Top-ranked St. Cloud State volleyball and wrestling programs chasing national titles
It’s hard enough for college teams to be ranked, but St. Cloud State University has two top teams in the country in two different sports. Volleyball and wrestling both have national title hopes in mind for their seasons.
Any old practice doesn’t make it any old season for the Huskies volleyball team. Head coach Chad Braegelmann is in his 10th season at SCSU, and the ways have changed during the past decade to winning ways.
“It’s kind of been all Huskies, we’ve lost a few sets along the way but in conference play, we’ve done a great job and kind of just kept things rolling,” Braegelmann told KSTP’s Alec Ausmus.
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Braegelmann’s first season was on the heals of SCSU winning a single conference match, now the Huskies have had five straight 20-plus win seasons. This season has a 19-match winning streak and a No. 2 national ranking, both are team records.
“Everyone has been bought in,” said senior libero Keely Kurschner. “No matter if they are on the court or off the court everyone has done a great job of knowing their role.”
Some on the Huskies roster, are confident but don’t want to jinx the upcoming postseason portion of their season.
“There’s this team culture of, like we will win a national championship – Knock on wood, but you know, everyone has the same goal,” said setter Emma Berran.
You wouldn’t call senior Kenzie Foley a secret weapon for the Huskies, she is the reigning ACVA national player of the year. This season she has set five program records, there isn’t a jinx in her mind.
“I think I’ve said it from the start of the season, and I’m not a person that knocks on wood, I’m going to manifest it, put it in the air so it happens,” Foley said. “I do think that St. Cloud State is capable of winning a national championship and I think this is a team that will do it.”
From fall to winter, the wrestling team is ranked No. 1 in the country, and going after the program’s sixth national title is realistic this season.
“Once you get a feel for it, and a taste of it, you want to taste it all the time,” head coach Steve Costanzo said about winning national titles. “We are excited to have the team that we have, we know what we are capable of.” Costanzo is entering his 19th season with the Huskies.
Entering this season, SCSU has nine ranked wrestlers on their roster, and six All-Americans returning. One of them is senior, New Prague native, Nick Novak at 165 pounds. Novak won an individual national title in 2022.
“I like to win, winning is fun to me, so why not come here and win?” Novak said with a smile on his face.
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(SCSU athletics contributed information to this article.)