Sept. 18, 2002
FERRIS STATE ADDS LISA ROLLEFSTAD TO COACHING STAFF
Former Bemidji (Minn.) State Graduate Assistant Named Bulldog Assistant Coach
 The Ferris State University men’s and women’s track and field/cross country program has appointed Lisa Rollefstad (pronounced Roll-ef-stad) as assistant coach in an announcement made today by FSU head coach Jeff Kavalunas.
The 27-year old Rollefstad, who previously worked as a graduate assistant coach at NCAA Division II-member Bemidji (Minn.) State University during the 2001-02 athletics season under head coach Craig Hougen, will serve as Ferris’ field events coordinator along with coordinating the track and field program’s conditioning and weight training areas. She replaces Paul Brueske, who departed following the 2001-02 campaign to pursue other career interests.
“Lisa comes from a solid Division II program and will be able to step right in and take over the coaching of our field events,” Kavalunas said. “I expect her to fit in well with our student-athletes and do an outstanding job in our program.”
A certified USA Track and Field coach, Rollefstad helped lead Bemidji State to a third-place men’s finish and a fifth-place women’s ranking at the 2002 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships (May 10-11) in Duluth, Minn. The Beavers also placed second in men’s indoor track and field, fifth in women’s cross country and sixth in women’s indoor track and field at their respective conference championship meets last season.
Prior to Bemidji State, Rollefstad was the girls basketball head coach and assistant track and field coach in 2000-01 at Lakota (N.D.) High School. From 1998-2000, she assisted with the track and field programs at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D. While with the NCAA-II North Central Conference (NCC) institution, Rollefstad coached the sprints, hurdles, pole vault and relay events.
“Lisa has worked with good athletes in the past and has a tremendous amount of experience in the field events area,” Kavalunas said. “She’s organized and pays attention to details, which will be a huge benefit for us.”
Rollefstad was a two-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-America track and field performer in the sprinting events at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., where she competed in track and field from 1994-97. She graduated from Mary in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and obtained her master’s degree in sports studies at Bemidji State in 2002.
As a prepster, Rollefstad claimed North Dakota’s 1992 100-meter state championship and was a three-time athlete-of-the-year at Cavalier (N.D.) High School. The four-time state track and field meet qualifier garnered volleyball and track team Most Valuable Player Award recognition as a senior. Rollefstad also was a two-time Best Defensive Player Award winner for the Tornadoes’ girls basketball team.
A 1993 Cavalier High School graduate, Rollefstad is the daughter of Kermit and Ruth Rollefstad and has one sister, Amy (21).
The Ferris State women’s track and field team placed third of nine teams with 123 points at the 2002 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Midland, Mich., and recorded the program’s best national meet finish ever with a 15th place showing (12 points) at the 2002 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in Boston, Mass. The Bulldog men’s squad finished sixth (141 points) of 12 teams at the 2001 GLIAC Cross Country Championships and were seventh overall at both the league’s 2002 indoor and outdoor track and field meets.
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