Cleveland State women’s basketball head coach Bob Dunn announced the additions of Lauren Macer and Rachel Balzer to his coaching staff for the 2026-27 campaign, with both set to serve as assistant coaches.
Lauren Macer
Macer comes to Cleveland State with more than a decade of collegiate basketball experience, most recently serving as the head coach at Lake Erie College during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 campaigns.
“Lauren’s extensive experience as a head coach, assistant coach, and former collegiate player will greatly influence our student-athletes and staff,” said Dunn. “She is very familiar with our program, knows the areas we will recruit, and will be a strong relationship builder with our players. We are excited Lauren and her daughter, Macey, will be joining us in Cleveland!”
Prior to Lake Erie, Macer held the same position at her alma mater – Notre Dame College – where she was named the Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year and led the Falcons to the program’s first-ever NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.
During her five seasons at Notre Dame, Macer compiled a record of 89-51, earning a spot in the Mountain East Conference Tournament each year. During 2020 Macer led the Falcons to a MEC Regular Season and Tournament championship, while also guiding NDC to the conference tournament championship game in 2018.
Macer also spent two years as an assistant coach at Purdue Fort Wayne, helping the Mastodons to their first appearance in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals during the 2022-23 campaign. During her first season at PFW, Macer helped the Mastodons post the second-best free throw percentage among Division I schools, while four Mastodons earned All-League accolades throughout her time at PFW.
In addition, Macer also spent time as a graduate assistant and assistant coach at Notre Dame College.
During her collegiate playing career at Notre Dame, Macer was a 1,000-point scorer, and graduated as the best free throw shooter in program history.
A native of Twinsburg, Ohio, Macer is a member of the Twinsburg High School Hall of Fame.
Rachel Balzer
Balzer joins the Vikings after spending the previous three seasons at Longwood, where she was an assistant coach for the 2025-26 and 2024-25 campaigns and the director of basketball operations/player development during the 2023-24 season. In addition, Balzer was promoted to recruiting coordinator last season.
“I have known Rachel for nearly half of her life, and she was one of the first people I called after accepting this job,” Dunn said. “As a player, she was a true gym rat with a high basketball IQ. As a young coach, she has already been part of two winning programs and brings valuable experience and knowledge that will benefit our staff and players. We’re excited to welcome Rachel to Cleveland!”
While at Longwood, Balzer helped the Lancers to back-to-back 20-win campaigns – marking a program first at the Division I level – while also helping Longwood to a Big South Championship game appearance and WNIT bid during the 2024-25 campaign.
During her three seasons at Longwood, the Lancers earned 11 postseason honors, including a pair of Defensive Player of the Year accolades.
Earlier this spring, Balzer was named to the WBCA’s Thirty Under 30 List, which recognizes up-and-coming coaches in the women’s basketball game.
Balzer played collegiately at George Mason where she was recruited and coached by Dunn, playing for three seasons before moving into a coaching intern role following injuries that shortened her career.
