Connecticut College

Connecticut College Dept of Athletics
270 Mohegan Avenue New London, CT 06320

Division 3 Connecticut Northeast

Private Small National competitor

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Coaches

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Norm Riker

Norm Riker was named the head women's soccer coach at Connecticut College in the summer of 2011 and has transformed the program into becoming a consistent threat on the national stage. Under Riker’s direction, the Camels have made three NCAA Tournament appearances in 2014, 2016 and 2017 and will bring positive momentum into the 2021 fall campaign after registering their fourth consecutive winning season in 2019 and an unbeaten record against Division III competition this past spring.

Riker’s 2014 squad made history by capturing the school’s first NESCAC championship in any sport while also setting a program record by winning 16 matches. He received NESCAC and NSCAA New England Region Coach of the Year laurels to distinguish himself as one of the only collegiate coaches to (1) take two women’s soccer programs to the NCAA Tournament and (2) be awarded NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year in two different regions after previously being named the NSCAA Great Lakes Coach of the Year in 2007. In addition, central midfielder Astrid Kempainen became the first Camel women’s soccer player to earn NSCAA All-America First Team plaudits in 2014.

The 2014 and 2016 teams made it as far as the second round of the NCAA Tournament, which included using a late scoring surge to down Swarthmore in 2014 and advancing past Scranton on penalty kicks two years later. Furthermore, the 2014 team set or matched school records for total goals (47) and shutouts (11).

In 2017, the Camels qualified for NCAAs again after earning a program-best second seed in the NESCAC Tournament and were also rewarded for their efforts in the classroom. A league-best 18 players made the NESCAC All-Academic Team, while Michelle Medina and Sara Kogelmann were recognized as CoSIDA Academic All-District selections. Kogelmann also became the first student-athlete in program history to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2018.

The 2019 squad most recently completed the program’s fifth season with a double-digit win total in the last six years by registering 10 victories. The Camels most notably earned a win and a draw against nationally-ranked Amherst and Tufts, respectively, on the road and qualified for the NESCAC Tournament. Off the field, the program continued its impressive streak of being named a United Soccer Coaches All-Academic Team every year under Riker’s leadership, and Sara Kogelmann was recognized as a CoSIDA Academic All-American for the second straight season to also become just the third student-athlete in school history for any sport to earn the prestigious award multiple times. Furthermore, Alyssa Kogelmann and Sara Kogelmann were among 13 seniors in the Class of 2020 to be named Winthrop Scholars.

Prior to his arrival at Connecticut College, Riker compiled an impressive 108-51-25 record as the head coach at Wittenberg University. He piloted the program to seven consecutive appearances in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament and four consecutive league crowns which led to appearances in the NCAA Tournament each year. The Tigers also climbed as high as No. 8 in the NSCAA national poll and was consistently ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation.

Riker's success on the field was also rivaled by his team's efforts in the classroom. The Tigers received seven NSCAA Team Academic Awards under his tutelage, and his teams consistently carried a cumulative grade point average of a 3.0 or higher.

A native of Block Island, R.I., Riker earned his bachelor’s degree in history at Springfield College in 1992 and a master’s of education from the State University of New York at New Paltz. He resides in Niantic with his wife, Gabrielle N. Antoniadis Riker ’89 and their daughters, Isabelle and Sofia.

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Mia Hernandez

Mia (Santana) Hernandez '20 joined Connecticut College as the women’s soccer assistant soccer coach in May 2022. She is responsible for assisting head coach Norm Riker with all aspects of the program.

A native of New London, Hernandez attended and graduated from New London High School in 2016. She started on the high school soccer team and ran track and field. During her senior year, she led the soccer team to the state tournament for the first time in over 50 years, and she holds many school records in track and field. She also played at Southeast Soccer Club and helped her team win states her senior year.

Hernandez continued her playing career at Connecticut College, where she was a four-year letter winner on the women's soccer team. She appeared in 63 career matches and helped the Camels to NCAA Championship appearances in 2016 and 2017.

After graduating from Conn College in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development, Hernandez assisted the 2010 boys team and 2006 girls team at Southeast Soccer Club during the 2020-21 season. In the fall of 2022, she served as head coach of the 2012-13 girls team and assistant of the 2010 girls team, and in 2022-23 she coached the 2008 and 2005 girls.