E-mail Coach Carlsen

Lisa Carlsen is in her second season as head women's basketball coach and serves as Lewis' senior woman administrator.

In Carlsen's first season the Flyers finished with a 13-13 overall mark and 9-10 conference record in league that featured six NCAA II Tournament teams including the 2008 national champions. Her squad recorded a resounding 15-point win at eventual league champion Drury and topped Division I foe Chicago State.

Carlsen came to Lewis after spending three seasons as associate head coach for the women's basketball program at Winona State. The Warriors enjoyed drastic improvement over that span, increasing their win total and conference standing each year and emerging as one of the top teams in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

After winning only three games in 2004-05, the Warriors posted a 15-12 record in 2006-07 and finished tied for fourth in the NSIC, the team's best conference finish in program history. The 2006-07 Warriors were ranked second in NCAA Division II in free throw percentage and were third in fewest turnovers per game. In addition, the team found success in the classroom, finishing seventh in the nation in team GPA.

Prior to her time at Winona State, Carlsen worked for six seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She joined the women's basketball staff as an assistant coach in 1998 and was promoted to head coach in 2000. She guided the Mavericks to postseason play in 2003, posting the program's best finish since the 1991-92 season. The Mavericks also maintained a 3.46 team GPA during Carlsen's tenure.

Carlsen's coaching career began in 1994 when she coached College of St Mary's (Neb.) softball team for four seasons. She also served in the same capacity for one year at Wayne State College (Neb.), compiling a career record of 120-51 as a softball coach.

Carlsen played professional basketball from 1992-95 for the Nebraska Express of the Women's Basketball Association. She was named team captain and earned a spot on the league's all-star team in 1995.

A 1992 graduate of Northwest Missouri State, Carlsen was a four-time all-conference basketball selection and an All-America scholar athlete. She also was an all-conference and all-region softball player. As a senior, she was named the 1992 Champion NCAA Female Athlete of the Year. She earned a master's degree from UNO in 1994.

Carlsen is originally from Earling, Iowa. She is married to Chris Carlsen, assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for the Lewis baseball team. They have four children: Jacob (12), Zachary (8), Sam (7) and Alexis (3) and live in Romeoville.