Bio

Former all-conference performer at Wayne State College and Iowa High School player of the year, Lea Hartigan joins the Simpson coaching staff for her first season in 2011.

A three-year starter for the NCAA Division II Wayne State in Wayne, Neb., Hartigan earned All-Northern Sun Conference honors as a junior and helped the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four seasons. As a senior, Hartigan and her teammates vaulted the program to a No. 1 national ranking. She was a two-year captain and took home academic all-conference honors following her junior and senior campaigns.

Hartigan came from Treynor High School, where she was stand-out, four-sport athlete. The Class 2A State Player of the Year as a senior, she led the Treynor volleyball team to four state tournaments and earned all-tournament honors twice. She also competed at the state track meet four times, participated in the state basketball tournament three times and the state softball tournament once. Hartigan was named all-state in basketball and softball and earned all-tournament honors in both.

Hartigan graduated from Wayne State with a bachelor’s degree in sport management, a minor in business administration and a coaching endorsement. After graduating from Wayne State, Hartigan served as the head coach for the Wayne Volleyball Club.