Kathleen (Hegg) Rustad the new head coach

The University of Minnesota Crookston has hired Kathleen (Hegg) Rustad as the new head coach of its volleyball program. Rustad comes to Crookston after a highly successful run as the head coach at Hawley High School, where she led the Nuggets to back-to-back state championships in Class AA.

The former Win-E-Mac Patriot and North Dakota State Bison standout has led the Nuggets for the last seven seasons and has brought that program to back-to-back State Class AA Championships, including a 32-2 record this past fall. The Nuggets fell behind in the state championship two sets to none to Chatfield, before winning the final three sets to win their second-straight title. In her time at Hawley, Rustad took the Nuggets to three State appearances

Rustad's hiring represents a major coup for the Golden Eagles, as she brings a proven track record of winning at the high school level and deep ties to the region. Her arrival is expected to provide an immediate boost to the program and help elevate UMN Crookston's competitiveness in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

• Rustad was hired as the new head volleyball coach at the University of Minnesota Crookston on March 16, 2026.
• At Hawley High School, Rustad led the Nuggets to back-to-back state championships in 2021 and 2022.