Apr. 21—WORTHINGTON — Sadie Krahling’s legacy at Minnesota West is unmatched.
Her college career ended with her being the winningest athlete in school history and an All-American in two sports, the only woman to ever accomplish that feat.
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Krahling’s sophomore year included first team All-America honors in volleyball before transitioning to basketball, where she was a national champion and second team All-American.
All from an athlete who almost didn’t come to Minnesota West.
After a dazzling athletic career at Adrian High School, Krahling had originally committed to Dakota Wesleyan University, a four-year NAIA school in Mitchell, South Dakota.
But that spring before she was set to leave for college, Krahling coached JO volleyball at Minnesota West, which led to a change of heart.
“Just like the atmosphere of the people here, the community, the staff, everything,” Krahling said. “And I just decided I wanted to keep playing volleyball and basketball, and that this was just the best community to be in to do it.”
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Krahling was also committed to playing both volleyball and basketball in college, likely stemming from how much she came to love sports growing up.
It was around the third grade when Krahling’s sports journey started even though she didn’t want to play at first.
“I didn’t want to actually play at all,” Krahling said. “My mom was the one who told me that I had to try it out and see what happened.”
Sure enough, Krahling loved every second of it. In high school, her primary sports were volleyball and basketball, but she also ran track her freshman year.
After that year, Krahling decided to take her main two sports more seriously. She started doing club volleyball in the spring and AAU basketball in the summer to where she was playing either sport virtually year-round.
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That experience would set the stage for a two-sport career with the Lady Jays.
Before Krahling came to Minnesota West, head volleyball coach Brittney McNab and assistant coach CJ Nelson knew she would make a great addition to the Lady Jays.
“Definitely a hard working kid, like on and off the court,” McNab said. “You could see the time and effort she put in, not only getting better for herself, but out helping develop the program.”
Krahling seemed to fit in with the team right away as one of 15 incoming freshmen on a squad with only two sophomores.
“She just adapted so well to a quicker pace of a game and more competitive than coming from a small school, smaller, slower paced game and stuff like that,” McNab said. “She just adapted really well.”
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The two sophomores on that team were outside hitter Ella Hesse and setter Lexi Schreurs, two of the most accomplished players in program history, and two exceptional leaders.
Krahling learned a lot from them as the Lady Jays had its greatest season, advancing all the way to the NJCAA Division III championship game.
With Hesse gone as a front row presence, Krahling took on more of a pivotal role in that spot and was more of a leader her sophomore year. Motivation was also high for Krahling to help her team maintain the high standard it had started to set.
“That was the thing we were thinking about from the day that we stepped on the court in August to our last day playing, was the fact that we wanted to prove that we were just as capable this year as we were last year to make it that far,” Krahling said.
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Krahling’s game took a big leap her sophomore year. She was third in the nation in total kills with 434 and added 344 digs, 38 total blocks and 37 service aces. Her versatility and athleticism was on display all season as she thrived in her expanded role.
“I think with Ella gone, there was that opportunity for her to really shine, and she took full advantage of that,” Nelson said. “As a front row player, she can hit left, she can hit middle, she can hit right. She’s a great passer and keeping her on the floor is just something that was pretty easy for us to do.”
Krahling led the Lady Jays to a program record 38 wins and a second straight appearance in the national tournament. They ended with a fifth place finish at nationals, but Krahling still felt satisfied with how her team ended its season.
Among her many accolades from her sophomore year include MCAC South Division Player of the Year, All-MCAC, All-Region 13 and a first team All-American.
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“I would go on Facebook, and then it would just pop up and see that I’d be all American, and then the first thing I’d do is call my mom,” Krahling said. “That was just a cool experience too, getting to share that moment, not just for me, but with my family too.”
McNab was also waiting to see if her star sophomore player was named an All-American.
“I literally refreshed that website 10 times a day on my phone, just patiently waiting,” McNab said.
Krahling’s Lady Jay career includes more than 750 kills and 650 digs, along with back-to-back national tournament appearances and a combined 73-10 record over her two years.
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The most crucial part of volleyball season would start the busiest part of Krahling’s schedule.
With volleyball nearing the end of its season and the Lady Jays making their run to nationals, basketball season started up. For well over a month, Krahling was balancing the two sports at the same time.
In November of her freshman year, Krahling played a basketball game against Ridgewater where she scored 12 points in 28 minutes. Four days later, she finished with 16 kills and 10 digs in the first round of nationals in volleyball.
“I felt I wanted to be there for my team, because I was the one who did make the choice to do both sports, and it’s not fair for me to not show up for one team at a time,” Krahling said.
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That’s just an example of all the hard work Krahling put into balancing days with two sports practices on top of her schoolwork.
“It’s hard, both physically and mentally, doing that all at the same time,” Krahling said. “But there’s been multiple other athletes who have talked about doing double sports or stuff like that. And I just tell them, ‘If you want it bad enough, you make that sacrifice as hard as it is,’ but in the end, it’s so rewarding to be able to do that.”
As much as it was as a freshman, the next year was even busier with Krahling starting the school’s Radiologic Technology program. A typical day for her would include class in the morning, volleyball practice followed immediately with basketball and then studying at home.
The support from her coaches of both sports helps her, as does counting on her biggest supporter.
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“I feel like my mom was a big part of it, too,” Krahling said. “She’s always been my biggest supporter from day one, so her just having my back 24/7, if I just ever need someone to talk to if I’m stressed out or anything like that, is just amazing.”
Krahling’s athleticism and leadership also showed on the basketball court. Those traits were evident to head women’s basketball coach Rosalie Hayenga-Hostikka since she saw Krahling in high school.
“I just love the way she played,” Hayenga-Hostikka said. “She just gets to the basket like none other. And her motor never stops… she can get out in transition and create things all the time.”
When she started her freshman season on the basketball team, Krahling was in a similar position to volleyball as a newcomer on a team with only two sophomores. But she again seemed to adapt quickly to the team and style of play.
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The Lady Jays went 18-11 in Krahling’s freshman year and made it to nationals with aspirations to make a deep run as defending champions.
But they were a young team, and some of it showed in that national tournament as they ended with back-to-back losses and a fourth-place finish.
Krahling and the other three returning sophomores from that team were not happy with how that national tournament ended and the motivation to win a national title ran strong ever since.
“That was a big thing that was talked about and expressed quite often,” Krahling said. “All of us sophomores returning from the previous year were all really disappointed in the way that we ended our season our freshman year. We just really worked hard and wanted to make sure that that wasn’t going to be the way that we ended this year.”
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The determination from Krahling and the other sophomores was clear all season.
The Jays went 10-0 in the MCAC South for the first time in school history en route to a dominant Region 13A title where Krahling was tournament MVP. They made it back to nationals as the top seed and No. 1 ranked team in the nation.
The Jays also displayed an excellent style of play all season as they led the nation in assists per game. That caused Krahling’s game to adapt to more of a facilitating role, which she said made her a better player.
“I took on maybe a little bit more of a different role my sophomore year, but in such a good way,” Krahling said. “I felt like I was getting that extra pass that needed to be passed, seeing the open looks for everybody else a little bit better… I was just playing so much smarter than what I felt like I was my freshman year.”
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After wins against Onondaga and Fulton-Montgomery in their first two tournament games, the Lady Jays were in the national championship game against Anoka-Ramsey, one win away from fulfilling their season-long goal.
“The locker room beforehand was very excited,” Krahling said. “I think everybody was in just complete shock considering where we were last year at that time and I think we just came out hungry and just wanting it.”
It wasn’t pretty, but the Lady Jays got it done, beating the Rams 51-41 for the program’s second national title in three years. The moment started to settle in for Krahling at around the game’s final minute.
“The group that we had this year was just awesome,” Krahling said. “Everybody got along so well, both in basketball and outside of basketball. And I think just the fact that we were doing it together as like, that group just made it 10 times more special.”
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Minnesota West finished the year 26-5 with a 16-game win streak. Krahling averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. She was named to the All-MCAC first team and All-Region 13 team.
After the season, she was also named to the All-American second team, securing her status as a two-sport All-American.
“I don’t know in my tenure here at Minnesota West that we’ve ever had an All-American in two different sports,” Hayenga-Hostikka said. “Sadie is just an extremely hard worker. She gives everything she has all the time and she probably puts more pressure on herself than anybody could put on her to be good and to be successful.”
Krahling’s Lady Jay basketball career included over 800 points, 200 rebounds and 100 assists. Overall, she leaves Minnesota West with four national tournament appearances and well over 100 wins across her two sports.
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“It’s a lot, and for her to do that, it says a lot about her and who she is,” Nelson said. “And from the legacy of just not even that, I mean the people that she meets and the kids that have got to know her through sports in our community, there’s a lot of kids that look up to Sadie, and I know that’s true for her own hometown.”
Krahling has meant a lot to the communities across southwest Minnesota and she is grateful for all the support she has received from family, friends, coaches and teammates alike.
“Just a big thank you for all the support and everything that this community has given for me to help me be as successful as I have been here,” Krahling said. “Because there’s truly no other feeling than just being grateful for everything here.”
