For Star Tribune-related stories & inquiries, email me: cassidy.hettesheimer@startribune.com.

For any and all other reasons, reach me via cass.hettesheimer@gmail.com.

A little more about me

What’s my whereabouts?

I grew up in the metro Atlanta area before attending the University of Georgia in Athens. Then, after graduating, I moved up to the Twin Cities for an internship in June 2024. The Strib liked me enough to keep me around. I spent a couple summer stints in Washington and Australia, and roaming the Southeast covering semi-professional soccer, too.

If you’re not out reporting on sports, what are you doing?

Watching sports? Just kidding, that’s a cop out answer. I like to run, play soccer, boulder (poorly), hike and read.

Why sports?

My family raised me on sports, and once I learned I wasn’t going to be taller than 5-foot-6, I realized my goalkeeping career might be shorter than I hoped. I loved to write and read, plus was interested in photography, so sports journalism appealed to high-school-freshman me, who enrolled in Yearbook.

Is UGA a party school?

I did, in fact, learn a lot at Georgia. I graduated in May 2024 with a B.A. in Journalism, a minor in General Business and certificates in Sports Media, New Media and Organizational Leadership. I finished with a 4.0 GPA and, for all four years of college, had a full-ride scholarship provided by the Moorhead Honors College.

What am I working on right now?

The Minnesota Star Tribune is quickly and widely expanding its high school sports coverage across the state, and I'm a part of that growing push. I'm covering teams, athletes, recruiting and issues; helping put together our All-Minnesota teams and special projects; live-blogging from state tournaments; and working to expand our presence in digital spaces.

Dream job?

Anything that allows me to get to write about girls & women's sports, or soccer, or both.