La Crosse, Wis. - UW-La Crosse Intercollegiate Athletics is giving fans an opportunity to get to know its 16 head coaches during the 2019-20 season.  We thank all 16 of the Eagles' head coaches for participating.  Our head coach being recognized today is lacrosse's Cassandra Berger. 

Berger completed her first season as UWL's head coach in 2019-20.  UWL finished 1-5 in 2019-20, its first varsity season of competition.  The Eagles played their first game on February 29, 2020 at Carroll University (Wis.) and earned their first win in program history on March 8, 2020 with a 18-9 victory over Anderson University (Ind.). UWL played a pair of home games at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex, hosting Trine University (Ind.) on March 13, 2020 and Augustana College (Ill.) on March 15, 2020.

Berger earned four letters in lacrosse at the University of Dubuque (Iowa), serving as team captain her senior season.  She earned Dubuque's (Iowa) Coaches Award and was named to the Midwest Lacrosse Conference All-Academic Team.  Berger earned her bachelor's degree with a triple major in accounting, human resource management and business administration from Dubuque (Iowa) in 2016 and is currently pursuing her master's degree in business administration.

She was an assistant women's lacrosse coach at Dubuque (Iowa) in 2018, recruiting 12 students to campus for the 2019 season.  Berger developed and conducted weekly strength and conditioning plans for the squad while assisting in all aspects of the program.  

Berger was joined by assistant coach Megan Smith in 2019-20.

Cassandra Berger

Your hometown?  Waukon, Iowa.  

Favorite food?  Queso!!! 

Favorite hobby?  Playing the guitar and piano. 

Favorite Inspirational Quote?  "Learn to use the criticism as fuel and you will never run out of energy."

The thing you most like about the Coulee Region?  There are so many things I love about the Coulee Region. I love being on the river in the summer, I love hiking the bluffs, I love all of the phenomenal food options, and I absolutely love working at UWL.

Your favorite coaching memory?  My favorite coaching moment at UWL has to be our very first win against Anderson University! It was the end of a long weekend road trip, so everyone was exhausted… but I felt that everyone came together as a unit and the girls took everything that they had learned from our previous tough games and put it altogether to get the W!

Your favorite memory as a student-athlete?  One of my favorite "appropriate" memories as a college lacrosse player, was at my senior year banquet when our coach had all of the seniors stand up in front of everyone and she gifted us with our uniforms that we had worn the last couple years before.

Your sports role model? Toss up between Kayla Treanor (played lacrosse at Syracuse) and Malin Malle Jansson (street workout athlete from Sweden).

Favorite book?  Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly.