Colby-Sawyer Athletics

AT COLBY-SAWYER
2024: Hanson was a star in her junior season on the women's lacrosse team for the Chargers starting all 18 games. Heather ended the year with 49 goals, 24 assists, 71 ground balls, 69 draw controls and 46 caused turnovers. Hanson was selected to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) First Team All-Conference for the third-consecutive season and was the first Charger ever selected to the IWLCA All-Region Team making the second team. Heather's best game of the season came on February 28th matching a career-high nine points on five goals and four assists to go with six draw controls in a win against Clark University. Hanson added a seven-point performance on March 9th against Salem State with five goals, two assists, seven ground balls, five caused turnovers and four draws in a Charger win. Heather currently sits 4th in program history in points (223), 7th in goals (149), 2nd in assists (74), 1st in ground balls (252) and tied for 2nd in caused turnovers (119). Hanson was later awarded the Chargie for Charger Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Heather will continue her role of Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) vice president for the 2024-25 year.

2023: Hanson continued to shine for the Chargers in her second year in New London. Heather started all 18 games for Colby-Sawyer scoring 51 goals and dishing out 24 assists to go with 94 ground balls, 87 draw controls and 42 caused turnovers. Hanson ranked 1st in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) in ground balls (94), 10th in goals (51), 8th in assists (24), 6th in draw controls (87) and 8th in caused turnovers (42). Heather was later selected as the GNAC Midfielder of the Year for 2023 as well as a First Team All-Conference selection. She was also the GNAC player of the week in week four of the season. Hanson had her first big game of the season on March 25th at Elms College scoring a career-high seven goals to go with an assist, three ground balls and nine draws. Heather followed it up with another career performance registering a career-high nine points on March 29th against Anna Maria College with five goals and four assists to go with three ground balls and five draws. Hanson broke her program record for ground balls in a season in 2023 collecting 94 grounders in 18 contests. Hanson also sits 5th in program history in assists (50). Hanson was also selected as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) vice president for the 2023-24 year.

2022: Hanson became a star right away at Colby-Sawyer, breaking the program record for ground balls in a season (86) and being named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Rookie of the Year. Heather ranked 12th in the GNAC and first on the team in goals (49), fifth in the GNAC and first on the team in assists (26), first in the GNAC and on the team in ground balls (86), 10th in the GNAC and second on the team in caused turnovers (31) and 13th in the GNAC and third on the team in draw controls (75). Hanson made an immediate impact in her first collegiate game scoring five goals, dishing out an assist, while collecting four ground balls and picking up four draw controls in a 17-11 win at Curry College. Hanson dished a career-high five assists on March 5th in her first home game to go along with two goals, seven ground balls, seven draw controls and three caused turnovers in a 15-12 victory against Fitchburg State University. Heather added a career-best day on March 20th against Elms College scoring a career-high six goals, while adding two assists, eight ground balls and four draw controls. Hanson added another career-high in her next game picking up 11 ground balls to go with four goals, one assist, seven draw controls and a pair of caused turnovers in a 16-10 win against the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.). Hanson was later named to the GNAC All-Conference First Team and GNAC All-Rookie Team after being named the GNAC Rookie of the Week four-times in 2022. Heather was also awarded the Chargie for Female Newcomer of the Year after a successful three-sport year for Colby-Sawyer. 

PRIOR TO COLBY-SAWYER: Graduate of Barnstable High School and was a Cape and Island League Champion and MVP in lacrosse. Hanson was also a two-time all-star and team captain in lacrosse, cross country and track & field.