Now entering her 15th year as a coach and the 11th season as the head coach of the women’s soccer program at East Tennessee State University, Heather Henson has led the Bucs to four consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference tournaments (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008) and numerous off the field accomplishments.
Henson continued to elevate the Bucs success in 2008, despite battling injuries throughout the season, leading ETSU against one of the toughest schedules in the A-Sun. After leading the Bucs to their best start since the 2003 campaign, Henson coached current ETSU players Jordan Monty and Kelly Brinkman to All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors for the second consecutive season, while current sophomore goalkeeper Megan Masch was announced on the A-Sun All-Freshman squad. Off the field ETSU continued to excel in the classroom as 21 Bucs were named to the A-Sun All-Academic team and Buc Honor Roll, while current players Rachel Van Horn and Terri Miller both earned 4.0 GPAs in consecutive semesters. Overall, Henson’s Bucs were named as an NSCAA All-Academic team for the entire 2008-09 season.
During the 2007 campaign the Bucs had an 11-6-3 overall record, making history defeating Stetson, 2-1, to advance to the A-Sun conference tournament semifinals for the first time in program history. Henson has led current Bucs Jordan Monty, Katie Green and Kelly Brinkman to the All-Atlantic Sun Conference SecondTeam, while Brinkman was also named to the all-freshman team. In the process, the Bucs broke several team records, setting the second highest single season goals mark at 38, while shattering both the single season record for assists and points. The Bucs also took top team honors twice in two regular season tournaments, winning both the Citizens Bank ETSU Invitational and the Gamecock Soccer Classic. Individually, both Green and Monty were named as each tournament’s MVP respectively.
In the classroom the women’s soccer team continued to show its character earning a 3.32 team grade point average in 2007. The Bucs named 18 of its 22 student-athletes to the Buc Honor Roll, 12 to the Dean’s List, and had two players earn a GPA of 4.0 for the entire year.
In 2005, the Bucs made a successful transition to he A-Sun, posting an 8-11-1 record, despite losing six games by only one goal. The Bucs, at the time, set the school record for shots and goals in a season. Coach Henson was recognized as having one of the most improved Division I women’s soccer teams for the 2003 season by Soccer Buzz, a nationally recognized source for collegiate soccer information.
Henson and the Bucs broke many of the records they had set in 2002 including best overall and conference records, lowest goals against average in the season, allowing a mere 19 goals, and most goals in a season tallying 38. The Bucs were also able to cut their goal differential by 50 percent and increase the number of games they scored in by 50 percent.
Henson arrived in Johnson City after a four-year stint from 1995-98 as head coach of High Point University’s soccer program. While at High Point, Henson led the team to back-to-back CVAC tournament championship appearances in her first two seasons and reached the championship game each year. She also helped the team move from NAIA competition to NCAA Division II and finally to NCAA Division I. In addition to her coaching duties at High Point, Henson served as the Athletic Department’s Senior Women’s Administrator from 1997-99. Prior to becoming the head coach at High Point, Henson served as an assistant coach for the Panthers men’s and women’s teams from 1994-95.
In addition to her collegiate coaching career, Henson has been active in coaching organizations including the National Soccer Coaches Association and the United States Soccer Federation and holds her NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and a USSF ‘B’ license. Henson is also a member of the NSCAA National Ranking Committee as the A-Sun voting member. Also along with associate head coach Andy Stoots, Henson was recently named as a current USYS Region III staff coach.
Currently, Henson serves as the Tennessee ODP Soccer Staff Head Coach and has instructed in the USSF ‘D’ coaching course since 2000. She was an assistant coach for the Tennessee ODP from 1999-2000. Henson also served as head coach of the North Carolina Olympic Development Program from 1995-98. She was an assistant coach for the N.C. ODP from 1994-95.
Before transitioning into her coaching career, Henson played 10 years of club soccer in her hometown of Dallas, Texas, and played six years for the North Texas ODP. She attended UNC-Greensboro where she was a four-year starter. In her four seasons, the Spartans were ranked No. 1 in the Division II poll in the fall of 1990 and were ranked as high as No. 17 in the Division I poll in 1991. She graduated in 1994 with a degree in psychology.
The former Heather Puckett, Henson is married to Chris Henson, ETSU’s Assistant Director of the Buccaneer Athletic Scholarship Association. The couple lives in Johnson City, Tenn., with their daughter Callie.
