Heidi Pearce has accepted a position as women's athletic director at St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Del. Her final day at Washington College will be June 29th, 2018.
Now a two-time Centennial Conference Coach of the Year, Heidi Pearce was named the seventh head coach of the Washington College women's lacrosse team in July 2013.
In her first season as head coach, she was named the Centennial Conference's Coach of the Year as the Shorewomen went 11-5 overall, finished third in the regular-season conference standings, and advanced to the Centennial Conference Semifinals. Washington's 7-2 league record was its best in 11 years. The Shorewomen knocked off then fifth-ranked Gettysburg, 12-11, in double overtime on April 19th for their first win over the Bullets since 1999. The Shorewomen finished the season with a final national ranking of 17th.
The following season, the Shorewomen again finished 11-5 and returned to the Centennial Conference Semifinals. 2016 saw the Shorewomen post another 11 win season and again advanced to the conference semifinals. 2017 marked the Shorewomen's fourth straight season qualifying for the conference tournament under Pearce and seventh in a row overall. In 2018, the Shorewomen went 13-5, losing only to nationally-ranked teams. They finished the year ranked 25th in Division III and reached the conerence tournament yet again, this time advancing to the semifinals as she was named the conference's coach of the year for the second time.
A native of Chestertown, Pearce has an impressive background as both a player and coach in the sport.
Pearce was the Shorewomen's senior assistant coach, team's Defensive Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator for the three seasons immediately before her promotion to head coach. During her three seasons as assistant coach, the Shorewomen went 34-17, reached the Centennial Conference Tournament in all three seasons and played in the championship game of the 2012 Centennial Conference Tournament. In 2013, the Shorewomen won 13 games, the most since recording 14 victories in 2003.
An outstanding midfielder while playing for Division I Johns Hopkins University, Pearce was a 2004 first-team All-American, a three-time all-conference selection, and a two-time team captain. She was also twice named the Inside Lacrosse National Player of the Week and garnered both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors on her team. As a senior, she helped lead the team to its first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament appearance and was awarded the Cathy P. Cramer Award, given for the most outstanding achievement in women's athletics at Johns Hopkins. Pearce was also nominated for the Tewaaraton Trophy, given annually to the top women's lacrosse player in the nation.
After graduating with a B.A. in Sociology from Johns Hopkins in 2004, Pearce returned to her high school alma mater - St. Andrew's School in Middletown, DE - as the assistant women's athletic director. She went on to become the head women's athletic director, head girls lacrosse coach, and head field hockey coach at the school, serving in those positions from 2005 until 2008. She coached the lacrosse team to four consecutive state championship games and was recognized with the Achievement Award for outstanding service to St. Andrew's School.
In her days as a student at St. Andrew's, a boarding school, Pearce was a two-time Delaware State Lacrosse Player of the Year and high school All-American. She led her team to two state championships, earning first-team all-conference and all-state honors. She also garnered several individual awards including the Coach's Award and Most Dynamic Player and Most Valuable Player honors in lacrosse, field hockey, and basketball.
