Houghton University Athletics

When it came time to choose a college, Heidi Gugler was looking for an experience that would stretch her beyond her comfort zone. Growing up in Southern California, she was ready for something different, and she figured a Christian school in a small town on the other side of the country would do the trick.
 
While it took Gugler some time to adjust to life in Western New York, her contributions to Houghton women’s soccer were immediate. She scored 13 goals as a freshman and helped the team to a 9-9 record. As a sophomore the goals totaled 18 and the team finished 14-7, its first winning season in almost 10 years. Gugler’s junior year brought 26 goals as the team finished 15-4-1. In her final campaign, she produced 25 goals for the 18-1 Highlanders.
 
By the time she graduated Gugler was a three-time NAIA All-America selection, including second team honors in 1995, and was the program’s all-time leader in goals with 82 and points with 203. She currently stands #2 in both of those categories in the Houghton record book.
 
Head Coach David Lewis recounts Heidi’s impact on Houghton women’s soccer: “When I think about players who have helped to turn around the women’s soccer program from a tradition accustomed to losing games to one perennially in the national rankings, the first person to come to mind is Heidi Gugler.  She helped to elevate the team’s level of play. Not only did she bring a scoring punch to our team but also contributed to the development of the team’s winning attitude.”
 
Gugler’s time at Houghton certainly wasn’t easy, as Coach Lewis recalls a player who, quote “didn’t think she could handle another cold winter here” and considered transferring to a warmer climate after her first season. When reminded of that this week, Gugler laughed, stating “I loved the weather. Problem was I didn’t own a winter coat.” But she admits she did consider transferring, but a “finish what you started” attitude and good friends who helped keep her grounded were key in keeping her here. The experience with the ever-improving Houghton team helped too. Traveling and camaraderie with teammates, playing amidst the changing leaves and in the snow, victory laps around campus are all fond memories for Gugler. “The whole experience was amazing,” she said.
 
Gugler also recalls fondly playing for Coach Lewis: “He helped me understand that playing for Christ was the heart of everything he did and coached. Through the way he lived his life and the focus he shared as a coach, to me he was the epitome of representing Christ in all ventures. It helped me get my ego in check and it was the first time that I felt the conviction that if I wasn't playing to further the message of Christ, my playing was in vain.”
 
Gugler earned a degree in elementary education and Spanish from Houghton in 1996 and added a master’s degree in teaching integrated natural sciences from Colorado College. She has made her home in Colorado Springs, Colorado where she has taught for the past 15 years.

Teaching is Gugler’s passion. She states: “Why I continue to teach is because it is one of few careers where I get the opportunity to earn the right to be heard in a kid's life. It's both humbling and an honor to have something I teach or say change the direction of a kids life toward a more positive or productive direction. Middle school kids also keep me on my toes so although I'm getting older, teaching helps me stay young at heart. It wears me out yet energizes me. I get to help make our school a place where kids want to go and feel they belong, which is tough to get at this age. It's a great stage of life to pop into a kid’s life.”
 
Heidi is an active middle school coach, leading teams in volleyball, softball, track and field and basketball. She is also a volunteer for a pit bull dog rescue, where she walks, trains, socializes and facilitates adoptions, using her home for intensive training and socialization.
 
Living on the front range of the Rocky Mountains, Gugler has taken full advantage of her surroundings. She is an avid downhill and cross country skier, mountain biker, backpacker and hiker. She is a member of the Women’s Mountain Biking Association, an outdoor adventure programs worker, a trail maintenance volunteer for the Friends of Palmer Park, and a river raft guide for the U.S. Air Force Academy Outdoor Adventure Program.