ATLANTA, Ga. – For the third year in a row, Gustavus women's basketball Head Coach Laurie Kelly has been named a finalist for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coach of the Year Award. Fifth-year Emma Kniefel (Medford, Minn.) was also selected as a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American when the organization announced its annual Division III awards on Wednesday, March 19.  

Kniefel is the fourth WBCA HM All-American in the last nine years, and third consecutive for the Gusties, following the footsteps of Anna Sanders '23 and Syd Hauger (5th, Springfield, Minn.). Sanders earned the honor in the 2022-23 season, while Hauger was selected to the team last year. Mikayla Miller '18 was also a WBCA Honorable Mention selection in the 2016-17 season. 

Kelly has established herself as the winningest coach in Gustavus women's basketball history, a feat she achieved in the team's season-opener over UW-La Crosse, a 52-49 victory in Eau Claire. This season, Kelly's Gusties became the third program in conference history to win the MIAC Playoff Championship for four consecutive seasons, and also claimed her third consecutive regular season title. She was named the MIAC Coach of the Year for the first time in her 13 seasons in the conference earlier this year.

With Kelly at the helm of the program, the Gusties have gone 254-84 overall (.751) and 183-57 in conference play. In the last four years combined, the Gusties have lost just seven games against conference opponents and have collected four consecutive seasons of 22 wins or more. The St. Thomas graduate has led one of the most successful programs in the region, coaching the Gusties to their first NCAA Elite Eight appearance and second in the Sweet 16. The team's only other Sweet 16 performance also came under Kelly's leadership. She's helped Gustavus to its highest national rankings in program history in the last two years, featured at No. 4 in the D3hoops.com polling last year. Her 2024-25 squad was ranked as high as No. 5 in the country according to D3hoops.com and the WBCA, and finished at No. 7 in the final NCAA National Power Index (NPI) for Division III women's basketball as the highest ranked team in Region IX.

A four-time All-MIAC selection, Kniefel led the Gusties to their greatest season in program history, finishing 29-2 and 17-1 in the MIAC, claiming the program's third consecutive MIAC regular-season championship, fourth playoff title, and fourth consecutive national tournament appearance. Kniefel led an offense that averaged 66.5 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor. She earned D3hoops.com All-Region IX First Team honors on March 18.

Kniefel's final season was the best of her career, averaging 15.3 points while shooting 51.9 percent from the field. Starting and playing in all of the Gusties' games, Kniefel was a consistent offensive force all season, performing as the MIAC's most productive and efficient player. Kniefel shot 38.8 percent from three-point range and 81.4 percent from the line, hauling in an average of 4.5 rebounds per game alongside 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals. She scored in double digits 26 times this season, including nine games of 20 points or more, three of which came in national tournament games. The Medford native was twice named to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week, and earned a pair of MIAC Offensive Player of the Week selections as well. She became the first player in conference history to earn three MIAC All-Playoff honors. 

She finished 30th among all NCAA Division III players in field goal percentage (51.9 percent) and 32nd in field goals made (190). In NCAA tournament competition through her final game on March 15, Kniefel ranked third in both field goals made (26) and free throws made (14), fourth in points (68), sixth in field goal attempts (52) and free throw attempts (15), and 10th in assists (12) and minutes per game (39.93).

The graduating Gustie class made significant appearances in the Gustavus women's basketball program record books, highlighted this season by Kniefel, who claimed the program's record for most games played in a Gustie uniform on Feb. 15, playing in her 114th against Saint Benedict. She played in eight more games to further establish her spot at the top of the record book (122). She additionally moved into the top three of all Gustie scorers, passing Bri Monahan '07 HOF '24 by one point with 1,467 in her career. Her 563 career field goals rank fourth in program history, her 299 assists eighth, 105 three-pointers and 194 steals tenth, and 236 free throws 12th. 

Kniefel's six made three-pointers at UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 10 this season were the third most by a player in a single game in program history. Her 475 points this season were the sixth most in a single year, while her 190 field goals made rank second overall. Kniefel was 55.3 percent (121-for-219) from the floor, a mark that ranks 12th in the record books. 

NYU's Meg Barber was named the National Coach of the Year after leading her team to another undefeated season, while her top player, Natalie Bruns, was selected as the National Player of the Year for the second season in a row. Just 10 athletes qualify for WBCA All-America status, including Smith College's (Mass.) Ally Landau, who led the Pioneers to victory over the Gusties in the Elite Eight. Kniefel is one of 40 athletes selected as Honorable Mention, the only from the MIAC, and one of five from Region IX to receive any WBCA recognition. 

Gustavus enjoyed its best season in program history with a 29-2 record, its fourth consecutive 20-win season, and the most wins in a single year in the program's 56 seasons. The Gusties won their fifth MIAC regular-season championship and third consecutive, and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament with a 66-53 win over Bethel March 1 for the program's fourth and fourth consecutive MIAC Playoff Championship. The national postseason appearance was Gustavus' 11th and fourth consecutive. The Gusties hosted an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history, and made its deepest run in the tournament, finishing in the NCAA Elite Eight.