When every season your team is a top contender for the conference championship, there’s a reason...for the Worcester State Lancers, that reason is Karen Tessmer. Now entering her thirteenth season as Head Women’s Basketball Coach and Associate Athletic Director at Worcester State, Karen Tessmer’s dedication and commitment to the success of the Lancers is clear.

Karen joined WSC in 1994 with an extensive and impressive coaching and recruiting background. She coached on the Division I level for six years, first with James Madison University, a team that competed in the NCAA Regionals two straight years and was ranked in the top 10. She then assisted at George Washington University for 2 years, a team that also received votes in the top 20 polls during her tenure. Prior to joining WSC, Karen was the First Assistant at Ivy League power, Dartmouth College, where she brought in many prized recruits and saw her team rise to be Ivy League Champions and NCAA participants.

Karen received her Master’s Degree in Education while at James Madison University. She attended Gettysburg College for her undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education, graduating Cum Laude and with departmental honors. As a player for Gettysburg, Karen captained teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament and were ranked as high as 12th in the country. She was selected third team All-American, awarded All-Conference honors, and still reigns as the all-time assist leader in school history. Karen also captained and was the starting center fielder on the Gettysburg softball team, which qualified for the NCAA tournament. She earned All-Conference honors in softball as well. Topping off Karen’s athletic achievements is her well deserved 1997 induction into the Gettysburg College Hall of Fame.

Karen was named the MASCAC Coach of the Year in 2006, a season that brought her first MASCAC Conference Championship. She was also Coach of the Year in 1998 after turning around a program that hadn’t seen a winning season since 1990. Indeed, no one at Worcester State holds the same eye for detail and posses such pure motivation as Coach Tessmer. Her teams are perennial conference contenders, have always qualified for the MASCAC tournament, and since her first season, have not seen a sub .500 conference finish. Karen’s commitment to Worcester State’s athletes extends well beyond the basketball court, as she regularly monitors her players’ academic progress and has coached numerous Presidential Scholars and All-Academic players; she also involves her team in numerous campus and community projects.

Coach Tessmer has served on the NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Basketball Association, is President-Elect for the Worcester Area College Basketball Association, a past-president of the New England Women’s Basketball Association, newly appointed to the WBCA Board of Directors and past member on the Executive Board of the MAIAW. As an Associate Athletic Director for Worcester State, Karen is responsible for NCAA eligibility for all sports, student-athlete retention, and academic supervision. She is also a part-time faculty member at the college and participates regularly as a speaker for leadership seminars and events on campus.

Coach Tessmer will continually set high standards for her team and strive for excellence within the women’s basketball program. Her friendship with numerous women's basketball alumni continually demonstrates her positive influence on players. Worcester State is proud to have her on their staff.

Meredith Galena brings in-depth knowledge and an impressive range of skills to Worcester State’s basketball program. After an outstanding career at Division II Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH, she enters her eighth season with the Lancers as Associate Head Coach.

While at Saint Anselm, Meredith played point guard for three years, and then made the switch to shooting guard for her senior season, averaging near 17 points and 4 assists per game. She captained a team that never finished lower than third in the Northeast-10 Conference and participated in the NCAA tournament three of her four years. She played in the NCAA East Regional Finals in 1995, with the team ranked 6th in the nation, and was MVP of the Days Inn Classic tournament her senior year. An English major and academic all-star, Meredith graduated in 1997 as a Kodak All-American Honorable Mention, the 1997 NCAA National Free Throw Champion, an NE-10 and ECAC First Team member, and Saint Anselm’s Female Athlete of the Year.

A graduate of nearby West Boylston High School, Meredith is second on the all-time women’s scoring list, with 1199 points. Her team twice won the Central Mass District Championship, and she was also a Telegram & Gazette all-star two years in a row. She currently works in Marketing and Public Relations for Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Ma.

Lauren Burke enters her second year on the sidelines as an assistant coach of the women's basketball team. Lauren has previously coached at the high school level, including Worcester's Notre Dame High, but is excited to return to her alma-mater.

While at WSC, Lauren was a MASCAC First Team and Second Team All-Conference player her junior and senior years.  She scored over one thousand points and had over 700 rebounds in her career, in addition to making numerous all-tournament teams and leading her team to the conference finals in 2001.   

At Medway High School (Ma.), Lauren was an outstanding athlete, playing in the state softball semi-finals as a sophomore and winning the state championship in volleyball as a freshmen. Known for her hard work and excellent leadership, Lauren became one of the best forwards in the WSC's history, and her knowledge of the post position will be a valued addition to the team.

Lauren is currently a K-3 Special Education Teacher in Marlborough, Ma.

Ashley Lambert will joins the Lancer staff for her second season as a graduate assistant coach. Ashley is a 2007 graduate of Assumption College, where she played under Coach Kerry Phayre and won the team's sixth man award.

As a high school player at Cumberland High in Rhode Island, Ashley had a standout career, being named to numerous all-state teams throughout her career and setting records for three-point shooting - 67 made in a season and eight in one game. Her team twice played in the state semi-finals as well. This is her first coaching stint at the college level.

Ashley is currently enrolled in Worcester State's occupational therapy program, with aspirations to become an occupational therapist upon earning her graduate degree.