Concordia University St. Paul Athletics

PAST ATHLETES OF THE YEAR SELECTIONS

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul's department of athletics has announced the 2013-14 Male and Female Athletes of the Year, selecting seniors Kayla Koenecke (volleyball) and Zach Moore (football) for this year's top individual athletics honor in the department.

#3 Kayla Koenecke, Volleyball
(RS/S, 5-9, Sr., Delano, Minn. / Delano HS)
Koenecke was a four-time All-American (three-time first team) and four-time NCAA All-Tournament Team selection in a Golden Bear uniform while leading the Golden Bears to four consecutive national championships. She was named Concordia Athlete of the Week five times in 2013 and 15 times in her career.

One of the best all-around players in program history finished off her career as the program's career leader in hitting percentage at .392 as well as 1,663 kills, third all-time.  Koenecke also finished fifth in points (1,949), sixth in service aces (127), sixth in digs (1,424), eighth in total blocks (284), and eighth in assists (429).

Koenecke had perhaps her most impressive season as a senior. She led the nation with a .410 hitting percentage and ranked seventh in the NSIC with 3.63 kills per set with 461 total kills. She also registered in at 17th in the league and second on the team with 3.52 digs per set with 447 total digs. Koenecke also finished 39th in the country with 4.22 points per game.

She carries a 3.59 grade point average while working towards a degree in marketing. She was named to the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America Second Team and is a three-time NSIC All-Academic student-athlete as well as a two-time Capital One Academic All-District First Team selection.

This fall, Koenecke will begin her coaching career as she serves as the graduate assistant at Metro State University of Denver.

#90 Zach Moore, Football
(DE, 6-6, 285, Sr., Chicago / Simeon Academy)
Moore made history multiple times in his five years at Concordia with the most high profile achievement was on May 10, 2014 when he was selected in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, signing his first professional contract just a few days later.

Moore was also a two-time All-American and the first-ever Concordia football player to be named to the AFCA All-America First Team as selected by the Division II football coaches association. He set the program record for career sacks (33.0) which ranks ninth in Division II football history.

He dominated the Northern Sun throughout his career, earning All-NSIC First Team honors three times while leading the league in sacks twice. His 14 sacks as a junior in 2012 are the second most in a season in school history. That season he ranked fifth in the country with 1.27 sacks per game and 11th nationally with 1.91 tackles for loss per game.

Although he was recruited by major Division I programs out of Simeon Academy and put himself on the national scene with a breakout sophomore season that helped the program reach the Mineral Water Bowl, it was his junior season that had drawn the attention of every NFL organization.

Northern Sun coaches agreed by naming him the NSIC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and changing their offensive schemes to keep him from blowing up their backfields at the expense of offensive production. He was also a preseason All-American, ranked the #5 Division II football prospect by D2Football.com and named to the Senior Bowl watch list.

Despite lower sack totals as a senior, the Concordia defense took a major step forward with Moore serving as the leader in his role as two-time captain and he'd go on to earn All-NSIC First Team honors. He finished the year with 7.0 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and blocked a field goal to preserve a victory.

In his four seasons on the field, Moore compiled 130 tackles, 45.0 tackles for loss, 33.0 sacks (31 solo), forced six fumbles, had three blocked kicks and four passes defended along with one career interception.