DES MOINES, Iowa – Suzie Glazer Burt Head Drake University Women’s Basketball Coach Allison Pohlman announced her coaching staff Tuesday, May 4. Assistant coach Nicci Hays Fort and Director of Basketball Operations Cortni Rush will remain on the Drake coaching staff while Pohlman also announced the hiring of Kayla Karius as an assistant coach.

“Nicci possesses a relentless work ethic and cares deeply about the women and everyone involved in our program,” said Pohlman. She loves being involved and having her at Drake makes this program even more special! Cortni brings a fantastic perspective as a former student-athlete at Drake. She is eager, wanting to learn and always available to do anything for our program. Her loyalty to Drake and this program is off the charts!”

Hays Fort joined the Bulldogs’ program before the 2016-17 season while Rush, who played at Drake from 2014-17, returned to her alma mater for the 2018-19 season.

Karius comes to Drake after three seasons on the coaching staff at the University of Wisconsin, including the associate head coach and the Badgers’ recruiting coordinator for her final season. Karius, who received a 2018 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Thirty Under 30 award, worked primarily with Wisconsin’s wing players.

“Kayla is relationship-driven with a championship mindset,” Pohlman said. “Success has found her as a student-athlete, professional and in her coaching career. Her competitive spirit and work ethic are unmatched. Kayla has very well-established relationships in the Midwest and we are ecstatic to have her and her family at Drake. She is a great fit for our community and our program!”

Before her time in Madison, Wis., Karius spent two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of South Dakota. Before her two seasons with the Coyotes, Karius was the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at the University of Sioux Falls for one season.

Karius (formerly Tetschlag) had an outstanding playing career for the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, helping lead Green Bay to four Horizon League titles and three NCAA Tournaments, including to the Sweet 16 in 2011.

Karius was named the Horizon League Co-Player of the Year in 2011 and received the Horizon League Cecil N. Colman Medal of Honor, the league’s most prestigious individual honor for outstanding achievement in academics, athletics and extracurricular activities. She was twice named first-team all-league, made the all-defensive team as a senior and was named the Sixth Player of the Year as a sophomore.

An excellent student, Karius earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as a senior while earning all-district honors as a junior and senior. She was a Horizon League Academic Honor Roll selection and was named the 2011 Division I-AAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year presented by the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association.

Karius graduated from Green Bay in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a marketing emphasis.

After Green Bay, Karius spent four years abroad playing professional basketball in Europe. Her playing stops included Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. She earned several awards, including the Luxembourg Defensive Player of the Year and the All-German League Forward of the Year.

Kayla and her husband, Rick, have a son, Treyton, and are expecting their second son in July, 2021.