Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/28/25 – From Press Release
Penn head women’s coach Karin Brower has announced the hiring of Ally (Heavens) Deaver (Garnet Valley) as an assistant coach and director of operations to the program.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ally to our staff,” said Brower. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and tremendous experience, having worked alongside alumna Melissa Lehman at Rutgers, focusing on goalkeeping, defense, and building strong player relationships. Ally’s infectious passion for the game—and for Philadelphia—makes her a perfect fit for Penn women’s lacrosse. We know she’ll embrace the grit, fight, and pride we bring to the field every day!”
Deaver – the Phillylacrosse.com Co-Player of the Year in 2012 when she led Garnet Valley to a second straight state title – most recently spent the past seven seasons as an assistant coach at Rutgers, serving as the defensive coordinator for the Scarlet Knights. Under her guidance, the defensive core thrived, as Meghan Ball earned Big Ten and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten, First Team IWLCA All-Region, and All-American honors during the 2023 campaign.
“I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to join the University of Pennsylvania women’s lacrosse family as an assistant coach,” said Deaver. “This program’s tradition, passion, and commitment to excellence are truly inspiring, and I can’t wait to get to work with such an incredible staff and driven group of student-athletes. Let’s make something special happen. Go Quakers!”
Rutgers made the Big Ten semifinals four straight seasons (2021-24) with Heavens on staff, posting the best season in program history in 2022 as the Scarlet Knights finished with a program-record 16 victories and a final #10 ranking in the IWLCA Coaches poll – their highest final ranking ever. RU knocked off six ranked opponents for the second consecutive season and defeated #4 Northwestern to advance to its first Big Ten Tournament final. Rutgers finished 16th in the country in scoring defense (10.19) and 19th in caused turnovers per game (9.29).
Before her time in the Garden State, Deaver served as an assistant at La Salle from 2017-19, where she worked as the defensive coordinator for the Explorers. Three defenders were All-Atlantic 10 selections under Heavens’ mentorship, including 2019 All-Rookie defender Amanda Farnsworth. Deaver also worked as the program’s social media and recruiting coordinator.
A native of Garnet Valley, Deaver played collegiately at Penn State from 2013-16, where she helped the Nittany Lions to an NCAA Final Four appearance as a senior captain in 2016. Penn State recorded 14 victories during her senior campaign en route to the program’s first trip to an NCAA semifinal since 1999. That season, Deaver started all 21 games on defense, collected 25 ground balls, and caused 26 turnovers. Deaver also helped the Nittany Lions win a Big Ten Championship in 2015 as a junior.
Heavens collected 65 goals, 53 assists, 59 ground balls and 46 draw controls in 2012 and was named a US Lacrosse All-American and also an Under Armour All-American.
Deaver earned her Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from Penn State in 2016 and her Master of Arts in Strategic Communication from La Salle in 2020.
