Adams State University alumna Lindy Mortensen enters her 16th season at the helm of the Grizzly volleyball program.
Mortensen, enters the 2020 season with over 200 wins, 11 out of 15 RMAC Tournament appearances, and a NCAA Tournament berth. She was recognized in 2017 as the most winningest coach in ASU history. Mortensen claimed her first collegiate head coaching win on Aug. 26, 2005 against Southwestern Oklahoma State.
During the 2019 campaign, Mortensen and the young Grizzlies dealt with some growing pains with only two seniors on the roster. They grew as the year went on and finished the season out with two victories in a row over Fort Lewis and New Mexico Highlands. Although they were young, they were not without talent. The Grizzlies had two players receive All-RMAC honors, Jr. Shannon Mulkey (Middle Hitter) and Fr. Riley Oglevie (Outside Hitter). The 2020 season looks bright for the Grizzlies, returning 6 of the players that played 50 sets or more and the majority of their category leaders. Not to mention the talent that Mortensen will bring in to help bring the Grizzlies back into the hunt, something she has done almost every year since she has been at the helm.
The Grizzlies started off slow during the 2018 season, but the group led by Mortensen, reeled off four straight wins to close out the season and won six of their last seven to end the year at 12-14. Athletes Rachel Ringler, Julianna Zamora and Shannon Mulkey were all named All-RMAC Honorable Mention.Off the court, Grecia Diaz-Martinez, Hannah Goddard and Mackenzie Swanson made the RMAC Honor Roll list.
In 2017, The Grizzlies finished at .500 with a 14-14 record and earned a berth to the RMAC Tournament. Mortensen also guided Adams state to an 11th straight winning record at home with a 6-4 record in Plachy Hall. Senior Mallory Grimsrud ended her career earning both D2CCA and AVCA First Team All-South Central Region honors. Grimsrud was also named First team All-RMAC for the third straight year. Mortensen also had six athletes named to the RMAC All-Academic Team.
In 2016, Mortensen led the Grizzlies to a 16-12 record, while going 5-4 at home to mark the 10th straight season with a winning record in Plachy Hall. The Grizzlies also earned a spot in the RMAC Volleyball Tournament. Mallory Grimsrud was named to the All-RMAC First Team the second straight season. She was also named First team All-South Central region by the AVCA and went on to earn AVCA Honorable Mention All-American honors. She was the first volleyball player to earn the honor since Andrea Tuck in 2008.
In 2015, the Grizzlies went 10-16. Coach Mortensen led her squad to their 9th straight winning record at home, going 5-4 in Alamosa. Mallory Grimsrud followed up her freshman of the year season (2014), earning 1st team All-RMAC as a sophomore. Alex Parker earned an All-RMAC honorable mention.
Mortensen guided a young 2014 squad to a 14-14 overall mark and a berth into the RMAC Tournament. The Grizzlies recorded a 6-4 home mark with five of those wins coming via a match sweep. She had four student-athletes earn RMAC nods highlighted by Mallory Grimsrud earning Freshman of the Year. Lindsey Stindt was named Second Team All-RMAC while Alex Parker and Katelyn Schwartz received Honorable Mention RMAC status.
For the 2013 campaign, Mortensen led the Grizzlies to a 17-13 overall record and a strong 9-2 home mark. The season was capped off with wins over Regis University and Colorado School of Mines in the RMAC Volleyball Tournament before falling to Metro State University, 3-0.
During that 2012 season, Mortensen claimed her 100th career win against Fort Lewis on Sept. 29 and won 11 straight matches, the Grizzlies’ longest winning streak since 1992. They also defeated perennial RMAC power Metro State for the first time since 1996. The Grizzlies had their best season in nearly two decades in 2012 as they went 24-6 overall and 16-3 in RMAC play to win the West Division crown by four full matches while finishing in a tie for second place overall. Nationally ranked for the first time in their Division II history, the Grizzlies once again advanced to the semifinals of the RMAC Tournament and were then selected for the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The Grizzlies went 11-15 that season, her first at ASU, before finishing 2006 with a 5-23 mark. The Grizzlies then had a remarkable turnaround in 2007 going 15-14 while advancing to the RMAC Tournament for the first time in four years. The Grizzlies did not stop there and defeated Fort Lewis in the quarterfinal round, ASU’s first postseason victory in four years.
Mortensen has coached numerous players throughout the years to individual accolades. Andrea Tuck and Darcy Jennings-Calkins were also honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association as All-Southwest Region selections in 2007 while Tuck also picked up First Team Daktronics All-Region honors as well. Tuck also became the Grizzlies’ first NCAA Division II All-American in 2008 earning honors from both Daktronics and the AVCA while Jennings-Calkins added 2009 all-region accolades from both organizations to her school-record setting resume.
A new wave of players then came in to lead the program, led by Dominique Davis, who earned All-RMAC honors in both 2011 and 2012 while becoming ASU’s all-time career kills leader in the Grizzlies’ NCAA Tournament match. Setter Gabriella Rifilato was also named to the All-RMAC squad in 2012 and was the RMAC’s Setter of the Year. Both players also received all-region accolades from both Daktronics and the AVCA.
The program’s student-athletes have also shined academically as the Grizzlies received the AVCA Team Academic Award for both the 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic years.
Prior to taking the reins of the Grizzly program, Mortensen had guided the Montezuma-Cortez High School Panthers to six straight Southwestern League titles and a perfect 60-0 league record from 1999-2004. The feat is even more amazing, considering the 4A Panthers competed in a mostly Class 5A league.
Recording a 193-46 record in her nine years (1996-2004) at MCHS, Mortensen was one of the best high school coaches in all of Colorado and guided her Panther teams to the state tournament on six occasions. She was named as the Southwestern League Coach of the Year on seven occasions, including in each of her last six years with the Panthers and as the state’s 4A Coach of the Year in 1999 by both the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. Mortensen was also tabbed as the Colorado High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2003, the same year in which she was Colorado’s nominee for National Coach of the Year honors. Leading the Panthers to the 4A State Tournament’s final four in 1999 and 2001, Mortensen was also been selected to be an All-State coach on three occasions, including in 2004.
Throughout her high school coaching career, Mortensen coached 12 players that have received college volleyball scholarships and has guided nine players that were selected to play in All-State games.
Earning her bachelor’s degree in secondary physical education from Adams State in 1980, Mortensen, a native of La Veta, Colo., started her coaching career at Sanford (Colo.) High School in 1983 and became the Indians’ head volleyball coach in 1985. She guided the Indians for two years before moving to Cortez along with her husband Wade Mortensen.
Wade played basketball and graduated from Adams State. Currently he is retired from teaching and coaching. As a high school basketball coach, he had over 500 wins, a Colorado Basketball State Championship, numerous league and regional titles, and 13x Coach of the Year recipient. Wade was also the ASU women's basketball assistant from 2017-2018.
Mortensen has 5 children with Wade, Amber, Annie, Marcus, Ryan, and Jess. All of which did not fall far from the tree competing at a high level with great success at the high school or collegiate level.
Her eldest daughter Amber, now teaches physical education at Oretga High School.
Her younger daughter Annie (Rice) completed a 2-year volleyball career at Fort Lewis College in Durango in 2003 after spending two years at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling. She earned her master’s degree at ASU in 2006 and is now teaching and coaching at Alamosa High School.
Her son Marcus capped a strong 4-year career on the Grizzlies’ basketball team in 2008. As a junior, he was named as the RMAC West Division’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year while helping the Grizzlies to their first RMAC West Division title and NCAA Division II National Tournament appearance. He completed his degree in human performance and physical education at ASU in 2010. He now owns his own landscape business in Alamosa, CO.
Second son Ryan also finished his basketball and educational careers at Colorado Mesa University in 2010 and received his teaching license in Physical Education at Adams State. In his final year coaching boys basketball at Sangre De Cristo High School, it was his turn to take his team to the Colorado State Championship, after watching his parents do it time and again with their respective teams. He now is a teacher at Sangre De Cristo.
Youngest son Jess, also a prep basketball player. He now resides in Cortez, CO and works at Cortez Hospital.
