April Heinrichs, who made a successful transition from elite player to elite coach and then to a leading educator on soccer, will speak at West Virginia University Feb. 9, from 7-8:30 p.m. in Salons B & C, at the Erickson Alumni Center.
Heinrichs’ talk is part of WVU’s College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences 2011 distinguished lecture series. It is open to the general public.
Heinrichs currently serves as the technical director of the Women’s Youth National Teams Program, U.S. Soccer Federation. Her talk, “Keys to Successful Team Building,” will focus on the planning, goal setting and decision making processes critical to developing a team.
A soccer pioneer, Heinrichs was among the first players on the U.S. women’s national soccer team, and was captain of the U.S. team which won the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991. In 1998, she became the first female player inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. She is a 1986 graduate of the University of North Carolina where she was named National Player of the Year twice and earned All-American First team honors three times. She was head coach at Princeton University, the University of Maryland and University of Virginia and led the Cavaliers to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Heinrichs served as head coach of the U. S. Women’s Olympic and national teams (2000-2005) and was assistant coach of the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team (1995-96). Her teams won the gold medal in the 2004 and 1996 Olympic Games, and won the silver medal in the 2000 Olympics. In 2003 and 1995, Heinrichs’ teams placed third in the Women’s World Cup competition.
“April Heinrichs is a key player in the foundation and growth of woman’s soccer in the United States,” said Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach, assistant professor, CPASS athletic coaching education. “She brings an incredible wealth of experience and knowledge to share with the community. We are very excited to have her on campus to talk about the profession of coaching and the importance of coaching education for both successful athlete development and peak sport performance.”
Heinrichs earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina and a master’s from the Universite de Poitiers, France.
For more information, contact Kim Cameon at 304-293-0827 or kimberly.cameon@mail.wvu.edu.
-WVU-
CONTACT: Kimberly Cameon
College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences
304-293-0827, Kimberly.Cameon@mail.wvu.edu
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