The Vieselmeyer family is a Concordia family. It only felt right when Kristin Vieselmeyer made her decision official with a social media post in May of 2022: “On to the next … Sko Dawgs!” To be honest, that was the decision parents Erik and Michelle Vieselmeyer anticipated. Had Kristen chose differently, they may not have been mad, but they likely would have been slightly disappointed. After all, the brainwashing began for Kristen as an elementary school student when she would frequently accompany her parents to eldest sister Erin’s basketball games at Concordia.
Neither Erik nor Michelle attended Concordia, but they felt a strong and deep, immediate connection to the school and its athletics department. They were drawn to the Christian atmosphere, the competitive greatness of the athletics programs (particularly women’s basketball) and the coaching of Drew Olson. This was the total package in their minds.
A senior-to-be this 2025-26 academic year, Kristin has known all about Concordia. “My dad is 100 percent a Concordia fan. There is no doubt,” Kristin said. “He and my mom were pretty much like, ‘Obviously, it’s up to you, but Concordia is the best place for your future, the best place to grow up and the best place to grow in your faith.’ My sisters put their input in here and there, but they were just like my parents – it’s totally up to you. Whichever place you feel like can give you the best opportunities, go there.”
There will have been at least one Vieselmeyer sister present at Concordia for 10 out of 12 years by the time Kristin completes her senior year in 2025-26. Erin first blazed the trail when she arrived in the fall of 2013 and then graduated in 2017. Megan overlapped Erin by two years and graduated in 2019 before the baby of the family, Kristin, made it 3-for-3 starting in the fall of 2022. All three have been members of the basketball program (with Megan first signing on for volleyball) while excelling academically. Worth noting, each sister stands 5-foot-11 or taller.
The Vieselmeyers grew up just west of the Nebraska border in the town of Holyoke, Colo., home to roughly 2,400 people (and where the Vieselmeyers operate Vieselmeyer Seed). Situated about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Seward, it’s just close enough to home and just far enough way. There is a family connection that traces back to the late Dean Vieselmeyer, a Concordia Nebraska graduate and former Bulldog assistant football coach. But that wasn’t what sparked Erin’s interest in Concordia. She was encouraged to consider Concordia by their local pastor in Holyoke.
A highlight video of Erin found its way to Drew Olson, who saw potential in her. Said Olson, “When we were recruiting her it was volleyball and basketball – which one is she going to choose? I think she knew she was going to come to Concordia. It was a matter of which sport. We pushed pretty hard for her because we liked the potential that she had. I would consider her a player that developed more than any we’ve had from freshman year to senior year.”
Neither Olson nor the Vieselmeyers knew what Erin’s recruitment would mean to both sides. Twelve years later, the stories and memories are thicker than the surrounding cornfields in the middle of July. Erin and Megan admit that they got emotional when asked to discuss how their time at Concordia had shaped them. Erin even spent an extra year at Concordia as a graduate assistant on Olson’s staff and had an opportunity to caravan across Nebraska with Olson and assistant coach Tae’lor Purdy-Korell for summer camps. After graduation, Megan served as an admissions counselor before returning close to her hometown. Both Erin (physician assistant) and Megan (physical therapist) work at Wray Community District Hospital in Colorado.
From a state away, they are Kristin’s biggest fans. As Erin and Megan jointly wrote, “There is something so reassuring knowing you are being influenced by such Godly and devout individuals, who show you the best version of yourself and encourage you to live that out. There is pride in being a Bulldog and a special bond that comes with it, and we always hoped that Kristin would be blessed with that same opportunity. So, watching the littlest Vieselmeyer follow in our footsteps, it has come full circle for us, and we are so proud to see her having a similar fulfilling experience.”
As Erin progressed at Concordia, her role increased for Olson’s highly successful program. As an impressionable Kristin watched from the bleachers, she saw No. 44 – the number she would eventually wear – make major contributions to a 2016-17 team that swept GPAC regular season and tournament championships and reached the national semifinals. Olson distinctively recalls multiple games in which Erin saved the day.
Erin was a rockstar to 12-year-old Kristin. As Erin lived out her formative years at Concordia, Kristin paid close attention. She looked up to both Erin and Megan as examples of what she could also achieve as an athlete and as a person.
“Erin kind of disappeared for a few years of my life, which was fine because I was here on the weekends,” Kristin recalled. “She was always a huge idol in my life. She set an example for what I wanted to reach. I was with Megan longer, so her and I bickered a little bit, but I think it helped us grow closer … Throughout college, our relationship has grown much deeper because they are people I call every single night. After a good or bad practice, they are the first people I talk to. They know all the good and bad that comes with being an athlete and a student. They’ve been through it all. I’m following Megan’s footsteps as a physical therapist. That’s what she is now and that’s what I’m striving to be. They are my people.”
As someone who has gotten to know all three well, Olson calls the sisters “very special people.” It didn’t matter how big or how small their role was on the court, they found ways to be positive supporters and encouragers of their teammates. Olson appreciates the way Megan took a chance on playing basketball after beginning her college career with the volleyball program. Megan made a difference with her caring personality.
As Kristin began coming up the ranks, Olson did not want to assume that she would choose Concordia solely because of the family ties. Olson and Purdy-Korell went hard after Kristin, who helped lead Holyoke High School to a basketball state championship and a runner-up claim in volleyball. Not only an all-stater in two sports, Kristin emerged as class valedictorian.
“You’d think it would be an easy thing because we had her two sisters, but I wanted to make sure she knew how much we valued her, cared about her and wanted her to be at Concordia,” Olson said. “We didn’t want to assume that she was coming to Concordia. I think she was leaning towards Concordia, but I think she wanted to keep her options open. Eventually, Kristin got there and knew this was the right place for her to be. We’re pretty thankful for that.”
Said Kristin of her recruitment, “Coach Olson never guaranteed a spot on the court, but he told me he’d love to see me as a Bulldog one day. That was really huge in my eyes. Both my sisters and parents were very encouraging when making this decision. I had a couple other GPAC schools that I was thinking about, but it’s really hard to put any other GPAC school ahead of Concordia because of the values, morals, the Christian atmosphere and the small and cute campus we have and the really good community that I saw growing up. Coach Olson and Tae’lor felt like family by the time I got here.”
In a way, the tables have turned and it’s now Kristin’s chance to be the rock star – a rock star aunt that is. She earned Second Team All-GPAC accolades as a junior while continuing to make Friedrich Arena a hot spot for Vieselmeyer family gatherings. When circumstances allowed, Erin and her husband brought their young daughter and son to Kristin’s games this past season. There may be more wide-eyed little ones making their way to the arena this winter with Megan and her husband (another Concordia alum, Jared Schipper) expecting twins in October. As Kristin says, “I’m big-time auntie, and it’s very exciting.”
Perhaps the next generation will write another chapter in the family’s Concordia legacy, but for now, Kristin is ready to put the final touches on the Vieselmeyer sisterhood of Bulldogs. The competitive fire in her makes her yearn for the euphoria she felt while winning a high school state championship. Kristin especially showed how dominant she could be with big outings (including a 27-point outburst) in 2024-25 versus eventual national champion Dordt. As a senior, Kristin wants to stay out of foul trouble and turn last season’s close defeats into victories.
No matter the results on the court, Kristin knows, like her elder sisters, that her time at Concordia has blessed her with enriching experiences. Says Kristin, “I’ve grown in my faith. You have to have a lot of trust in your teammates and in Christ to put you in the right situation at the right time during the season. In high school, that wasn’t evident in my life, but now, I’ve seen it. Things happen for a reason. People get hurt for a reason. We lose certain games for a reason and that’s how we learn lessons. I never really absorbed that until these last couple years.”
Wrote Erin and Megan in reflection, “Concordia to us is home, and as we reflect, we have so much gratitude. It is hard to understand unless you’ve been a part of it in any capacity. Talking about it, we both get tears in our eyes because of the way Christ worked within us and through us during that season of life. We were able to be involved in several ways on campus from sports, clubs, undergraduate courses, worship, volunteer work, and even after college as a graduate assistant for the basketball team and an academic counselor. The people made Concordia for us. Each of us were fortunate to have very influential mentors who guided us along the way and made the experience special for us.”
No doubt, the relationship has been mutually beneficial in many ways. Erik and Michelle have been generous in their support of the university and its people. As Olson says, “All three of their daughters were in very different roles and yet, they have been as consistent and as true in their support as anybody.” They’re the type of people who will pay for your meal at a restaurant when you’re not looking, take you into their home (like the did the entire women’s basketball team on last season’s trip to Northern Colorado) or simply ask how they can help.
Passed down through the family are values and an understanding of what’s truly important. As Kristin offered, “The relationships are what last a lifetime. Basketball will come and go, but the relationships are what you’re going to talk about when you’re 80 years old.”