Graduate student guard, Hallie Heidemann, has been a leader for the undefeated Eagles who are only two wins away from a national championship.

Heidemann has been with the Eagles for five seasons, increasing her role in every season she has been with the team.

In her freshman year, Heidemann got into games that were separated by large margins in favor of the Eagles and averaged just over six points a game.

In her second season at AU, Heidemann worked her way into the starting lineup, averaging double figures at 11.7 points per game, and in addition, hit a career-high in three-point percentage at 51.8% from distance.

Head Coach Kari Pickens was complementative of Heidemann’s shooting ability, “with one dribble she’s able to step to the side to still pull it. Her footwork is one of the things that makes her so dynamic because she can get it off so quick,” said Head Coach Kari Pickens.

That season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at the end of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament which the Eagles won with a 61-53 win against the Grand Valley State Lakers.

In her junior campaign with the team, Heidemann increased her point-per-game average by 0.7 points from the season before, then averaging 12.4 points per game, alongside a career-high 3.5 assists per game.

Starting in 25 out of 25 games, Heidemann and the Eagles’ season would come to an end in the Midwest Regional Championship game. That year would be the worst record for the team in Heidemann’s career finishing 16-9 overall, and only winning and not coming away from the year with a GLIAC title.

Going into her upperclassmen years, Heidemann needed to be a leader to turn the program back on the right course.

“As for what it means for me in my senior year, I’m just thankful for the opportunity to do it with this team. This group is so much fun and such a gift to be a part of. I wouldn’t want to do one last ride with any other crew,” said Heidemann.

In her senior year, the team bounced back nicely, while winning a GMAC championship.

Then in the Midwest Regional Tournament quarter-final matchup vs Ferris State came the biggest shot of Heidemann’s career. With the Eagles down by two in the final moments of the contest, Heidemann buried a three with just six seconds left.

The Eagles would go on to advance in that game, but lose in the semi-final round to Walsh University. That loss would mark the end of Heidemann’s four years with the Eagles until she decided to give it one last ride with the Eagles as a graduate student.

Heidemann is a team captain this year alongside fellow graduate student Maddie Maloney and senior Sam Chable. 

Heidemann, as she leads the team into the Final Four, is averaging 12.5 points per game on over 50% field goal percentage for the first season in her career. She also continues to be one of the scrappier players on the team this year, battling to get rebounds to earn extra possessions for the undefeated Eagles.

“Getting rebounds often means getting extra possessions, and when our team can get extra possessions, we can usually capitalize and are able to get a higher percentage look,” said Heidemann.

In a game against the Findlay Oilers on Dec. 1, 2022, Heidemann broke the Ashland program three-pointers made in a career and continues to lead and shoot her team through the tournament in March.

Captains Maddie Maloney and Heidemann lead the team, but Maloney is appreciative of Heidemann’s leadership of itself.

“Sam and Hallie, the coaches, they really empower everybody,” said Maloney.

The captains look to lead the team once again into a Final Four matchup against Glenville State on Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. EST, in what will at least be the second to last game of Heidemann’s career.