The Cyclones Volleyball team will welcome a familiar face this fall season. Karissa Lintgen, who played in 2021 and 2022, will be returning to SCTCC as an assistant coach alongside Coach Heidi Smith and Assistant Coach Cierra Washington.
During her time at SCTCC, Lintgen played Cyclones Volleyball and Softball and graduated in 2023 with her AA and Business Transfer Pathway before transferring to SCSU to get a BS in Management/Human Resources.
“I chose my specific program because I knew I liked working with people and wanted to find a job that utilizes cross functional collaboration and also partaking in other areas of a company,” she noted. She currently works at Coldspring as a Human Resources Administrative Assistant. “I am super happy to be utilizing my degree in my current job at Coldspring!”
After making the transition from playing competitive sports, Lintgen put her expertise to work by coaching a few other volleyball and softball tames, but the roar of the Cyclones wouldn’t leave her. Luckily, she and volleyball coach Heidi Smith kept in contact, and after asking if there was any way to help out with coaching, the two are back together.
“I am super excited to work alongside both her and Cierra Washington to learn from both of them after they taught me so much as a player,” Lintgen explained.
It’s not just playing that brought her back to SCTCC. “I am a huge advocate for people to go to technical colleges,” she shared. Her parents graduated from SCTCC, and she is quick to point out the small class sizes and how wonderful the instructors are. It was also helpful that the Cyclones offered the two sports she wanted to play. Being a student-athlete was a privilege she was glad to have. “You have to be able to manage your practice schedule, class schedule, personal life, and working. Playing a sport makes you organized, not only for the sport but in the classroom. Both my coaches stressed that you are a student before you are an athlete.”
Lintegen’s time at SCTCC, both in the classroom and as an athlete, was fundamental in preparing her for her current role at Coldspring. Since she’s in recruitment and onboarding, she takes any opportunity she can to come to hiring events on campus to chat with students and share her experience.
Now she’ll be able to connect with even more students as she continues her journey with the Cyclones – this time on the sidelines.