Kelly Mahlum is in her fifth year at St. Olaf in 2024-25 and was named the College's athletic director on March 14, 2025 after serving as the interim athletic director and senior woman administrator (SWA) since July 2023.
In 2023-24, Mahlum served as the deputy athletic director and SWA. In that role, she was part of the athletic department's leadership team and oversaw a number of areas, including all Title IX and gender equity components of the department, as well as supervising 10 sports. She also coordinated all student-athlete programming, co-advised the Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB), oversaw all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and served on all head coaching search committees, in addition to her responsibilities as senior woman administrator.
In her three seasons leading the St. Olaf women's basketball program, the Oles qualified for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23, making the field in both of Mahlum's full seasons. Mahlum led St. Olaf to its first-ever victory in the MIAC Playoffs in 2021-22 and the Oles went a combined 24-32 (.428) overall and 18-26 (.409) in MIAC play during her three seasons.
A former Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) student-athlete at the College of Saint Benedict, Mahlum came to St. Olaf following four seasons as the head women's basketball coach at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. She brings with her over two decades of collegiate head coaching experience.
As the head coach at Wittenberg, Mahlum led the Tigers to four-straight North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2017-18 and back-to-back semifinal appearances in the last two seasons. Wittenberg improved its win total in each season under Mahlum's guidance and went 63-45 (.583) overall in her four seasons.
Mahlum joined the Wittenberg staff in 2010 and was elevated to full-time assistant in 2011-12 and associate head coach prior to the 2013-14 season. During her time at Wittenberg, Mahlum coached 20 all-conference players and was part of the staff of the 2014-15 team that won the NCAC Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to Wittenberg, Mahlum was the assistant director of athletics and head women's basketball coach at Bard College during the 2009-10 season. From 2001-08, she was the head women's basketball coach at Colorado College, where she coached four of the top-10 scorers in program history. Mahlum was also the first full-time head women's basketball coach at Greensboro College (1999-01), an assistant coach at Randolph-Macon College (1996-99) and a basketball graduate assistant at St. Cloud State University (1994-96).
In her playing days, Mahlum was a four-year starter, two-time all-conference selection, two-time MVP, two-year captain and a 1993 Kodak All-American in basketball at the College of Saint Benedict, where she also played three years of softball, and one year of both soccer and volleyball. She finished her career fourth on CSB's all-time scoring list with 1,612 points and was also an all-conference and all-region selection in softball.
Mahlum graduated from Saint Ben's in 1993 with a bachelor of arts degree in art and went on to earn her master's degree in athletic administration at St. Cloud State before starting her coaching career.
Â
| THE OLES UNDER KELLY MAHLUM |
| SEASON |
OVERALL |
PCT. |
MIAC |
PCT. |
MIAC / MIAC PLAYOFFS / NCAA TOURNAMENT / NOTES |
| 2020-21 |
1-2 |
.333 |
-- |
-- |
Season limited to three games due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021-22 |
9-18 |
.333 |
7-15 |
.318 |
9th / Quarterfinals of MIAC Playoffs |
| 2022-23 |
14-12 |
.538 |
11-11 |
.500 |
t-6th / Quarterfinals of MIAC Playoffs |
| TOTAL |
24-32-0 |
.428 |
18-26 |
.409 |
- |
