When every season your team is a top contender for the conference championship, there’s a reason...for the Worcester State Lancers, that reason is Karen Tessmer. Now entering her thirteenth season as Head Women’s Basketball Coach and Associate Athletic Director at Worcester State, Karen Tessmer’s dedication and commitment to the success of the Lancers is clear.
Karen joined WSC in 1994 with an extensive and impressive coaching and recruiting background. She coached on the Division I level for six years, first with James Madison University, a team that competed in the NCAA Regionals two straight years and was ranked in the top 10. She then assisted at George Washington University for 2 years, a team that also received votes in the top 20 polls during her tenure. Prior to joining WSC, Karen was the First Assistant at Ivy League power, Dartmouth College, where she brought in many prized recruits and saw her team rise to be Ivy League Champions and NCAA participants.
Karen received her Master’s Degree in Education while at James Madison University. She attended Gettysburg College for her undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education, graduating Cum Laude and with departmental honors. As a player for Gettysburg, Karen captained teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament and were ranked as high as 12th in the country. She was selected third team All-American, awarded All-Conference honors, and still reigns as the all-time assist leader in school history. Karen also captained and was the starting center fielder on the Gettysburg softball team, which qualified for the NCAA tournament. She earned All-Conference honors in softball as well. Topping off Karen’s athletic achievements is her well deserved 1997 induction into the Gettysburg College Hall of Fame.
Karen was named the MASCAC Coach of the Year in 2006, a season that brought her first MASCAC Conference Championship. She was also Coach of the Year in 1998 after turning around a program that hadn’t seen a winning season since 1990. Indeed, no one at Worcester State holds the same eye for detail and posses such pure motivation as Coach Tessmer. Her teams are perennial conference contenders, have always qualified for the MASCAC tournament, and since her first season, have not seen a sub .500 conference finish. Karen’s commitment to Worcester State’s athletes extends well beyond the basketball court, as she regularly monitors her players’ academic progress and has coached numerous Presidential Scholars and All-Academic players; she also involves her team in numerous campus and community projects.
Coach Tessmer has served on the NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Basketball Association, is President-Elect for the Worcester Area College Basketball Association, a past-president of the New England Women’s Basketball Association, newly appointed to the WBCA Board of Directors and past member on the Executive Board of the MAIAW. As an Associate Athletic Director for Worcester State, Karen is responsible for NCAA eligibility for all sports, student-athlete retention, and academic supervision. She is also a part-time faculty member at the college and participates regularly as a speaker for leadership seminars and events on campus.
Coach Tessmer will continually set high standards for her team and strive for excellence within the women’s basketball program. Her friendship with numerous women's basketball alumni continually demonstrates her positive influence on players. Worcester State is proud to have her on their staff.
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