Hall of Fame
Nikki Claussen is not only a most-deserving Coe Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, she's the quintessential NCAA Division III student-athlete. She carried three majors - English, philosophy and speech - while competing in three sports - volleyball, indoor track and outdoor track. The native of Grand Mound, Iowa was Coe's first Barron Bremner Outstanding Female Athlete Award winner in 1995 and graduated magna cum laude with academic awards from English, philosophy and as the top pre-law student. A four-year letterwinner as middle hitter for the Kohawk volleyball team, she was team MVP and a unanimous first-team all-conference selection her senior year. She led a team in blocks that finished fourth in the nation in that category. In fact, Nikki led the team in blocks all four years and was named most improved player her freshman and sophomore years. Fourteen years later, she remains Coe's season record holder in kills per game (3.86) and hitting percentage (.390). Her volleyball accomplishments aside, Nikki was a three-time All-American and two-time co-MVP in outdoor track. She was All-American as an individual in 1995 with her fourth-place finish in the 400 meters. She also won honors as part of the seventh-place 400-meter relay team in 1995 and the sixth-place 1,600-meter relay team in 1993, which was the first relay team in Coe history to win All-American honors. That same squad qualified for the Drake Relays. Coe's women swept the Midwest Conference indoor and outdoor track championships in 1995, and Nikki was a big factor. An NCAA indoor qualifier her senior year in the 400 meters, she placed first in the 600-meters and as part of the 800- and 1,600-meter relay teams at the conference indoor championships. With Robin Gaffke, Dawn Rayner and Brenda Heisner, she still holds the school indoor record for the 1,600-meter relay. Nikki received her JD from the University of Iowa and practiced law for five years before becoming a stay-at-home mom, which she considers possibly the best decision of her life. She still runs a little, mostly after Ava and Ike, but finished first in her age group recently in the Quick Bix - a two-mile fun run that coincides with the seven-mile main event. For her outstanding contributions to Kohawk athletics, I am honored to present my wife, Nikki Claussen, for induction into the Coe College Athletic Hall of Fame.
