Kelsey Ernst

Women's Basketball

An All-American and four-time All-Conference honoree, Kelsey Ernst joins the Clarke Athletics Hall of Fame as the seventh women’s basketball player to be inducted.

Finishing her career with an even 1,500 points scored, Ernst currently sits seventh on Clarke’s all-time scoring list but finished her career-with the four-most points scored just behind her teammate of three seasons and fellow Clarke Hall of Famer Breland Prochaska.

Ernst was a key cog in the rise of the women’s basketball program, helping guide CU to two NAIA Tournament appearances that laid the foundation for the program’s current six-season streak of NAIA National Championship Tournament qualification. 

Finishing her career averaging 12.3 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, 1.0 steals per game, and 0.4 blocks per game, Ernst was a force on both ends of the floor to currently sit in the program record books fourth all time in made field goals, second all time in field goal percentage, eighth in free throws made, sixth in total rebounds, and sixth in rebounds per game.

Graduating from Clarke in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education with endorsements in reading, special education, and coaching, Ernst is currently teaching in the Bellevue Community School district since 2019.

Ernst hopes the Clarke Community will remember how her team created a buzz around the women’s basketball program. How they played as a team, produced winning seasons, qualified for the national tournament, and that they overall enjoyed playing the sport that they were passionate about.