Basketball: Jasmine Borgmann follows her dream, named interim head coach at St. Olaf College

Jasmine Borgmann was a little spitfire of a basketball player, full of energy on the court coming up through Princeton Park District basketball and for the LaMoille-Ohio co-op.

When a back ailment derailed her playing career before getting the chance to play collegiately, Borgmann turned to teaching the game to others.

After serving in a support role for three years at three colleges, the 2017 Ohio High School graduate has landed her first head coaching opportunity.

Borgmann has been named as the interim head coach of the St. Olaf College women’s basketball program in Northfield, Minnesota. She joined the St. Olaf staff prior to the 2022-23 season and helped St. Olaf to its first season with a winning record in nine years with the 14-12 finish.

When I reflect on all the experiences and things I’ve learned in my life, basketball has always been a key component for me. It just feels surreal and amazing to get to lead this group of young women.”

—  Jasmine Borgmann, St. Olaf College

“Getting this opportunity feels like a dream come true, in all honesty,” said Borgmann, who was known as Jasmine Kahly in high school. “I’ve known I wanted to coach basketball since a really young age, and then after hurting my back and not being able to play anymore, it just gave me more passion and fire to teach others the game… from making my little brother do ball-handling drills in the driveway to becoming a student-assistant coach at Lakeland University to going to the USCAA National Championship with Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

“When I reflect on all the experiences and things I’ve learned in my life, basketball has always been a key component for me. It just feels surreal and amazing to get to lead this group of young women. I love the relationship aspect basketball gives you, and that I get the opportunity to truly make an impact on every single player; they sure make an impact in my life as well.”

Borgmann came to St. Olaf in 2022 after serving as the director of operations for the women’s basketball program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana. She was involved with all facets of summer training, recruiting, leadership development, and administration of the program.

“I was having a lot of shooting pain in my lower back [when I was younger]. The doctor recommended to not play any longer due to the contact and physicality of basketball,” she said. “To this day, I still have back pain that I’m trying to figure out how to get rid of, so I’d say I made a good decision to listen to the doctors. I went through a pretty rough mental space after finding out I wasn’t going to play anymore, but it definitely also pushed me into my coaching career.”

Previously, Borgmann was a graduate assistant for Saint Mary-of-the-Woods during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, helping with recruiting, supervision, skill development, day-to-day operations, fundraising, and academic progress.

Borgmann was a student assistant coach for the women’s basketball program at Lakeland University. She graduated from Lakeland in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management and Leadership, with an emphasis on coaching and athletic administration.

In May 2022, Borgmann earned her Master of Leadership Development from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

Borgmann takes over for Kelly Mahlum, who was elevated into a new role as deputy athletic director and senior woman administrator for St. Olaf after serving as head coach for three years.

Mahlum led St. Olaf to 24 wins in three seasons, and last season guided the Oles to their highest win total (14) and highest Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) win total (11) since 2013-14.