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- Year:
- 2005-2007
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- Sports Played:
- Women's Volleyball Athlete
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- Induction Year:
- 2014
Bio
The road to the OCC Athletics Hall of Fame was a long one, geographically speaking, for Kathrin “Kiwi” Winkler, who began her volleyball career while growing up in Germany. There, she excelled in beach volleyball, handball and gymnastics, but never competed in indoor volleyball. Her then-boyfriend (now husband) and former OCC men’s volleyball player Soren Schneider convinced Kiwi to play at OCC and despite her lack of indoor volleyball experience, she quickly became one of the best players to ever compete for the Pirates. As a freshman, Winkler helped lead Coast to a perfect 26-0 record with a team-best 408 kills, 337 digs and 36 aces, earning Orange Empire Conference Most Valuable Player and All-American honors along the way. Coast won 78-of-81 sets during that season and won the state title with a five-set win over San Joaquin Delta. Winkler, who drilled 22 kills in that clinching win, was named State Tournament MVP. As a sophomore, Winkler topped her freshman numbers with a school-record 487 kills, 446 digs and 25 aces, again earning conference MVP and All-American honors. Coast finished the season 25-2 and won its second straight state championship with a three-set sweep over L.A. Pierce. Winkler, who finished with 18 kills in the title match and 96 in the tournament, was once again named the State Tournament’s MVP. During her two-year career, Winkler earned her name in nine different volleyball record categories and is OCC’s all-time leader in career kills (895) and single-season kills (487), and is all-time second in digs (783) and third for digs in a single season (446). OCC went 51-2 with two state titles during Winkler’s tenure. In 2007, Winkler was named OCC’s Female Athlete of the Year.
