The two newest members of the Riverland Community College coaching staff will be coming home when they begin their new jobs.

Saturday, July 31, 1999

The two newest members of the Riverland Community College coaching staff will be coming home when they begin their new jobs.

Lisa Quednow-Bickler, an Austin native who graduated from Pacelli High School in 1993, will assume the post of women’s athletic director and softball coach and Lee Brand, a native of Detroit Lakes, will return to Minnesota as Riverland’s baseball coach and intramural director, with instructional duties as assigned, the school announced Friday. Both will begin immediately.

The announcement comes seven weeks after former women’s athletic director Paula Carlsen and baseball coach Herb Hofer resigned from Riverland.

Riverland will continue looking for coaches to fill openings in women’s basketball, women’s soccer and men’s and women’s tennis to replace Tim Kjar, who resigned last week to take a women’s basketball position at the College of St. Catherine. Anyone interested in any of the remaining positions are encouraged to contact Riverland human resources director Celeste Ruble at 433-0666.

Quednow-Bickler earned a bachelor’s of education in physical education at Austin Community College and recently completed her master’s degree in athletic administration at St. Cloud State University.

Quednow-Bickler, a three-year letter winner and all-conference selection in volleyball, basketball and softball at Pacelli, played basketball and volleyball for two years and softball for one year at ACC. While at ACC, which was later renamed Riverland Community College, she was named all-state in volleyball and all-state honorable mention basketball after scoring 275 points and averaging 3.9 assists in 21 games.

In the fall of 1995, Quednow-Bickler enrolled at SCSU and graduated in the spring of 1997 with a degree in sports medicine. Following graduation, she served as a student athletic trainer and a graduate assistant women’s basketball coach for two years while completing her master’s degree SCSU.

"Lisa brings a wealth of energy and enthusiasm to the women’s athletic program. It’s going to be rewarding to work with her, and the program will benefit from her fresh ideas and dedication," Lillemon said.

Quednow-Bickler, her husband Justin, and daughter Abby currently reside in St. Cloud.

Brand graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., and earned a master’s degree in sports psychology at the University of Utah.

Brand was a baseball stand-out while in high school at Detroit Lakes and continued his playing career at New Mexico State University before attending Gonzaga. While playing baseball as an amateur for the Toowoomba Rangers in Australia, he met and married his wife Kerry.

Brand later became a high school head coach, serving in schools in Washington and Utah, and later coached two semi-professional teams in the Pacific International League. His most recent assignment was as assistant baseball coach at Salt Lake Community College in 1998-99.

Brand said he was excited about the opportunities at Riverland.

"I look forward to bringing Riverland’s baseball program to a high level of play and getting the team back to the Community College World Series," he said.

Riverland athletic director David Lillemon said that Brand brings outstanding credentials and coaching ability to the program. "I’m thrilled to have Lee on board, and I’m confident that he’ll continue our strong tradition in baseball," he said.