting. This entails attending contests, watching film, regularly communicating with prospective athletes, and most importantly, building relationships with their potential new athletes.”

Athletics Launches Program Aimed at Mental Wellness of Student-Athletes

The Department of Athletics has partnered with Core IV Athlete to address many of the mental health issues student-athletes face daily.

Core IV is a faith-based platform for mental health and awareness, tailored for college athletes, club sports, and individuals, aimed at holistic health and peak performance. The web-based platform provides articles and resources on various topics, all centered on the four-pillar model of heart, soul, mind, and strength.

“Data shows a significant increase in mental health challenges that are unique to student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Matthew Webb. “This platform has been designed to specifically address those challenges.”

Student leaders are serving as representatives and facilitators for their respective teams to encourage discussion on selected topics among their teammates and across Houghton’s 17 programs.

“This is simply an effort to recognize and support our student-athletes as they navigate a very busy schedule with extra commitments and pressures that athletics can bring,” said Webb.

Hey, alumni. We need your help.

Sports Information staff are working on a large project to fill in gaps in our Highlander intercollegiate history. We are missing many years of statistics, results, and honors for our teams throughout the years. The primary focus at this time is men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball, although we also have gaps in our early years of tennis, baseball, and softball.

If you are a former Highlander student-athlete or coach and have old articles, box scores, game reports, record books, yearly statistics, results or results and are willing to share, please let us know. Send us an email at sports.information@houghton.edu.