Lance Westberg has been named the head coach for the Houghton College men’s basketball program, Houghton Director of Athletics Matthew Webb announced.
Westberg is the 10th coach in program history and takes over for Corky McMullen, who resigned in May.
“We are thrilled to have Coach Westberg join our staff,” said Webb. “His success as a recruiter, and his experience and familiarity within NCAA D3 basketball have prepared him well for this position. Coach Westberg is a great fit for the Houghton family and is passionate about investing in young men as well as continuing to develop our basketball program.”
Westberg recently completed his fifth season as an assistant at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where he helped guide the Falcons to a record of 83-53. During his time at UW-River Falls, the team advanced to three WIAC championship games. The 2016-17 team finished 25-4, won the conference title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament. That team was also honored as the WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
Westberg has been actively involved with the Falcon recruiting efforts, perimeter player development, scouting, and organizing and monitoring student-athlete academic progress. He helped develop nine all-conference players and one Third Team NABC All-American. He also directs the Falcon summer basketball camps.
“I am very grateful and excited to become the next head men’s basketball coach at Houghton College. I would like to thank President Mullen, Dr. Webb, and the rest of the search committee for their efforts, accommodations, and for welcoming me into the Highlander family,” said Westberg. “I am looking forward to working with the good people on campus at Houghton College and to lead this group of young men as we move the needle forward in the Men’s Basketball program. Go Highlanders!”
As a recruiter, he earned commitments from 20 top-100 and six top-50 recruits from Minnesota and Wisconsin. In addition to his basketball responsibilities, Westberg has served as the head coach of the UW-River Falls women’s golf team since 2015. During his time at the helm, he increased the team roster size from six to 13, boosted the team GPA from 2.9 to 3.67, and was named WIAC Coach of the Year in 2018.
Prior to joining UW-River Falls, Westberg spent a season as an assistant coach at River Falls High School and also spent three seasons as the head coach and director of the Minnesota-based Triple Threat Club team, elevating the U15-U17 team to a ranking in the Northstar Hoops Report.
Westberg played for four years at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul where he was a part of three regular season UMAC championships, three conference tournament championships, three NCAA National Tournament appearances from 2010-13, and an NCCAA National Championship in 2010. Individually, he earned honorable mention to the All-UMAC team during the 2012-13 season along with being named the conference championship MVP, and the UMAC Individual Sportsmanship Award.
Westberg graduated from the University of Northwestern with a bachelor’s degree in educational studies. He continued his education with a post-baccalaureate degree in math education at UW-River Falls in 2015 and recently completed his master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University-Irvine.
In addition to his coaching experience, Westberg has taught high school math in the River Falls School District since 2015.
Westberg Named Head Basketball Coach at Houghton College
