Halie Sawyer has been named assistant women’s basketball coach.

Sawyer, a former player at the University of Utah when NDSU head coach Carolyn DeHoff was an assistant and associate head coach at the school, was a member of back-to-back Mountain West Conference regular season and tournament championship teams.

She was named to the Mountain West Conference all-Defensive team as a senior.

“Adding Halie to our program will be an easy transition for us. I had the opportunity to coach Halie early in her career,” said DeHoff, entering her sixth season at NDSU. “The things we loved about her as a player are the same things that drew us to wanting her to be a part of our program. She is a proven winner and will leave an impact on our players.

“Halie loves to teach the game and is meant to coach.”

Sawyer was an assistant at Defiance College in Ohio last season. Her responsibilities included recruiting, scouting, video exchange, player development coordinating travel, assisting in camp direction and mentoring.

Sawyer, who graduated from Utah in 2010 with a degree in communication and journalism, played professional basketball in Germany in 2011.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.