Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

 
Mary (Slinger) Heiken was a pivotal part of Concordia University, St. Paul’s first three NCAA Division II Volleyball National Championships.

The program’s all-time leader in digs (2,349) and digs per set (4.52), Heiken is the only student-athlete to earn NSIC Libero of the Year on three occasions. 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 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, 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 garnered 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.

Her successes in the classroom also included being a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America pick (First Team in 2009 and Second Team in 2008), a three-time NSIC All-Academic team member and was the 2009 Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence recipient. 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.
Following graduation, Heiken worked as a lab assistant at Cima Labs and Beckman Coulter before pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy at Pacific University School of Pharmacy in 2013. She completed a dual degree in PharmD and a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) 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 graduated to practice as a clinical pharmacist at the same location until 2022. Her current position is Clinical Pharmacy Manager for three hospitals in the Twin Ports for Essentia Health.

Heiken and her husband Sam reside in Duluth, Minnesota with their daughter, Hayden (3), son, Dean (1) and dog, Canyon.