ASHLAND, Wis. – Northland College Director of Athletics Bill Wilson announced today that Kim Falkenhagen has been named head volleyball coach of the Northland College LumberJills.

"We are very pleased to have Kim lead our volleyball program,” said Wilson. “She has extensive experience, not only coaching volleyball, but working in various capacities within college athletic departments. Kim knows what it takes to be successful having won a national championship as a player and competing in the national tournament as a coach.”

Falkenhagen comes to Northland after having served two years as an assistant coach at Northern Michigan University. Prior to coaching at Northern Michigan, Falkenhagen was the head volleyball coach at Eastern New Mexico University, an NCAA Division II school.
“I would like to thank Northland College President Mike Miller, Athletics Director Bill Wilson and the entire hiring committee for their time and dedication,” Falkenhagen said. “I am excited to head the Northland College LumberJills Volleyball team. It is very clear to me that everyone at Northland College has the same passion and drive as I do in assisting student-athletes to become successful on and off the court. I look forward to being a part of the program, as well as becoming a part of the Ashland community.”

Falkenhagen has served as a head coach for regional schools, including Bemidji State University. While at Bemidji, she attained the second best record by a first-year coach in the university's history. Additionally, two of her teams ranked regionally. She also spent three years as an assistant coach at West Texas A&M University, leading the Lady Buffs to compete in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament three seasons running. During that time, the team twice made it to the Elite Eight.

Falkenhagen is a graduate of Northern Michigan University (NMU) where she made all-conference and all-region as a volleyball player. She played for Wildcat Volleyball when the team won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1994. She was inducted into the NMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.  Falkenhagen went on to obtain a master's degree from West Texas A&M University. 

Northland College is a traditional liberal arts and sciences college with a unique focus on the environment and sustainability. Northland College and its Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute are located in Ashland, Wis., near the shores of Lake Superior. The College is broadly recognized as a leader in sustainability education having adopted the focus as its mission in 1971. Founded in 1892, Northland now enrolls 600 students from across the nation and across the world. For more information about Northland College and its Institute, visit our website at www.northland.edu.