Chris Kielsmeier begins his second season as head women's basketball coach at Wayne State College. He coached the Wildcats to a 15-13 record in his first season at WSC in 2008-09. Wayne State finished 12-8 in the Northern Sun Conference. Kielsmeier's career coaching record is now 194-57 in nine seasons as a head coach.Under Kielsmeier in 2008-09, the Wildcats ranked as one of the top defensive teams in the Northern Sun Conference. WSC ranked second amongst league teams in field goal percentage defense (.371), third in scoring defense (61.8) and fourth in three point field goal percentage defense (.317). In league games, WSC led the NSIC in field goal percentage defense (.372) and was second in scoring defense allowing just 62.2 points a contest.
In the classroom, the Wildcats ranked 14th in NCAA Division II in the 2008-09 season with a stellar cumulative grade point average of 3.473 to earn the prestigious WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) Academic Top 25 Honor Roll award.
Kielsmeier was hired as the 10th coach in the program's history on May 8, 2008. He comes to Wayne State College after serving eight years as head coach at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, an NCAA Division III school. He compiled an impressive 179-44 record as head coach and led the Lady Jackets to a 33-0 record and the NCAA Division III National championship in 2007-08. Kielsmeier was named the WBCA South Region and National Coach of the Year in 2007-08 and was selected the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Small College Coach of the Year. He was the winningest women's basketball coach in Howard Payne University history, coaching the school to four straight appearances (2005-08) in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
While coaching at Howard Payne, Coach Kielsmeier developed a trademark of stellar defense. Over his final seven seasons at HPU, opponents shot just 34 percent from the field to rank as one of the top defenses in the nation. Kielsmeier's team ranked fourth in scoring defense in 2007-08 (47.5) and led NCAA Division III in scoring defense in 2006-07 allowing just 44.2 points per game.
During his career, Kielsmeier has coached one All-American, three honorable mention All-Americans, 40 All-Conference selections, three Freshmen of the Year, five All-Freshmen Team selections and 44 All-Academic selections. He has won one national title, three conference championships and is a three-time conference Coach of the Year award winner to go with two Region Coach of the Years and the 2008 WBCA National Coach of the Year recipient.
Kielsmeier is a native of Iowa, graduating from Hubbard-Radcliffe High School and he is a 1999 graduate of Iowa State University. He served as the intern for the women's basketball program at Iowa State under head coach Bill Fennelly and then became the assistant women's basketball coach at Howard Payne University in the 1999-2000 season before taking over as the head coach in 2000.
Kielsmeier resides in Wayne, Nebraska.