Winona, Minn. – Winona State Head Tennis Coach, Heather Reilly, has announced she is retiring from coaching, with the intent to spend more time with a growing family and focus on her elementary teaching position at W-K elementary in Winona.
 
Coach Reilly had this to say in terms of her decision: "It's difficult to come up with the right words to express how I feel about leaving my position as Head Coach of the women's tennis team. While I am looking forward to putting more time and energy into my family, I will miss the opportunity to work side by side with my father (my assistant coach for all 9 years), the rewarding experience of seeing student-athletes reach themselves beyond what they thought possible, and the outlet for my own competitive nature. Most of all, without a doubt, I will sincerely miss the relationships I've been fortunate enough to develop with the student-athletes on my team. To the student-athletes, thank you. Thank you for letting me challenge you. Thank you for your loyalty, effort, understanding, and patience. Thank you for trusting me." 

The spring of 2020 saw the Warrior season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but WSU won early and won often in their 2019-20 schedule.  Winona State was 10-4 on the season and set to head into the heart of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate (NSIC) season as they wrapped up a spring break trip in Florida.  Reilly's team beat Quincy University 6-1 on March 12 to help Reilly earn her 100th victory; the Warriors had dispatched Shippensburg 7-0 earlier in the day. 
 
Whether coaching or competing, Heather Reilly stood out as one of the all-time best in Warrior tennis history. As a student-athlete, Reilly (then Heather Pierce), rewrote the record books for Winona State tennis. After moving to the coaching ranks prior to the 2011-12 season, Reilly took the Warrior program to new levels of success becoming the first head coach to reach the 100-win mark.  She lead the team to second place finishes in the NSIC in both of her first two seasons at the helm, while also advancing to the championship match of the NSIC Tournament in those first two campaigns. Eight Warrior teams advanced to the Conference tournament under Reilly.

As a student-athlete, Reilly represented Winona State with distinction.  She earned the NSIC Freshman of the Year honor in 2008, and was the 2011 NSIC Player-of-the-Year after helping lead Winona State to the NCAA Regional Tournament.  Reilly garnered NSIC First Team All-Conference accolades in all four seasons at WSU, while winning 146 matches. The 2011 NSIC Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete for Academic Excellence winner was also tabbed a Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction and 2011 NCAA Capital One Academic All-District V honoree, both in 2011.  She also achieved the rare feat of earning Player-of-the-Year and Coach-of-the-Year honors in the same sport at the same NSIC institution.

"Heather will be missed in Warrior Athletics," Eric Schoh, athletic director, said.  "She was a leader as a student athlete and a mentor and role model as a coach.  She has been a pleasure to work with and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors."

For Reilly, she moves from Winona State coach to a Warrior fan, and looks forward to supporting WSU tennis as a member of the community. Reilly notes - "I had never envisioned a coaching career for myself and my time as coach certainly came with its own set of challenges early on. I will forever appreciate the opportunity I had to learn and grow. I take great pride in my role as a coach within Winona State Athletics and will always be thankful to the administration for providing me with a positive experience. I look forward to being a fan. As always, roll Warriors."

In addition to on-court success of her teams, Reilly's influence as a leader reflected in her student-athletes.  Most recently, Kendra Kappes earned back-to-back NSIC Elite 18 awards in her junior and senior seasons; in 2017-18, Rachel Gantz claimed the same award for Winona State 2016-17.  WSU Tennis has claimed the last three Warrior team GPA awards.

Reilly has taught within the Winona Area Public Schools system since 2014, after earning her Bachelor's degree in 2011 and Master degree in education in 2013, both at Winona State.

The search process to find Reilly's replacement will begin immediately.
 
Coaching Record for Heather Reilly at Winona State University
 

Year	Record:
2012	9-1 NSIC | 16-3 Overall
2013	10-1 NSIC | 17-6 Overall
2014	7-4 NSIC | 11-12 Overall
2015	5-6 NSIC | 6-13 Overall
2016	2-9 NSIC | 3-12 Overall
2017	8-3 NSIC | 14-7 Overall
2018	10-1 NSIC | 14-3 Overall
2019	8-3 NSIC | 9-8 Overall
2020	6-2 NSIC | 10-4 Overall
Career Totals:	65 - 30 NSIC | 100 - 65 Overall