Athletics Hall of Honor inductees (left to right): Donell Hotze Kvaal ’00, Angie Nielsen Sears ’02 and Molly Parrott ’02.
Three female all-America honorees who shined on the national tournament stage are the newest additions to the Central College Athletics Hall of Honor.
Softball third baseman Donell Hotze Kvaal ’00
Donell Hotze Kvaal ’00, the 2000 NFCA Division III softball player of the year, was inducted at homecoming festivities Sept. 23, along with Molly Parrott ’02, an all-America pick in both women’s basketball and softball, and Angie Nielsen Sears ’02, a three-time all-America volleyball setter and three-time NCAA Division III team champion.
It marks the first time in the hall’s 16- year history that there are three women in the same induction class.
Kvaal, a hard-hitting third baseman, was a four-time first-team all-Iowa Conference performer. In addition to the 2000 NFCA award, she received the Honda Award as Division III’s top player. The 2000 team co-captain led the squad to a 40-20 record and was a four-time NCAA Division III tourney participant, reaching the national finals in 1997. She held Central’s career records for hits, RBIs and doubles.
Following graduation, Kvaal returned to her hometown of Carson, Iowa, where she lives with her family and is a community volunteer.
Softball/women’s basketball standout Molly
Parrott ’02
Parrott was the first Central all- America honoree in both women’s basketball and softball. A two-time team MVP and four-time all-conference pick as a point guard, Parrott ranked second in school history in career scoring and set career records for assists, steals and 3-point goals.
A four-year starting second baseman, Parrott received softball all-league and all-region honors twice. The 2002 team MVP and four-time NCAA tourney participant was a regional and national all-tournament team selection in 2001 when the Dutch finished second nationally. Parrott set records for career hits, season hits and career runs.
A former assistant coach, Parrott earned master’s and doctoral degrees and now serves as senior director of development for the College of Human Sciences through the Iowa State University Foundation. She’s also a radio/television sports analyst and lives in Ames with her family.
Volleyball setter Angie Nielsen Sears ’02
Sears was a three-time AVCA Division III all-America pick as a setter and helped Central capture three straight NCAA national volleyball titles (1998, 1999, 2000). The 2001 team and Iowa Conference MVP, Sears was a four-time all-region and all-conference honoree and four-time league champ.
She was also a CoSIDA Academic All-America selection. Sears set school marks for season and career assists.
Following graduation, Sears taught English for a year in Japan, then taught for a year at Boone High School. She spent four years abroad while her husband played professional basketball in Kosovo, the Netherlands and Belgium. She now lives in Bellevue, Neb., where she is active in children’s ministry and homeschools her children.
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