Fresh off yet another NCAA Division II regional tournament bid and a share of the Mountain East Conference championship, former West Liberty University tennis standout Heather Gallagher has her Hilltoppers on a roll as she embarks on her 20th season as head women’s tennis coach.
   The 2021-22 NCAA tournament bid was the 10th post-season bid for the West Liberty women, who have established themselves as perennial contenders in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region.
   The Black and Gold have also been a force to reckon with at the conference level throughout Gallagher’s tenure. Last year’s MEC championship hardware sits on the mantle right next to the WLU women’s 2004 and 2006 West Virginia Conference championship trophies. Gallagher’s women were also WVIAC runners-up in 2011 and 2012 and were runners-up in the 2014 MEC chase, as well.
   An All-WVIAC standout on West Liberty’s powerhouse teams of the late 1990s, Gallagher was a WVIAC singles champion in 1998 and teamed with WLU Hall of Famer Tara Elkin to claim back-to-back conference doubles crowns in 1998 and 1999.
   The Hilltopper women’s tennis team posted a dazzling 39-1 record in West Virginia Conference matches during Gallagher’s four varsity seasons. Along with her accomplishments on the court, Gallagher also earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.
   A native of Parkersburg, W.Va., Gallagher came to the hilltop following an all-state career at Parkersburg (W.Va.) Catholic High School. The athletic department’s Senior Women’s Administrator, she served for many years as Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Administration in addition to her coaching duties.
