Heavens, who spent the last three seasons on staff at La Salle, played collegiately at Penn State, where she helped the Nittany Lions to an NCAA Final Four appearance as a senior captain in 2016.

“We’re excited to have Ally join us,” said head coach Melissa Lehman. “Her energy and passion for the game is something you notice right away, and she is excited to be a part of building a program. She competed in the Big Ten during her time at Penn State and was a big part of the success that program achieved, so we’re ecstatic to have her get started and bring her experience to Rutgers.”

Heavens served as an assistant coach at La Salle from 2017-19, where she worked as the defensive coordinator for the Explorers during the past three seasons. Three defenders were All-Atlantic 10 selections under Heavens’ mentorship, including 2019 all-rookie defender Amanda Farnsworth. Heavens also worked as the program’s social media and recruiting coordinator.

Prior to her arrival at La Salle, Heavens was a four-year letterwinner and standout defender at Penn State from 2013-16. As a senior captain in 2016, Heavens helped the Nittany Lions collect 14 victories en route to the program’s first trip to an NCAA semifinal since 1999. That season, Heavens started all 21 games on defense, collected 25 ground balls and caused 26 turnovers. Heavens also earned a Big Ten Championship in 2015 as a junior.

A native of Garnet Valley, Pa., Heavens graduated in 2016 from Penn State with a degree in kinesiology.