| 2016-17 NSIC and NSIC North Champions
51st SEASON
HC
| 3-time NCAA Tourney Qualifier
WEEK 14 GAME NOTES
Karla Nelson
17TH SEASON
Career Record: 299-180 15-16 NSIC North Champions
The 2016-17 season will be Karla Nelson’s 17th as head coach of the Minnesota State University Moorhead women’s basketball team. During her 16 years as head coach, MSUM has been a model of consistent success. Nelson has 16 straight winning seasons as MSUM’s mentor. The Dragons have qualified for the conference tournament for 17 consecutive years -- having never missed a conference tournament -- including in all 16 years of Nelson’s tenure. The fastest coach in MSU Moorhead basketball history to reach the 200-win plateau, Nelson has accumulated a record of 278-177 in 16 seasons. Nelson has also coached 37 all-conference honorees in 16 seasons. She led Angie Jetvig to four All-American teams including two consecutive Daktronics All-American honors in 2011 and 2012. Nelson also helped Megan Rettke and Alison Nash-Gerlach to second team Daktronics All-American honors in 2010. Also included in the success are three trips to the NCAA Division II post-season play, two national statistical titles, conference and region Coach of the Year endorsements and a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship. Nelson is fourth among NSIC coaches in total wins at their respective schools. The 2015-16 campaign marked another strong season for MSUM. The Dragons finished 21-6 and earned the NSIC North Division title for the first time since the league split into two divisions. In the classroom MSUM earned WBCA Academic Top 25 honors, posting the 20th-best GPA in Division II.
2016-17 TEAM SEASON HIGHS Points................................. 102 at Bemidji (12/10/16) Rebounds............................. 47 vs. Bemidji (12/10/16) Assists..................................... 23 vs. SMSU (1/27/17) Blocks....................................... 8 vs. MSU (12/30/16) Steals....................................... 14 vs. SCSU (1/21/17) FGs......................... 35 2x, last vs., Bemidji (12/10/16) FGA......................................... 70 vs. SMSU (1/27/17) FG %...................................... 56.5 vs. UMC (12/9/16) 3FGs............................................. 14 at Mary (1/7/17) 3FGA................................. 31 vs. Upper Iowa (2/4/17) 3FG %....................... 61.1 percent vs. CSP (12/31/16) FTs.......................................... 21 vs. MSU (12/30/16) FTA............................... 24 2x last vs. MSU (12/30/16) FT %................................ 1.000 vs. Mary (3-3, 1/7/17)
NELSON YEAR-BY-YEAR
Season School Overall Conf. 2016-17 MSUM.........................21-3......... 18-2 2015-16 MSUM.........................21-6......... 17-5 2014-15 MSUM.......................17-12......... 14-8 2013-14 MSUM.......................16-11....... 12-10 2012-13 MSUM.......................16-12....... 12-10 2011-12 MSUM.......................14-13....... 11-11 2010-11 MSUM.......................14-13....... 11-11 2009-10 MSUM.......................18-10......... 12-8 2008-09 MSUM.........................22-8......... 14-6 2007-08 MSUM.......................18-11......... 11-7 2006-07 MSUM.......................21-10......... 13-5 2005-06 MSUM.......................15-14........... 7-7 2004-05 MSUM.........................24-7......... 12-2 2003-04 MSUM.......................16-13........... 8-8 2002-03 MSUM.......................16-12......... 13-5 2001-02 MSUM.......................15-13......... 10-8 2000-01 MSUM.......................15-12......... 12-6 TOTAL...................................299-180... 207-118
COACHING STAFF
In 2013-14, MSUM finished 16-11, highlighted by wins over regional qualifiers Wayne State (ranked No. 8 at the time) and Concordia-St. Paul. The Dragons also went a perfect 2-0 at Concordia-St. Paul’s Radisson Hotel Roseville Classic in November. MSUM senior forward Morgan Zabel was named the tournament MVP. Zabel was named to the All-NSIC first team while senior forward Megan Strese was named to the All-NSIC second team. Both players surpassed 1,000 points for their careers during the season; Strese left MSUM ranked 11th alltime in scoring at 1,228 points while Zabel finished in 15th at 1,115 points. The 2012-13 season saw a young Dragon team with just two seniors earn a 16-12 mark and a first-round win in the NSIC tournament. MSUM also earned a win over No. 17-ranked Augustana, which ended up qualifying for the NCAA Division II Final Four. Also in 2012-13, senior Marisa Yernatich set the new career three-point record at MSUM, while junior Megan Strese earned first-team All-NSIC honors. Junior Morgan Zabel was an All-NSIC second-team selection. The first coach at MSUM to debut with back-to-back winning campaigns, Nelson and the Dragons made their first appearance in the NCAA Division II North Central Regional in 2004-05, returned in 2006-07, and qualified for a third time in 2008-09. The Dragons of 2004-05 led the nation in rebounding for a second time in five years after a fifthplace finish in 2003-04. The 2006-07 team reached the 20-win plateau for the fifth time in program history and made a serious run for the NSIC title, placing second in the league tournament and suffered an NCAA Tournament opening round loss to the University of North Dakota. In 2008-09, the Dragons were ranked as high as 13th in the nation, after going on an 11-0 run to open the season. The season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, after picking up the first post-season win in program history. Nelson prodded her first club to a 15-12 overall record in 2000-01, the first winning season at MSUM in six years that also included a NSIC playoff invitation. In 2004-05 Nelson and the Dragons claimed their first NSIC outright title, cracked the nation’s Top-25 for the first time and received a NCAA Division II regional tournament invitation, the first time in the Head Coach’s career. MSUM finished 24-7 overall and set a Dragon single season record victories. Nelson was saluted as the NSIC Coach of the Year and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Region 7 Coach of the Year as well. The WBCA Region 7 Coach of the Year honor was her second, the first coming during the 2002-03 season. Nelson served six seasons as the Dragons’ No. 1 assistant from 1994-2000. When Jean Roise resigned in March of 2000, MSU Moorhead Director of Athletics Dr. Katy Wilson quickly promoted Nelson to the top post. In addition to her basketball duties at MSUM, Nelson served as head softball coach at MSU Moorhead for five seasons. She inherited a program in serious decline in 1996 and led the Dragons to a surprising 21-19 finish that included a 9-5 NSIC record. Surely some of Nelson’s coaching acumen can be traced to her alma mater, University of North Dakota. A four-year basketball letterwinner, Nelson was a three-year captain and was a three-year fixture in the Sioux backcourt. Nelson and the Sioux built a 22-6 record and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs as a junior and finished 19-9 as a senior. Nelson was twice honored as UND’s Best Defensive Player.
Assistant Coaches:... Allison Swenson, Vicki Bohney, ...........................................................Allison McKee Nelson enjoyed a rewarding prep career at Erskine High School, excelling in basketball and volleyball. A four-time All-Northern Plains Conference basketball pick, Nelson scored 1,052 points, the first Erskine athlete to reach the Strength & Conditioning Coach:......Travis Anderson magical 1,000-point plateau. Nelson was decorated as “Athlete of the Year” at Erskine High as a senior. Women’s Basketball Athletic Trainer:.. Andrea Scott
@MSUM_WBB
A recreation major, Nelson completed an undergraduate degree from North Dakota and a Master’s Degree from North Dakota State University in Health Education. Nelson was a member of the coaching staff at East Grand Forks and Grand Forks Public Schools for three years before moving to MSUM.