Lizzie Nessling is entering her sixth season on the Arkansas State women’s basketball staff. She joined as an assistant coach prior to the 2020-21 season after two seasons as an assistant at Seward County CC in Kansas.
The Chicago native has been a key part of recruiting impact players over the past five seasons, and was promoted to the title of Associate Head Coach by first-year head coach Destinee Rogers entering the 2022-23 season.
With only three players returning for the 2024-25 season, Nessling played a crucial role in building and developing a roster that finished with a 21-11 (15-3 SBC) record and won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament title for the first time in program history. The Scarlet and Black produced All-Sun Belt Second and Third Team selections, two All-Sun Belt Tournament honorees, and the Sun Belt Tournament Most Outstanding Player en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Red Wolves led the nation in three-point shooting and posted high national ranks in bench points per game (4th), turnovers forced per game (31st), steals per game (31st), and rebounds per game (50th).
In the 2019-20 campaign, her final year at SCCC, Nessling helped coach Seward to a 25-7 mark and the Region VI tournament semifinals. She aided in coaching two WBCA All-Americans, while also being responsible for recruiting both 2019-20 KJCCC Co-Freshmen of the Year (Tianna Johnson and Leilani Augmon). In the summer prior to the 2019-20 campaign, Nessling was selected to coach in the NJCAA Top 40 Showcase.
In 2018-19, she helped guide the Lady Saints to a Jayhawk West Conference Championship, Region VI Runner-up, NJCAA Sweet 16 appearance and a regular-season No. 2 finish in the national poll with a 30-4 overall record. She also took part in coaching multiple all-region and all-conference players.
Prior to Seward, Nessling spent two years as an assistant at University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas, where the Lady Spires won 37 games in her two years, reaching the semifinals of the KCAC Tournament in both seasons.
As a player, she was a two-time captain for Lincoln University's women's basketball team where she received the “Glue Guy” Award for two straight years and was recognized as the True Blue 2016 Athlete of the Year her senior year. She also took the program from a 5-win season to tying the program history record for most MIAA conference wins and the best conference finish.
Nessling earned her master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Saint Mary in 2018 and her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Lincoln University in 2016.
