Softball, Volleyball, Basketball
Heidi Muller participated in four seasons each of volleyball, basketball, and softball during her time at Carleton, an interesting development considering she told the Carletonian that she had not planned on playing any sport in college. However, Muller tried out for the volleyball team, enjoyed the camaraderie, and quickly became a three-sport collegiate student-athlete. She played on teams that established school records for victories in all three sports, and her leadership was recognized through her selection as a team captain within each program. Muller made her greatest impact on the diamond, where she was a four-year starter at shortstop and a three-time All-MIAC selection. Her .385 career batting average, 120 hits, 21 doubles, 16 triples, 88 RBI, and 19 stolen bases were each the program standard at the time. Although she last suited up for the Knights 30 years ago, she still holds the team record for career triples (second-best in MIAC history), ranks second in RBI, and is third in batting average. Muller batted better than .340 every season, including a blistering .432 during her junior campaign. She set the team single-season record with six triples in 1987 and still owns three of the top-10 RBI seasons in program history, including what was then a school record 31 RBI in 1988. Muller displayed a keen batting eye as she totaled only 13 strikeouts over her four seasons—including two seasons with only one strikeout apiece—while walking a total of 34 times over that same span. She appeared in 55 basketball games over her four seasons at Carleton and was a member of the volleyball program that totaled 112 victories over four years. Muller was the 1989 recipient of Carleton’s Ele Hansen Award. After her playing career ended, Muller returned to Carleton as an assistant coach and then served as the interim head coach for softball during the 1992 season.
After majoring in psychology at Carleton, Muller earned a master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and elected to pursue a PhD in communication from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She currently serves as an associate professor of communication studies at the University of Northern Colorado. Among her many endeavors, Muller helped create the Softball for a Cure tournament in Boulder, Colo., an event that has raised more than $80,000 to date in support of local cancer survivors and cancer research.