Sheila Peterson returns to the Northland College staff for her second year.  Coach Peterson was raised in Laurium in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and was a three-time All-Conference performer for Calumet High School, where she earned All-UP honors and set the school record for assists and steals.  She transferred into Northland College as a junior and played two years for the Jill's, including one year for Coach Roiger.  She graduated Cum Laude in May of 2005 with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology.  She immediately was employed with the Ashland County Health and Human Services and works as the Family Support Program Coordinator.  Currently, she is attending graduate school at the University of Minnesota-Duluth for her Master's degree in Social Work.

Coach Roiger is excited to have Coach Peterson back to his staff.  "Last year, Sheila stepped onto the practice floor like she had been there all her life.  She immediately started teaching, is very enthusiastic, and has a great rapport with the players.  I am excited that she has taken on an additional role of recruiting, I know she loves our program and will represent it well."

Besides recruiting, Coach Peterson will work on the practice floor and will be responsible for teaching guard play during breakdown drills. During games, she will be responsible for  game matchups, game situations, and again be specifically focused on Northland's guard play.

Jessie Strandlund joins the team for her second year as an assistant coach, after being a member of the Jill's roster her freshman year.  Coach Strandlund comes from Froid, Montana, and is attending Northland College to major in Peace and Global Studies.  Although on the roster two years ago, Coach Strandlund did not play at all due to a high school knee injury that required three surgeries over 12 months.  Despite that, her teammates voted her as the "Teammate of the Year."

"Having Jessie with us means a lot to our team," said Coach Roiger.  "Her heart and soul is with her teammates, and they know it when she coaches them.  She actually pushes players harder than any other coach, but they accept it because they know she wants them to be as successful as possible.  She has no mercy on the floor!"

Coach Strandlund is also known as the "Voice of the LumberJills", as she broadcasted most of the games last year on the internet and will be doing so again this year.  Her passion for the Jills is heard in her broadcasts, and she 'tells it like it is' while caring for the team and the players.  Coach Strandlund also participates in practice, including helping out with drills and occasionally specializing on the scout team as one of the opponent's top players.

Shauna Ruud begins her first year with the LumberJills as a student-assistant coach.  She is the sister of former LumberJills assistant Dan Ruud, and is interested in coaching in the future and is gaining experience to prepare her for that endeavor.  Coach Ruud comes from Minong, Wisconsin, where she played both basketball and softball.  Her high school basketball team advanced to the section tournament last year where they were defeated by the eventual state champions.

"Shauna has really learned a lot in the first few days she has been with us," said Coach Roiger, "and she is already starting to feel comfortable in some areas with the coaching aspect.  I think the more she is with us the more she will be able to learn and then help the players out on the floor.  She has a great attitude and has shown a high level of commitment as she joins the team, I am excited for what she can do for our program."