Lindsay (Voss) Wilber has been selected as a nominee for the NAIA Coach of Character Award. The Heron Lake-Okabena-Lakefield graduate is the daughter of Tub and Amy Voss of Jackson.
The award recognizes a head coach who is dedicated to deliberately teaching character through sport.
"Upon her arrival, Coach Wilber worked tirelessly to restore the culture to our women's volleyball team by employing the core values of both DWU and the NAIA," said Dakota Wesleyan Athletic Director Jon Hart. "As she built her foundation on those core values, the trajectory of the program started to take shape into what it is today. In addition to back-to-back 25-win seasons in the deepest women's volleyball league in the NAIA, her program has been amongst the nation's top team GPA's. This past season they finished with a team GPA of 3.81. That number is more impressive when you consider the majors that are represented are nursing, biochemistry, athletic training, and education.
Wilber, who graduated from Augustana University and played volleyball for the Vikings, has been the head women's volleyball coach at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D. since 2014.
"As a coach of significance, I really strive to bring out the best in the athletes each day to be the best version of themselves they can be," said Wilber. "I try and teach the value of teamwork and how every person on the team is as important as the next."
"While Coach Wilber has not only positively impacted by life, but she has also made an impact on everyone she coaches," said former DWU player Becky (Frick) Sawatzke. "Not only from a college athlete level, but also children in the community. She has invited the community of Mitchell, South Dakota, and surrounding areas to love not only the game of volleyball but to learn the importance of sportsmanship and respect."
Wilber was named as South Dakota’s “Women’s College Coach of the Year,” as she guided the Tigers to the NAIA national quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Wesleyan finished with a 25-8 record, including three wins in NAIA tournament play.
DWU played in the national tourney for the second straight year after making the school’s first appearance in 31 years in 2021.
The 2022 campaign included a DWU-best 11-5 regular-season record in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, considered the best NAIA volleyball conference in the country. The Tigers were 14-3 against opponents outside the GPAC.
The season also included eight wins over ranked opponents, including five against teams ranked in the top 10 at the time. The Tigers finished the season ranked No. 6 in the country, which is the school’s highest ranking ever.
Lindsay was named the Women’s College Coach of the Year in 2022 by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association.
Wilber lives in Mitchell with her husband, Matt, who is the head men’s basketball coach at DWU. They have four sons, twins A.J. and Ben, Nathan and Tyson; along with a daughter, Lizzie.
Year by year
Dakota Wesleyan’s year by year women’s volleyball records since Lindsay Wilber became head coach.
2014: 8-21
2015: 11-20
2016: 18-14
2017: 16-18
2018: 17-14
2019: 20-12
2020: 12-9
2021: 25-10
2022: 25-8