Heather Semelmacher begins her first year as head lacrosse coach in 2011-12.  She was most recently the coach at State University of New York at New Paltz which she took over when the program was revived after a five year absence.  She is the winningest coach in New Paltz history and increased the team's win total every season while competing in one of the elite conferences for Division III women's lacrosse.

Prior to New Paltz, Semelmacher started the lacrosse program at Saugerties High School in Saugerties, N.Y., and served in the position for seven years. The Sawyers spent four years as Section IX Class "B" champions and are among the top-50 programs in New York. In 2006-07, she was named Coach of the Year, and in 2007-08, her squad was named the Team of the Year.  Before Saugerties, she was the assistant women's lacrosse coach at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for two years from 2000-01.

Semelmacher has also coached at STX and Nike Lacrosse Camps and given coaches' clinics for US Lacrosse. She is a member of the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) and U.S. Field Hockey.