BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) has announced its 2026 Hall of Fame Inductees with Kayla Koenecke becoming Concordia-St. Paul's ninth inductee.
The induction ceremony will be held Tuesday, July 7 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bloomington-Minneapolis South as part of the annual NSIC Summer Kickoff event. A social will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the ceremony at 6 p.m. Reserve your tickets for the banquet by visitingÂ
https://northernsun.org/HOFBanquet and filling out the online Hall of Fame Banquet Registration Form.  Registrations are due no later than July 1, as space is limited for this event.
Koenecke is joined in the class of 2026: Sheena Devine, Bemidji State University, Mike Thorson, University of Mary; Kevin Mulder, Minnesota State University Moorhead; Michelle (Bruns) Kirk, Southwest Minnesota State University, Heather Miller-Koch, St. Cloud State University, Troy Pribnow, Wayne State College; and Tom Sawyer, Winona State University.
Founded in 1986, the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC - the former men's conference) Hall of Fame was established to recognize and honor those who made significant contributions to the conference, to create favorable publicity and public relations for the league and to help preserve the history of the NIC, its member institutions, student-athletes, and other significant individuals affiliated with the league. For the first two inductions (1986 and 1990) each selection hailed from the NIC. In 1992, the Northern Sun Conference (NSC - the former women's conference) and the NIC merged, creating the current Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). After annual inductions since 2000, the NSIC Hall of Fame will now boast over 238 members and three teams.
Each NSIC institution (who has been a league member for at least ten years) is asked to submit one candidate for consideration for induction into the Hall of Fame. Each of the candidates are derived from individuals who have been affiliated with the NSIC, NIC, NSC and their member institutions.
In order to be eligible for the NSIC Hall of Fame, candidates must have made their contributions in one of the following areas: 1) former student-athletes, 2) administrator/coach, 3) official/supervisor/
coordinator, 4) contributor/supporter, or 5) team. The conference provides two plaques; one of which will go to the inductee and one to the institution represented. A history of each inductee will be kept in the NSIC Office and each institution will prominently display the plaques of their respective NSIC Hall of Fame inductees.
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Kayla Koenecke, Concordia University, St. Paul (2010-2013)
Kayla Koenecke was a cornerstone of one of the most dominant dynasties in NCAA Division II history, helping lead Concordia University, St. Paul to four consecutive national championships from 2010 to 2013. A four-time All-American and four-time All-NSIC First Team selection, Koenecke played a key role in the Golden Bears' unprecedented run of seven straight NCAA titles.
Koenecke helped Concordia post a remarkable 134-13 overall record during her career, including a 75-5 mark in conference play and a perfect 24-0 record in NCAA Tournament competition. She was a four-time NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team selection and earned AVCA All-America honors all four seasons, including three First Team selections.
One of the most efficient hitters in program history, Koenecke set school records for both career (.392) and single-season (.410) attack percentage at the time of her graduation. She finished her career ranked third in kills (1,663) and sixth in digs (1,424), becoming one of the few players in program history to surpass 1,400 in both categories.
Koenecke also excelled academically, earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Second Team honors in 2013 along with multiple Academic All-District and NSIC All-Academic selections.
Following her collegiate career, Koenecke earned a master's degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver and spent time coaching before beginning her professional career. She currently works as a Strategy Director for Luson Media and resides in Maple Grove, Minnesota with her dog, Murphy.
She was inducted into Concordia-St. Paul's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2024.
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CSP'S NSIC HALL OF FAME MEMBERS
2026 - Kayla Koenecke, volleyball
2025 - Emily (Palkert) Davis, volleyball (read more)
2024 - Bryan Lippincott, baseball (read more)
2023 - Mary (Slinger) Heiken, volleyball (read more)
2022 - Maggie McNamara, volleyball (read more)
2018 - James McNear, football, track & field, baseball (read more)
2017 - Kristen (Schmidt) Soukup, softball (read more)
2015 - Jennifer Pozzani, basketball, softball (read more)
2014 - Lisa (Harfield) Borowitz, soccer, basketball, softball (read more)
