Cleveland State’s player departures, and subsequent additions, have dominated offseason conversation around the Vikings. Less discussed were the staff vacancies that also needed to be addressed, thanks to the late-season exit of assistant coach Emily Taylor and the graduation of video coordinator Angie Lewis.
On Wednesday, Chris Kielsmeier filled both of those openings by adding assistant coach Jenna Bolstad and video coordinator Carolyn Wochele.
Bolstad’s journey, at least until this past season, has essentially been a tour of small towns and small colleges in Montana and the Dakotas.
She is originally from Homestead, a tiny unincorporated community in the northeast corner of Montana, and grew up on her family’s farm. From there, Bolstad attended Miles Community College downstate (yet still, somehow, 200 miles away), where she excelled as a student-athlete from 2006 through 2008. She capped her run with the Pioneers by averaging 10.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, strong contributions to a 31-2 season that resulted in the 2007-08 MCC squad’s induction into the school’s hall of fame last fall.
After that, she headed to Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD to finish her playing career, helping the Lady Yellow Jackets to an Elite 8 finish in the NAIA Division II tournament in 2009.
Unofficially, Bolstad’s coaching career began as a student assistant at BHSU while finishing her master’s degree, but it became a full-time job with the Ray Public Schools in North Dakota between 2012 and 2014. From there, she briefly returned to Black Hills State as a full assistant coach, before spending four years at Williston State and three more at Montana Tech. In 2022, Bolstad earned her first head coaching job – back at Miles Community College, her first alma mater.
She then broke into Division I, and out of her geographic comfort zone, this past season, when Lisa Carlsen hired her on to the staff at Northern Illinois. Coincidentally, that group also included 2015 CSU graduate Imani Gordon, a three-time All-Horizon League selection during her playing days with the Vikings. Bolstad’s stay in DeKalb was brief, however, as Carlsen stepped down in March.
As might be expected from someone with that much experience packed into a relatively brief time, Bolstad can claim specialization in several distinct areas, including player development, recruiting, scouting, and academics. She was the co-defensive coordinator at NIU, and also responsible for guard development, along with serving as the team culture and leadership coordinator.
She rounds out a group of four assistant coaches, including returners Shelby Zoeckler, Bob Dunn, and Chenara Wilson.
“We are excited to add Jenna to our staff, her experience and knowledge of the game will be a great addition as we continue to push the Cleveland State women’s basketball program forward,” Kielsmeier said in Cleveland State’s release. “Jenna’s experience in a variety of areas will allow her to contribute to our program in multiple ways.”
“Excited to share the next step in my journey!” Bolstad added, through a social media post. “Headed to Cleveland State University as an Assistant Coach! Grateful for the people and experiences that have helped shape me, and looking forward to this next chapter! Let’s go!”
Wochele, conversely, is already quite familiar with Northeast Ohio, given that she’s from Mentor and spent 2021-24 on the opposite side of Cleveland, as a guard at Baldwin Wallace.
The Yellow Jackets are one of Division III’s perennially-strong programs, and Wochele contributed heavily to that legacy as a four-year letterwinner and team captain. She helped BW to three Ohio Athletic Conference championships and three NCAA Tournament bids, two of which ended in Sweet 16 runs.
As a senior, Wochele averaged 5.8 points per game, thanks largely to her 36.8 percent accuracy from three-point range.
After graduation, she headed to Walsh University and joined Mark Schwitzgable’s staff as a graduate assistant (coincidentally, Schwitzgable was recently hired as an assistant coach at NIU, essentially filling Bolstad’s old job). Typical of a grad assistant, particularly at the Division II level, Wochele helped out with just about everything from travel and player workouts, to social media and content creation.
“We are happy to have Carolyn join our staff, and looking forward to what she can bring in our video coordinator role,” Kielsmeier said. “Her background will make her a great fit in our program, and her adaptability will provide us with an advantage as we continue to chase championships this season.”
With two important vacancies now settled, Kielsmeier and his refreshed staff can now turn its attention back to filling the final couple spots on Cleveland State’s 2025-26 roster.
