SAN ANTONIO – UTSA women's soccer head coach Derek Pittman announced the additions of Mark Hiemenz and Cameron Carter to his coaching staff.
Hiemenz will serve as the program's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, while Carter will be an assistant coach with focus on the goalkeepers.
"I am very excited to announce the addition of these two great coaches to our UTSA staff," said Pittman. "Not only are they quality teachers of the game, recruiters and professionals; they are tremendous people that will help provide a top-level experience to our student-athletes. I am lucky to have them on board to help us move UTSA soccer forward into the future."
Prior to coming to the Alamo City, Hiemenz most recently served as a coach and college advisor at the Challenge Soccer Club in Houston since August 2017.
"Mark and I have been friends for nearly ten years and he is someone that I have the upmost respect for as a father, man and coach," said Pittman. "He was my first call when I started putting together my staff.
"Mark has nearly 20 years of experience at the college and club level, both as an assistant and a head coach, which will be invaluable as we build this team into a conference contender. He has strong recruiting ties to Texas and Midwest states that we will focus heavily on for our talent pool. He is also a tremendous teacher and communicates extremely well with his players, as well as sharing my enthusiasm and vision for creating a positive culture for our players to grow and mature as people."
"I'm truly grateful for the opportunity Derek and UTSA have afforded me," said Hiemenz. "Having wanted to work with Derek for the past few years, I was excited to become a part of the Roadrunner athletic family and help pave a new path for the soccer program. I can't wait to get to work and serve the student- athletes."
Hiemenz spent the Feb. 2016 through Aug. 2017 as the director of coaching Colorado Rush Soccer Club. He oversaw the senior division of the club and directed the College Advisory Program.
Hiemenz spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Wyoming where he aided the Cowgirls to a combined 23-15-5 overall record, including a 14-7-1 mark in Mountain West play.
He went to Wyoming after two seasons as the head soccer coach at Hastings College in Hastings, Neb. He compiled a 28-12-2 record during those two seasons. He coached two Great Plains Athletic Conference Players of the Year, 16 All-Conference selections and one honorable mention All-American. In 2012 Hiemenz was named the 2012 GPAC Coach of the Year after winning the regular-season title with a 9-0-1 record and advancing to the NAIA National Tournament.
Prior to Hastings College, Hiemenz was an assistant for women's soccer at Boise State. He assisted in day-to-day activities including being the recruiting coordinator, goalkeeper coach, travel planning and game scheduling. Boise State advanced to the Western Athletic Conference tournament semifinals or better each year Hiemenz was a part of the program.
Before coaching at Boise State, he was the head women's soccer coach at Carroll College in Helena, Mont. Hiemenz recorded a 56-30-7 overall mark at Carroll and led the Fighting Saints to the school's highest winning percentage and most wins in team history. He coached nine honorable mention All-Americans, 15 All-Region selections and 19 Academic All-Americans. Under Hiemenz, Carroll qualified for four consecutive regional tournaments (2003-06) and the school's first NAIA National Tournament (2006). Carroll consistently finished ranked in the national polls while Hiemenz was coach. In 2004, the Saints completed the season ranked 25th nationally for the first ranking in team history. In 2005, Carroll finished 19th nationally and the highest ranking in team history with 12th in 2006.
After graduating from DePauw University and spending one season as an assistant with the Tigers, Hiemenz became an assistant coach for Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. While at Gustavus, he helped the team become Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions in 2000, a final NSCAA ranking of 10th and a Division III Tournament and Round of 16 appearance.
In 1997, Hiemenz earned his bachelor's degree in communications from DePauw with a minor in English literature. While playing for the Tigers, he was a four-year starter and competed in two NCAA Division III soccer championship tournaments. He also played in the Professional Development League for the Mid-Michigan Bucks.
Hiemenz has an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and USSF National Goalkeeping License.
Carter spent last season as a graduate assistant coach on Pittman's staff at the University of Idaho.
"I am really happy that Cameron chose to follow me from Idaho to UTSA," said Pittman. "She is a bright, young coach that continues to grow in her abilities as an assistant and goalkeeper instructor. She is a fiery competitor that boasts a stellar playing career in the SEC, owning just about every goalkeeping record at Arkansas and that experience is something our goalkeepers will be able to really lean on as she pushes them to play at a high level.
"She also has recruiting ties to Texas, having grown up in Waco and playing for the D'Feeters soccer club. Her high character, work ethic and ability to connect with our players will be big positives as we move forward and build a program that is going to compete for championships."
"I'm very excited and blessed to be joining coach Derek Pittman as an assistant coach on his staff here at the University of Texas at San Antonio," said Carter. "I'd like to thank Derek and the UTSA department of athletics for giving me this incredible opportunity, I'm looking forward to getting started with our student-athletes to help them achieve their goals on and off the field, and compete for Conference USA championships and NCAA Tournament berths."
In her season at Idaho, Carter tutored Makayla Presgrave to a 1.48 goal against average, 72 saves and four shutouts in 1,761 minutes between the posts.
Carter joined the Vandals fresh off an incredible career as a goalkeeper with the University of Arkansas. There, Carter set program records for wins with 45, games played with 81 and minutes played with 7,143.
She recorded 20 shutouts during her time with the Razorbacks, including six during her senior campaign. Carter also continued to improve throughout her career, posting her best goals against average of her career (1.04) during her senior season.
Her best season came in 2016, when she started every game and posted an 18-5-1 record, the most wins in a single season in program history. The Razorbacks advanced to the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game for the first time since 1996. Arkansas also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Women's College Cup with a win over Memphis, one of Idaho's early-season opponents in 2017.
Carter was the primary starter during three of her four seasons with Arkansas, leading the Razorbacks to the NCAA Women's College Cup in all three. Carter and the Razorbacks were also very successful in the Cup, winning at least one game all three years and advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2013.
Originally from Waco, Carter played high school soccer at Midway High School. She also competed for Waco United SC, Revolution Premier SC and the D'Feeters Soccer Club at the club level.
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