Northern Illinois University Athletics

Jayne Hengesbach is in her fifth season with the NIU women's basketball program as an assistant coach.

In 2021-22 NIU was a markedly improved defensive team, allowing 69.2 points per game. It was the Huskies' lowest points per game allowed since 2015. NIU was also second in the MAC in rebounds per game (41.69) and third in rebound margin (+4.7). The Huskies led the league in rebounding with over 38 boards per game in 2023, led by A'Jah Davis' 12.4 per game. NIU has made three straight trips to the Mid-American Conference Tournament with Stuart on the bench. 
 
Stuart came to NIU after serving as a graduate assistant for the women’s basketball program at Dakota Wesleyan University for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. In her first season with the Tigers, Dakota Wesleyan won a school-record 32 games on its way to the 2018 NAIA Division II National Championship. The follwing year Dakota Wesleyan reached the NAIA Division II national semifinals while winning 31 games.
 
Stuart played collegiately at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill. The Tigers led NAIA in scoring in each of her four seasons as a student-athlete and made three appearances in the NAIA Division II national tournament. In 2016, Olivet Nazarene won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament and made the NAIA national quarterfinals. Stuart started her coaching career as a student assistant for Olivet Nazarene during the 2016-17 season.
 
A 2017 graduate of Olivet Nazarene with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education/health, Stuart received her Master of Arts in educational policy and administration.