Kirsten Hammer, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduate and former UW-W graduate assistant, will join the Warhawk women's basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach starting in August.
 
Hammer returns to UW-Whitewater following a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio. Her responsibilities with the Muskies included skill development, recruiting, scouting, video exchange, strength and conditioning and alumni and community engagement. On March 1, Hammer was named Interim Head Coach, serving in that role until a permanent head coach was announced in early May.
 
Hammer served as a graduate assistant coach for the Warhawks from 2016-18, helping the team win back-to-back Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament titles. Her responsibilities included recruiting, skill development, video exchange, operations and camps.
 
The Warhawks swept the WIAC regular season and tournament championships and hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in 2017-18, when Hammer was part of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Women's College Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
As an undergraduate at UW-Whitewater, Hammer played two seasons (2012-14) for the Warhawks and was a student assistant coach for her final two years (2014-16). The team made back-to-back trips to the Final Four and earned consecutive WIAC championships in 2013 and 2014, and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016.
 
Following graduation, Hammer served as a video coordinator and basketball operations intern with the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the summer of 2016. She played a major role in breakdown of film breakdown, generating scouting reports and organizing general operations.
 
Hammer earned her bachelor's in physical education (health, human performance and recreation) with a minor in business management in 2016. She received her master's in professional development (athletic administration) from UW-Whitewater in 2018.
 
Hammer will also serve as a lecturer in UW-Whitewater's Department of Health, Human Performance, Recreation and Coaching starting this fall.