Kristen Peterson enters her second season as assistant coach for the Purdue Northwest women’s basketball team, after spending the last few years as a teacher at Chesterton Middle School.
Peterson assisted the Pride to its sixth-straight 20-win season, en route to their fourth trip to the NAIA National Tournament in five seasons.
The Pride saw Cassidy Deno and Darien Thompson earn CCAC postseason honors, with Deno receiving second-team NAIA All-American honors and Academic All-American of the Year.
Peterson was the school improvement team chair and professional development subcommittee chair, and helped develop training for the entire middle school staff to help improve goals for the school.
Peterson spent six seasons as the head basketball coach at Portage High School from 2004-2009, earning Times Coach of the Year and The Post Tribune Coach of the Year honors in 2007.
In her time with the Indians, Peterson led the school to its first sectional championship in 19 years.
Prior to that, she spent four seasons as the head coach for Hobart High School, and was selected to coach the Northwest Indiana All-Star East Team in 2003.
Peterson also received Gary Steelheads Coach of the Week honors in 2002 and played an integral role in the growth of the Brickies program.
Before her time as a head coach, Peterson was a standout athlete for NCAA Div. 1 member Stetson University, receiving all-conference academic honors and being named team captain.
Peterson was also invited to and participated in the NCAA Division 1 Three-Point Shoot-Out on ESPN, and was inducted in to the Stetson University Hall of Fame.
Not only was Peterson a leader on the court, but she also was a top cross country runner for Stetson, earning Runner of the Year honors.
Peterson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stetson University before earning a Master of Arts degree from Ball State University. She also received her teacher certification from Valparaiso University.
