ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul Department of Athletics has announced its 2025-26 CSP Female and Male Athletes of the Year, with sophomore
Makenna Nold (volleyball) being named the CSP Female Athlete of the Year, while sophomore
Cam Mata (track & field) earned the honor as CSP Male Athlete of the Year.
Since records have been kept back to 2006-07, this is the first time that a pair of underclassmen have been selected as the CSP Female and Male Athletes of the Year in the same cycle. Prior to Nold and Mata, only three sophomores had earned the honor, last by Isaac Hormann (baseball) in 2016-17 in the third-straight year of a sophomore being selected for the honor.
The volleyball program secures the honor on the female side for the second-straight year as Nold follows her former teammate and now assistant coach
Teagan Starkey who was the 2024-25 selection and she is the 12th volleyball student-athlete to receive the honor.
Mata returns the honor to the men's track & field program for the first time since 2022-23, a brief hiatus after the program secured the honor for three-straight years including two in a row by the program's last CSP Male Athlete of the Year award-winner Jakob Tordsen did it in back-to-back years in 2021-22 and 2022-23 following Marcus Gustaveson's 2020-21 selection. Men's track & field has carried the department's top athletic honor seven times since 2012-13 when Nate Thienes (football/track) secured it for the program for the first time.
The CSP Female and Male Athlete of the Year award honors the top athletic performers among Concordia's student-athletes with criteria focused on, but not limited to, performance in competition in the current year. Nominations for the award were solicited from head coaches of each program, and voted on by athletic department head coaches, administrators and support staff.
Makenna Nold, volleyball
(OH/RS, 5-10, So., Jamestown, N.D. / Jamestown HS)
"Makenna had an incredible season this year and was a huge point-scorer for us. She was a big part of our team's success, not only because of her playing ability, but also for her leadership. Her coachability, desire to get better and actually make quick improvements are some of the best I have had the pleasure of coaching. She does all this with great humor, humility and an energetic personality that is fun to coach and someone that her teammates love to play with." - head coach Brady Starkey
• 2025 AVCA Division II National Player of the Year
• 2025 AVCA All-America First Team
• 2025 D2CCA All-America First Team
• 2025 CSC Academic All-American of the Year for Division II Volleyball
• 2025-26 DII Honda Athlete of the Year Finalist
• 2025 AVCA Central Region Player of the Year
• 2025 D2CCA Central Region Player of the Year
• 2025 AVCA All-Region First Team\
• 2025 D2CCA All-Region First Team
• 2025 NSIC Player of the Year
• 2025 CSC Academic All-America First Team
• 2025 CSC Academic All-District
• 2025 NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence
• Two-time All-NSIC First Team selection (2024, 2025)
• 2024 NSIC Freshman of the Year
• Led the NSIC and ranks 11th in Division II with 4.40 kills per set
• Ranked seventh in the country in points per set (5.27)
• Ranked 14th in the NSIC with 0.80 blocks per set
• Logged 16 double-doubles and nine matches with 20+ kills this season
• Ranked fourth in points per set in school history for a single season
• Named both NSIC Offensive Player of the Week (10/6) and Defensive Player of the Week (9/22) this season
• NCAA Central Region Tournament All-Tournament Team
• NCAA Tournament Elite Eight All-Tournament Team
• NSIC Tournament All-Tournament Team
• Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team
• UIndy Invitational All-Tournament Team
Cam Mata, track & field
(Jumps, 6-0, So., Forest Lake, Minn. / Forest Lake HS)
"Cam's selection for CSP Male Athlete of the Year is a reflection of the consistency, discipline and determination he brings to the track every single day. Throughout the season, Cam established himself as a dependable competitor who continually delivered strong performances at every meet. He approaches training with focus and purpose, pushing himself to improve while also setting a standard for those around him. Cam's accomplishments on the track speak for themselves, but his impact goes beyond results alone. He competes with toughness, composure and consistency, representing CSP with pride every time he steps onto the track. His dedication to excellence makes him highly deserving of recognition as CSP Male Athlete of the Year." – head coach Sam Kettenhofen
• USTFCCCA All-America Second Team in the outdoor long jump (16th place)
• USTFCCCA All-America Second Team in the indoor long jump (15th place)
• All-NSIC in the outdoor long jump (2nd place)
• Placed fourth in the 100-meter dash at the NSIC Outdoor Championships
• Anchored the CSP 4x100 meter relay that placed fifth at the NSIC Outdoor Championships
• Broke the CSP school record in the indoor long jump (7.37 meters, 24' 2.25")
• Broke the CSP school record in the outdoor long jump (7.57 meters, 24' 10")
• Tallied 11 top-three finishes this season
