Hewa (formerly Chase) returned to her alma mater prior to the 2008-09 season after coaching the previous two years at Idaho and the two years before that at North Idaho College.

In her first three years as a coach at Eastern, Hewa worked specifically with guards, before taking over responsibility of the posts in the 2011-12 season. Off the court, she is directly involved in recruiting, academic support and is responsible for organizing all community service efforts of the team.

In the year before Hewa arrived on campus as a coach, the Eagles went 4-25 overall and 1-15 in Big Sky Conference action. In her very first season, the Eagles nearly tripled their wins from four to 10 in 2008-09. And then in 2009-10, Hewa’s second year in the program, the Eagles celebrated the most successful season in nearly two decades, as the team captured the school’s first-ever Big Sky Conference regular-season title with a 12-4 league record, and 19-12 overall mark.

That same season, Hewa protege Kyla Evans was selected to the All-Big Sky Honorable Mention squad, and was selected as a BSC Player of the Week. Before graduating in 2011, Evans became the all-time career leader for three-point field goals made, and was one of 29 female student-athletes among all Division I, II and III schools in the nation to receive an NCAA post-graduate scholarship.

While with the Vandals, Hewa assisted with all aspects of the program in her first full-time coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level. Hewa helped recruit standout Katie Madison, who was named the WAC Newcomer of the Year and was honored on the All-WAC second team as a freshman.

In her time at NIC, Hewa helped coach the 12th-ranked Cardinals to a Region 18 title and a 24-7 mark in 2005-06.

She served as a graduate assistant coach with the Eagles from 2002-03 to 2003-04 to commence her coaching career.

As a player, Hewa was a four-year letterwinner for Eastern and earned All-Big Sky Conference honorable mention accolades as a senior. At the time, she ranked among the top 10 in the Eastern record book for career three-point field goals made with 60.

Hewa earned a bachelor’s degree in community health in 2002 and a master’s in sports psychology in 2004, both from Eastern.

Hewa and her husband, Joe, were married in December 2010. They have one daughter together, Hannah, born Jan. 22, 2011.