Concordia-St. Paul Athletic Hall of Fame
A Fairbault, Minnesota native (Bethlehem Academy), Mary (Slinger) Heiken, BA ’10, played a crucial role serving as the starting libero and defensive rock for Concordia’s first three NCAA Division II National Championships.
The program’s all-time leader in digs (2,349) and digs per set (4.52), Heiken was a calming presence that could always be counted on to come up with a big play in the back row. The three-time NSIC Libero of the Year and 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year finalist’s reliability was instrumental in the team’s success as she ranked in the top five in the NSIC in digs per set in each of her final three seasons while finishing fourth in CSP history with a .962 receive percentage and tying a school record with 154 matches played.
Her on-court successes were matched by her successes in the classroom as she was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America pick (First Team in 2009 and Second Team in 2008) and a three-time NSIC All-Academic pick. Heiken was an active member of the Tetra Delta Science Club and Tri-Pi Math Club while earning the Stor Chemistry Scholarship in 2008 and 2009. She graduated summa cum laude in chemistry with a minor in Spanish in 2010.
Her efforts were shown in the team’s success as the squad compiled a record of 146-8 over four years while losing just one of 76 NSIC matches. The Golden Bears were especially remarkable in the final two years of her career as they won 74 straight matches after dropping the first match of the 2009 season. The team claimed its first three national titles of its record-setting run of seven in a row while also adding four NSIC championships and reaching the NCAA Central Region championship in all four seasons.
After appearing in every match as a defensive specialist in the team’s run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen as a freshman, Heiken took over the libero position in her sophomore campaign. She did not disappoint in the new role as she set the program record with 6.08 digs per set, good for third in the NSIC, to go along with 0.43 aces per set, good for fifth. She was named NSIC Libero of the Year and All-NSIC First Team during the team’s first national championship season.
While the Golden Bears repeated as national champions in 2009, Heiken also repeated as NSIC Libero of the Year, adding AVCA All-America Second Team honors as well. She finished the year ranked fifth in the conference with 4.56 digs per set while the team finished with a record of 37-1.
Heiken wrapped up her career in spectacular fashion as the Golden Bears put together a perfect 37-0 season to make it three straight national titles. She also made three straight NSIC Libero of the Year selections while garnering AVCA All-America First Team and Daktronics All-America Second Team recognition. Her efforts were acknowledged beyond just the volleyball court as she was named an NCAA Woman of the Year Top 9 Finalist, an award that honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes across all three NCAA divisions.
Following graduation, Heiken worked as a lab assistant at Cima Labs and Beckman Coulter before pursuing a doctorate of pharmacy at Pacific University in 2013. She completed a dual degree in PharmD and a master’s of healthcare administration in addition to a specialization in interprofessional education in 2016.
After completing a pharmacy practice residency in acute care at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth, Minnesota, she moved into her current position as a clinical pharmacist at the same location.
She married Sam Heiken in 2014 and their first child, Hayden, was born in March of this year (2020).
