Millikin Athletics
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Kirsten Hammer will enter her 3rd season leading the Millikin University Women's Basketball program in the fall of 2026. She joined the Big Blue in 2024, and is the 4th head coach in program history.
Through two seasons, she has collected 18 wins, with 11 CCIW victories, and has coached two All-CCIW selections.
In 2025-26, the Big Blue went 9-16 overall, with four CCIW wins. Nikkel Johson was named All-CCIW for the second straight season, and the Big Blue recorded one of the largest margins of victory in program history in an 85-25 romp over Eureka College.
In her first season leading the program, Hammer's squad posted a 9-18 overall record, with a 7-9 mark in CCIW play. Nikkel Johnson was named the All-CCIW teams, and earned CCIW Newcomer of the Year honors, the third player in program history to do so. Millikin qualified for the CCIW tournament, upsetting Carthage 63-57 on the road, before falling in the semifinals.
Prior to Millikin, Hammer was on staff at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for five seasons. She served as an assistant from 2019-22, before being elevated to Associate Head Coach for two seasons. During her time there, the Warhawks posted a record of 107-24, with a 52-12 record in WIAC competition. She helped guide the team to three WIAC championships, and four NCAA appearances, including a national runners up finish in 2021-22. Following the 2021-22 season, Hammer was named a WBCA 30 Under 30 honoree.
Before joining the Whitewater staff, Hammer was an assistant coach at Muskingum University during the 2018-19 season, serving as Interim Head Coach from March to May in 2019. She also served as a Basketbal Operations/Video Coordinator Intern with the Seattle Storm in 2016.
Hammer earned her Bachelor's of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2016, going on the earn her Master's of Science in Education in from Witewaterin 2018, with an emphasis in Higher Education Athletic Administration. During her time with the Warhawks, she was a member of the women's basketball program. UWW won a pair of WIAC titles, and recorded back-to-back final four appearances, finishing as national runners up in 2013, and 3rd in 2014.
A native of West Bend, Wisconsin, Kirsten resides in Decatur with her wife Allison, and their dog Bogey.
