Athletics: “Sisters in sport,” Prindle, Conklin inducted into CCCAA Hall of Fame

Former Long Beach City College coach and current kinesiology instructor Donna Prindle and former LBCC student-athlete and coach Kristi Kay Conklin were both inducted into the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Hall of Fame on Wednesday, March 27. The CCCAA Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Ceremony was held in conjunction with the CCCAA Annual Convention at the San Mateo Marriott Hotel in San Mateo.

Prindle and Conklin were inducted with a group recognized as “sisters in sport.” Six of the seven inductees attended community colleges and played together at California State University, Long Beach where they captured the 1973 AIAW Volleyball National Championship, while the seventh served as their coach at CSULB in 1972. Many returned to community colleges to teach and coach while others served their community in other ways. Joining Prindle and Coklin as 2013 inductees are Marti Brugler (Cabrillo College), Ann Heck (San Diego Mesa College), Jeanine Prindle (Cerritos College), Lou Ann Terheggen Selsky (El Camino College), and Cheryl Woods (El Camino College).

“I was honored to be included in such an amazing group of women – a group that helped influence the growth and direction of community college women’s sports.” said Donna Prindle. “I began my athletic career as a teammate with my sister, spent many years coaching against her, and then was able to come full circle by being inducted into the Hall of Fame with her. It was a very special night for all of us.

Since coming to LBCC in 1976, Prindle has been a major contributor to the women's athletic program and to the campus. Prindle has achieved numerous individual and team milestones. In 20 years as women's volleyball head coach, she won 225 career matches, led LBCC to four State Championship Final Four appearances, and won six consecutive conference titles (1995-2000). Prindle was named South Coast Conference women's volleyball coach of the year twice (1995, 1996) and was the conference women's coach of the year for all sports in 1996.

Outside of coaching, Prindle has been a very accomplished and successful educator at Long Beach City and Cerritos colleges. Throughout the years, she has positively affected the lives of countless students in many different ways. In 2010, she was named the physical educator of the year by the California Community College Physical Educators (CCCPE). Prindle has recently focused her efforts on helping the rabbits on the campus of LBCC and has coordinated numerous programs to aid servicemen and women overseas.

To add to Prindle’s impressive resume, in 1996 she was inducted into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame and in 2008 she joined the Long Beach City College Hall of Champions. Most recently, in November of 2012, Donna was inducted into the California Community College Women’s Volleyball Coaches Association (CCCWVCA) Hall of Fame.

“The induction was not only a prestigious award but historical,” said Connie Sears, Dean of Student Affairs, Kinesiology, and Athletics. “It is an amazing accomplishment to be inducted into four hall of fames and she is very deserving of the honors. It is a tribute to how great she truly is.”

Conklin was born and raised in Long Beach. She played on the local USVBA team, Pan Am gym recreation league and competed two years at LBCC in volleyball. She transferred to CSULB in the fall of 1971 and was one of four setters on the 1972 AIAW national volleyball team.

After graduation from Long Beach State and finishing student teaching, Conklin went back to Long Beach City where she was the head volleyball coach in 1974, then to UC Davis from 1975-77, and then moved to the University of Wisconsin where she was the head women’s volleyball coach for three years. Conklin later trained to become a fire fighter and safety educator for thirteen years. She retired because of a neck injury and currently owns an internet supply business in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The CCCAA Sports Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed in California community college athletics. Founded in 1984, the Hall of Fame has sought to recognize those who have made the most of their experiences as California community college student athletes, coaches and administrators, maximizing their own potential to better themselves and those with whom they come into contact. The seven new HOF members will join 114 previous inductees in the Hall, which features some of the most recognizable names in amateur and professional sports.

Photo: Donna Prindle (center) is joined by Interim Athletic Director Randy Totorp, Interim Assistant Athletic Director Teila Robertson, Dean of Student Affairs, Kinesiology, and Athletics Connie Sears, and Athletics Counselor Roarke O'Leary at the CCCAA Hall of Fame ceremony.