Bemidji State University

Chelsea (DeVille) Stoltenberg was hired as the 10th head coach in the history of the Bemidji State women's basketball program on June 5, 2015, and begins her 11th season in 2025-26.

The 2024-25 Beaver Women's Basketball season saw a similar ending to the year prior, ending at 6-20 overall with 4-18 in the NSIC. BSU started its home campaign with a pair of non-conference wins over Minnesota Morris and Valley City State. They also grabbed a thriller victory at St. Cloud State, taking it 59-58 and breaking a six-game losing streak. Academically, Erin Barrette and Sydney White earned the NSIC's Myles Brand Award for their cumulative GPAs of 3.75 or higher during their senior campaigns. Also earning NSIC academic honors, Beth Bolte, Rachel Koenig, Tieryn Plasch, Sydney White, Erin Barrette, Ashlynne Guenther and Alayna Suprenand earned All-Academic Team of Excellence and Ella Giorgi was named to the Academic All-NSIC Team. Barrette, Koenig, Plasch and Guenther also earned CSC Academic All-District Team nods. 

In 2023-24, the Beavers went 6-20 overall with a 3-19 conference finish. The season marked a huge year for sophomore forward Alyssa Hill as she grabbed an All-NSIC nod while leading the team in points, field goals and free throws. She was also named to the CSC Academic All-District team. Academically, Hill, Rachel Koenig, Sydney White, Erin Barrette, Amme Sheforgen, Sam Pogatchnik and Alayna Suprenand were named NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence members with Ella Giorgi joining in as Academic All-NSIC. 

During the 2022-23 season, the Beavers showed resiliency throughout a challenging year battling injuries and a difficult schedule. After opening the year winning three of four to begin the non-conference portion of the schedule, the NSIC schedule began playing four of five on the road and a home game against Minnesota Duluth. Bemidji State began to find their stride towards the end of the season playing hard against every opponent that visited Bemidji. After taking Southwest Minnesota State down to the wire, the Beavers picked up the 65-61 home win over Sioux Falls for the first win over the Cougars in program history. BSU followed that with a road win at Minot State and then played a close low-scoring battle at Mary. The final three home games were all competitive taking Northern State down to the wire and going to overtime with MSU Moorhead. The last home game was a special one with Trinity Yoder ending her career at home with a near triple-double to lead the Beavers past St. Cloud State. Yoder earned NSIC First Team honors, landing on the All-NSIC teams for a third straight season. Erin Barrette, Rumer Flatness, Sam Pogatchnik and Amme Sheforgen all earned College Sports Communications (CSC) Academic All-District accolades. Those four, along with Tori Bott, Maddie Schires, Ella Giorgi, Alayna Suprenand and Yoder were named to the NSIC All-Academic Team. Flatness, Sheforgen, Barretter, Pogatchnik, Bott and Schires were all named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence. 

During the 2021-22 season, the Beaver Women's Basketball program marked a 14-13 record with a record of 11-10 in NSIC play. The Beavers started the season strong with a three-game win streak and finished the season in the second round of the NSIC Playoffs at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Stoltenberg led BSU to wins at the NSIC Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. During the season, Rachael Heittola earned NSIC Player of the Week honors twice and was named to the All-NSIC First Team whille Trinity Yoder was named to the All-NSIC Second Team. Trinity Yoder and Brooklyn Bachmann both added their names to the BSU 1,000 Points Club during the season. The team earned 10 selections to the NSIC All-Academic Team with seven student-athletes receiving honors for the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence. One of the seven selections, Rumer Flatness, was also honored with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Elite 18 Award for holding the highest cumulative GPA amongst the NSIC Championship site attendees.

Stoltenberg was awarded NSIC North Division Coach of the Year in 2020-21 after leading the Beavers to a 10-6 record overall and 8-4 mark in conference play. BSU advanced to the NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals for the second time in the last three seasons, taking a 71-70 win over Concordia University-St. Paul Feb. 26 in Sioux Falls, S.D., and made the NSIC Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2004. Stoltenberg guided BSU to its first winning season, overall and in conference play, for the first time since 1995-96. Even in a shortened season, Stoltenberg led BSU to its most conference victories since the 2007-08 season, including a seven-game winning streak for its longest such streak in a season since 1987-88. BSU began its winning streak with an 82-76 overtime win over Minnesota State University, Mankato, snapping an 11-game losing streak to the Mavericks, and followed with a sweep over Minnesota State University Moorhead, snapping a 17-game losing streak to the Dragons along with its first sweep of MSUM since the 2003-04 season. Sophomore center Rachael Heittola was selected to the All-NSIC First Team and senior guard Brooklyn Bachmann was named to the All-NSIC Second Team to become the first BSU duo named all-conference since the 2013-14 season. Bemidji State featured 12 selections to the NSIC All-Academic Team, its most all-academic team members in program history.

Following the 2019-20 season, Bemidji State earned its most conference victories since 2012-13 as Stoltenberg led the team to a 6-16 mark in NSIC play. The Beavers' nine wins also marked the most for the program since the 2013-14 season. One of BSU's marquee victories of the season came Dec. 14, 2019 as the Beavers took a commanding 74-57 win over NSIC South powerhouse Augustana in Bemidji, Minn. The win was the first for Stoltenberg against her alma mater. BSU closed the regular season with two wins over the final three games and pushed NCAA Tournament qualifier University of Minnesota Duluth to three overtimes. Sophomore guard Trinity Myer and freshman center Rachael Heittola each earned a spot on the all-conference team, doubling BSU's selections to the squad since Stoltenberg took over the program. Myer was selected to the All-NSIC Second Team while Heittola was named to the NSIC All-Freshman Team. The Beavers set a new program record with eight selections to the 2019-20 Winter NSIC All-Academic Team, including six selections to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence.

Stoltenberg guided the women's basketball program to the second round of the NSIC Tournament for the first time since the 2003-04 season with its biggest upset in program history over No. 1 seed Concordia-St. Paul, 73-70, on the road. Sophomore center Taylor Bray finished the season 11th in the NSIC in free throw percentage while sophomore Brooklyn Bachmann also ranked 11th in steals per game. Freshman guard Trinity Myer paced BSU and ranked 21st in the NSIC with 2.4 assists per game. Five Beaver student-athletes were selected to the 2018-19 Winter NSIC All-Academic Team, the second-most for the program under Stoltenberg.

In 2017-18, freshman Brooklyn Bachmann became the first Beaver under Stoltenberg to earn a spot on the NSIC All-Freshman Team. Bachmann led the team and all NSIC freshmen with 12.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Three Beavers also earned a spot on the 2017-18 Winter NSIC All-Academic Team, including senior Sierra Senske, junior Haley Zerr and sophomore McKayla Scheuer. Senske finished her career under Stoltenberg as the program's eighth-leading scoring all-time and holds the program record in free throw attempts and free throw conversions.

Stoltenberg saw seniors Aimee Pelzer and Tatum Sheley, and junior Sierra Senske all jump into the 1,000-point club during her second season with the Beavers. Stoltenberg guided Pelzer to the All-NSIC First Team, the first such instance for BSU since 2008, while also helping the squad to its most conference wins since the 2013-14 season. BSU shot over 40 percent from the field for the first time since the 2009-10 season and tallied the most assists since 2007-08. Seven student-athletes were selected to the 2016-17 Winter Academic All-NSIC Team.

In her first season as head coach, the Beavers finished with a 7-20 overall record and a 3-19 conference record. The team finished the season with a 7-8 record at home in the Bemidji State Gymnasium. Stoltenberg's offense boasted the third-highest three-point percentage in the conference when they shot .345 from behind the arc. One of the main contributors was junior guard Aimee Pelzer who averaged 2.3 three-pointers per game and shot .399 from three. The women's basketball team had four players named to the 2015-16 Winter NSIC All-Academic Team.

Stoltenberg comes to Bemidji State after serving on the University of Sioux Falls women’s basketball coaching staff since 2009. Following a year as graduate assistant under head coach Travis Traphagen, she was promoted to assistant coach beginning with the 2010-11 season and served in that capacity until she was elevated to associate head coach following the 2013-14 campaign.

While at USF, Stoltenberg helped the Cougars to an overall record of 111-64 during a transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. An NAIA powerhouse, USF posted a school-record 27 wins en route to a trip to the NAIA Elite Eight in 2010-11. Since making the transition to the NCAA, the Cougars have made two consecutive trips to the NSIC postseason tournament, which included a 17-10 mark in 2014-15. In addition to assisting in offensive game strategies and leading the Cougars’ defense and substitutions on game day, Stoltenberg was the driving force behind USF’s recruiting efforts, she oversaw the team’s academic progress, was responsible for scouting the opposition, film breakdown, travel and the university’s youth basketball camps.

In addition to her work with the women’s basketball program, Stoltenberg was active on the university’s NCAA compliance review committee, was a member of USF’s education department selection committee, served as an instructor and was a leader for the Cougar’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes huddle.

A 2009 graduate of Augustana College, Stoltenberg was a four-year starter and letter winner for the Vikings and earned North Central Conference Freshman of the Year laurels in 2006. Stoltenberg earned a bachelor’s degree in special education from Augustana and a master’s degree in educational leadership from USF.

A native of Watertown, S.D., Stoltenberg, was a Miss Basketball South Dakota finalist and two-time all-state selection as a prep. She lives in Bemidji with her husband, Shea, daughter, Carter, and dog, Seger.