Field Hockey
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- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- hwiley1@liberty.edu
- Start Date:
- 05/01/2018
Heather (Wiley) Hefner joined the Liberty field hockey staff as an assistant coach on May 1, 2018.
In her first six seasons as an assistant coach, Hefner and Liberty have won 85 games and posted an 41-6 mark in BIG EAST competition. Hefner has instructed one NFHCA Division I Player of the Year, one Honda Sport Award winner for field hockey, one NCAA Elite 90 Award winner, two BIG EAST Championship MVPs, three NCAA Field Hockey Championship All-Tournament team selections, 12 NFHCA Division I All-America recipients, 31 All-BIG EAST selections, two BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honorees, two BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honorees, one BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, one BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year, 27 NFHCA All-South Region team honorees, 26 VaSID Field Hockey All-State University Division team selections, three VaSID Offensive Player of the Year honorees, two VaSID Defensive Player of the Year honorees, one VaSID Rookie of the Year and one VaSID Co-Rookie of the Year.
Hefner, head coach Nikki Parsley Blocker and assistant coach Alan Good were named the NFHCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year in the fall of 2021 and earned BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors in both the spring and fall of 2021 as well as in 2023.
The fall 2021 season was a banner year for the program, as Hefner helped to its first BIG EAST title in program history and saw the squad go all the way to the NCAA Division I Field Hockey National Championship Game. Liberty posted a 20-3 overall mark, its most wins in school history and the most in the NCAA, and a perfect 7-0 BIG EAST regular season mark (first unbeaten BIG EAST regular season record). Liberty knocked off No. 11 Saint Joseph’s (2-0 final), No. 1 Rutgers (3-2 final, shootout, first win over a No. 1 team in program history) and No. 5 Maryland (3-2 in double OT) to reach the national championship game. Liberty’s Final Four run was its first in any sport in school history.
Hefner and the Lady Flames posted a 10-3 record against top-25 foes during the season, the most in school history. Those ranked wins (in order of when they happened in season) were against: No. 25 Stanford, No. 15 UConn, No. 20 Duke, No. 9 North Carolina (three-time defending national champions), No. 22 Kent State, No. 16 Old Dominion, No. 19 UConn (BIG EAST title game), No. 11 Saint Joseph’s (NCAA Sweet 16), No. 1 Rutgers (NCAA Elite 8) and No. 5 Maryland (NCAA Final Four).
Hefner and Liberty featured the nation’s top offense, leading the country in goals per game (3.48), scoring average (3.38), points per game (9.96) and assists per game (3.00). Liberty finished No. 6 in the final NCAA Field Hockey RPI listing and was ranked among the top 10 teams in the country in each of the final six national coaches’ polls. Hefner coached NFHCA Division I Player of the Year and South Region Player of the Year Jill Bolton. Bolton went on to be named the 2022 Honda Sport Award winner for field hockey and is a finalist for the prestigious 2022 Honda Cup. Bolton was also an NFHCA All-America first team honoree. Azul Iritxity Irigoyen (first team) and Daniella Rhodes (second team) were each honored as All-Americans as well, giving Liberty a program-record three All-American selections.
Liberty featured a school-record six NFHCA All-South Region selections during the fall 2021 season: Jill Bolton (first team), Daniella Rhodes (first team), Azul Iritxity Irigoyen (first team), Bethany Dykema (first team), Jodie Conolly (second) and Lizzie Hamlett (second team). Liberty also had six All-BIG EAST selections, including: Rhodes (BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, first team), Bolton (first team), Iritxity Irigoyen (first team), Bethany Dykema (first team), Conolly (second team) and Hamlett (second team).
During the fall 2023 season in what was her sixth season as an assistant coach, Hefner and Liberty posted a 17-3 overall record and went 7-0 in BIG EAST regular season competition to earn their second outright BIG EAST regular season title. Liberty received its first-ever at-large berth into the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship during the 2023 season and finished the year No. 7 in the final coaches’ poll and No. 9 in the NCAA Field Hockey RPI. Hefner and the Lady Flames had a 12-game winning streak during the 2023 season, which included a 2-1 double overtime win at No. 1 North Carolina. Liberty became the first team ever to win twice at Karen Shelton Stadium, home of the Tar Heels. Hefner and Liberty finished the year second in the nation in goals-against-average (0.91), third in winning percentage (.850), fifth in shutouts per game (0.40), eighth in scoring margin (1.72) and ninth in assists per game (2.45).
Liberty featured five NFHCA All-South Region selections during the 2023 season: Jodie Conolly (first team), Azul Iritxity Irigoyen (first team), Bethany Dykema (first team), Reagan Underwood (second team) and Martu Cian (second team). Liberty also had five All-BIG EAST selections, led by BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Jodie Conolly and BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Azul Iritxity Irigoyen, both All-BIG EAST first team honorees. Bethany Dykema and Reagan Underwood were also tabbed to the first team, while Martu Cian made the second team.
In her fifth season as assistant coach in the fall of 2022, Hefner helped Liberty to a 12-8 record and its second straight BIG EAST title. The Lady Flames defeated No. 1 seed Old Dominion 3-1 in the title game to advance to the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship for a second straight year. Liberty finished the year at No. 13 in the national poll and at No. 20 in the RPI.
Hefner coached Liberty’s league-high six All-BIG EAST honorees in first team selections Bethany Dykema, Lizzie Hamlett and Charlotte Vaanhold and second team selections Jodie Conolly, Azul Iritxity Irigoyen and Daniella Rhodes. Dykema (first team), Iritxity Irigoyen (first team), Hamlett (first team), Conolly (second team) and Vaanhold (second team) went on to be named to NFHCA All-South Region squads. Dykema and Iritxity Irigoyen were both named All-Americans, with both being honored on the second team. Liberty led all squads in the Commonwealth with seven VaSID All-State recipients, led by VaSID Defensive Player of the Year Iritxity Irigoyen.
In her third season as assistant coach in the spring of 2021, Hefner helped Liberty to a 13-3 overall mark, No. 8 national ranking and No. 3 RPI at season’s end. Liberty reached as high as No. 4 in the national rankings, the highest ranking of any Liberty Athletics team in school history at the Division I level. The Lady Flames finished 10-2 in the BIG EAST and qualified for the BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship for the fourth straight year.
Hefner instructed Liberty’s six All-BIG EAST selections during the spring 2021 campaign – Azul Iritxity Irigoyen (Defensive Player of the Year, Co-Freshman of the Year and first team), Jill Bolton (first team), Daniella Rhodes (first team), Jodie Conolly (first team), Charlotte Vaanhold (first team) and Bethany Dykema (second team). Bolton went on be named an NFHCA All-America first team member, the second first team All-American in school history.
Bolton and Rhodes earned NFHCA All-South Region first team honors, and Conolly, Vaanhold and Bethany Dykema were named to the second team, giving Liberty five all-region honorees.
In her second season as an assistant coach with the program in 2019, the Lady Flames posted a 10-8 overall mark, No. 19 national ranking and No. 20 RPI at season's end. Liberty finished 5-2 in the BIG EAST and qualified for the BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship for the fourth straight year. The Lady Flames faced nine nationally ranked foes in 2019.
Hefner instructed Liberty's four All-BIG EAST selections in 2019 – Ashley Dykema (Co-Defensive Player of the Year and first team), Daniella Rhodes (BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and first team), Jill Bolton (first team) and Charlotte Vaanhold). Dykema and Bolton went on to be named All-Americans, with Dykema earning NFHCA Division I All-America second team honors and Bolton garnering third team honors. It marked the first time in program history Liberty featured two All-Americans in the same season.
Dykema, Bolton and Rhodes each garnered inclusion on the NFHCA All-South Region first team, marking the first time in school history that the Lady Flames had three first team all-region players in the same season. The trio also earned VaSID Field Hockey All-State University Division first team honors, with Rhodes being named VaSID Rookie of the Year.
Hefner's first season in Lynchburg proved to be successful, as the Lady Flames posted a 13-6 record, No. 15 RPI and No. 16 national ranking at season's end. Liberty finished a program-best 6-1 in the BIG EAST and placed as the runner-up at the 2018 BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship, which Liberty hosted for the first time ever. Liberty faced nine nationally ranked foes in 2018, defeating No. 7 Virginia, No. 11 Boston College, No. 17 James Madison and No. 22 Old Dominion in the process.
Hefner instructed Liberty's four All-BIG EAST selections in 2018 – Agueda Moroni (Offensive Player of the Year and first team), Jill Bolton (first team), Ashley Dykema (first team) and Abby Julius (second team). Moroni also went on to become the fourth All-American in program history, become a NFHCA Division I All-America first team honoree. She is the first player in school history to receive first team distinction.
Moroni (first team), Bolton (second team) and Dykema (second team) each garnered inclusion on the NFHCA All-South region team. Additionally, Moroni (VaSID Player of the Year and first team), Bolton (first team) and Dykema (first team) garnered recognition on the VaSID Field Hockey All-State University Division team.
Hefner joins the Lady Flames field hockey program after spending a year as a volunteer assistant coach for the Delaware Blue Hens and head coach Rolf Van de Kerkhof. In her one year with the Blue Hens, the 2016 national champions, Delaware posted a 15-5 record and captured its fifth consecutive CAA title, advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
Hefner coached two All-American selections (Greta Nauck and Taylor Lister), the NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year (Nauck), four Longstreth/NFHCA All-Region honorees and eight CAA All-Conference players. With Hefner on staff, Delaware ranked in the top 10 in nine NCAA statistical categories, including: scoring average, goals per game, goals-against-average, scoring margin, winning percentage, assists per game, points per game, save percentage and defensive saves.
Hefner was a defender and four-year letter winner at Wake Forest (2013-17). She made 76 appearances and 48 starts during her career with the Demon Deacons. Wiley was a three-time NFHCA All-Academic team honoree while at Wake Forest and graduated in May 2017 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and minors in journalism and communication.
"Heather is an excellent addition to our staff. Her love for Jesus and collegiate playing experience under Jen Averill at Wake Forest has prepared her to thrive as a coach at Liberty," Parsley-Blocker said. "I could not be more excited to have such a passionate person as a part of my program. I know that she will be an immediate asset to our players both on and off the pitch. Heather will primarily work with our defensive unit and play a major role in recruiting and the spiritual development of our program."
Hefner currently resides in Lynchburg, Va., and is married to Hunter Hefner. The couple was married in June 2018.
