Hall of Fame
To proclaim that a particular person is a winner might be a bit over-used in today’s society, but that is certainly not the case when describing the career Christine Muehlbauer Ganley has had on and off the court.
After attending North Dakota State University her first year in college, Chris decided to transfer to CSB. Her athletic achievements included: All-MIAC in 1990 and 1991, All-American in 1990 and co-captain in 1991. She was also part of the 1990 team that beat St. Thomas to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
Her successes on the volleyball court are impressive, but her academic achievements are even more remarkable. Chris graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.97 grade-point average. She was the CSB scholar athlete of the year in 1990, an Academic All-American in 1990 and 1991. Chris then earned the highest honor a student-athletic can achieve; she was named Academic All-American Player of the Year in 1991.
Chris recalls some of the wonderful memories that she had with her teammates: “Winning the Augsburg tournament with two of our star players injured was an awesome feeling.” She remembers all of the fun times she had on all of the trips with teammates the most, “all of the laughs,” she said. “We laughed everywhere we went.”
The winning tradition did not stop for Chris following college. She went on to teach and coach in Sauk Centre High School for six years. During her time as a coach, she directed her Sauk Centre team to their first-ever appearance in the Minnesota State Volleyball Tournament.
Chris commented that her success in sports and coaching is due to the support she received from her parents and the success that her brothers and sisters achieved.
“My high school basketball coach, Dan Mielke, also had a big impact,” she said, “He never treated us as just girls and always demanded us to do and achieve more.”
Chris currently resides in Nisswa, Minn., as a stay-at-home mom with her husband, Luke, and her four daughters, Clare, Mirjana, and twins Catherine and Rita.
