Paula Krueger enters her eighth season at the helm of the Northern State women in the fall of 2025 and 17th overall with the program. A former NSU standout, Krueger returned to the Northern State sidelines after 12 years at the NCAA Division II and high school levels in 2015-16.
The Wolves went 19-11 overall and 15-7 in the Northern Sun, earning a first round bye into the NSIC Tournament in 2024-25. NSU tallied nationally ranked victories over No. 6 Minnesota State, No. 16 Concordia-St. Paul, and No. 17 Southwest Minnesota State during the regular season. Northern went undefeated in NSIC play frm Wachs Arena and spent the final weeks of the season ranked in the NCAA Central Region. Three Wolves were named to the NSIC All-Conference teams in Rianna Fillipi, Madelyn Bragg, and Michaela Jewett, while Jewett earned CSC Academic All-District honors. Fillipi closed out her career with school records in single game assists, career assists, and career steals. In addition, she is the only Northern State women's basketball player to eclipse 1,300 points, 600 rebounds, and 500 assists.Â
The Wolves went 20-9 overall and 16-6 in the Northern Sun, finishing fourth in the league standings in 2023-24. They recorded big home victories against Minnesota Duluth, No. 14 Minnesota State, Winona, and Augustana, and closed out the season ranked top-5 in the NSIC in scoring, scoring defense, field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense, free throw percentage, and assist/turnover ratio. Rianna Fillipi and Madelyn Bragg earned All-Conference honors, as the pair led the team in numerous categories.
In 2022-23 the Wolves went 18-12 overall and 12-10 in the Northern Sun, qualifying for the NSIC Tournament. The Wolves recorded a first round win over Upper Iowa at home and fell to NCAA Regional participant Augustana from the Sanford Pentagon. Kailee Oliverson and Laurie Rogers tallied first and second team NSIC All-Conference honors, in addition to an Academic All-District® honor for Rogers from CSC.Â
Northern went 13-15 overall and 9-12 in the NSICÂ in 2021-22. Kailee Oliverson earned NSIC All-Conference first team honors, while Rianna Fillipi
was named to the league’s second team.
In the shortened 2021 season (due to COVID-19), Northern went 5-9 overall. Lexi Wadsworth and Rianna Fillipi were named to the NSIC All-Conference second and freshman teams.
The Wolves posted a 14-16 record overall in 2019-20. They advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament with an overtime win on the road at Concordia-St. Paul. Brianna Kusler and Lexi Wadsworth were named to the NSIC All-Conference first and second team.
In her first season at the helm, Northern went 10-19 overall and 7-15 in the NSIC. Brianna Kusler was named to the NSIC All-Conference second team, while Lexi Wadsworth was honored on the NSIC All-Freshman team.Â
In her three seasons back with the Wolves as a assistant, Northern made three trips to the NCAA Central Region Tournament, won the 2016-17 NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament, won two NSIC North Division Championships and won a share of the 2017-18 NSIC Overall Championship. NSU went 73-21 overall in those three seasons, with four wins over nationally ranked opponents. Miranda Ristau was twice named to the NSIC All-Conference teams, and was honored as the 2017-18 NSIC Player of the Year. The Warner native was also named the first CoSIDA Academic All-American® of the Year in school history. Jill Conrad also earned three NSIC All-Conference honors and was named the NSIC Tournament MVP in 2016-17.
Krueger has been involved at all levels of women’s basketball, beginning her coaching career as a varsity assistant and junior varsity head coach at Warner High School. After a stint as Northern’s graduate assistant, she moved on to coach one season at Pahrump Valley High School as a varsity assistant and junior varsity head coach in Nevada. She returned to the Northern sidelines in fall 1997 as the women’s basketball assistant coach and head softball coach. Krueger spent six seasons in that role, leading the Wolves to both a first- and second-round appearance in the NCAA Division II North Central Regional.
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In 2003, Krueger stepped into her first NCAA head coaching role at the Colorado School of Mines. In nine seasons with the Orediggers, her teams tallied two runner-up finishes at the RMAC Championships (2005-06 and 2009-10), seven conference tournament first-round appearances, an NCAA Central Region appearance (2009-10), and an RMAC East Division Co-Championship (2008-09). She tallied the highest winning percentage/most wins in a coach’s tenure (133-125) at Colorado Mines.
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As a professional, Krueger has served as an NCAA North Central Region Committee Chair, a member of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee and an NCAA Conference Captain for the RMAC from 2005 to 2008.
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Krueger returned to the high school ranks in 2012 as the head girls’ basketball coach at Arrupe Jesuit High School. After one season with the Generals, she became the head girls’ basketball coach at ThunderRidge High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. In two seasons with the Grizzlies, Krueger’s teams made two CHSAA 5A State Tournament appearances (2014-15 runner-up) and won the 2014-15 Continental League Championship. She was named the Continental League Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year and Head Coach of the Colorado High School Girls’ Basketball All-Star Game that season.
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Krueger has been honored as an inductee into the NSU Athletics Hall of Fame (2005), Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame (2008) and Colorado School of Mines Hall of Fame for her 2004-05 team (2011). She was named the RMAC East Division Coach of the Year, and RMAC Co-Coach of the Year in 2009.
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Krueger is a 1995 and 1996 graduate of Northern State University with her Bachelor of Science in education and Master of Arts in teaching. She also received her principal certification from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, in April 2015. Krueger resides in Aberdeen with her husband, Brad.
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| Paula Krueger Year-By-Year |
|
|
Overall |
Conference |
|
| Year |
School |
W |
L |
W |
L |
Finish |
| 2003-12 |
Colorado Mines |
133 |
125 |
|
|
|
| 2018-19 |
Northern State |
10 |
19 |
7 |
15 |
13th |
| 2019-20 |
Northern State |
14 |
16 |
9 |
13 |
12th |
| 2021 |
Northern State |
5 |
9 |
4 |
8 |
6th (N)* |
| 2021-22 |
Northern State |
13 |
15 |
9 |
12 |
10th (5th North) |
| 2022-23 |
Northern State |
18 |
12 |
12 |
10 |
6th (3rd North) |
| 2023-24 |
Northern State |
20 |
9 |
16 |
6 |
4th |
| 2024-25 |
Northern State |
19 |
11 |
15 |
7 |
4th |
| Total |
|
232 |
226 |
72 |
71 |
|
*The NSIC only recognized division standings in the 2021 season, due to the shortened and altered season.Â
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