University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2026
- Class:
- 2008
A cornerstone of UNI volleyball's success in the mid to late 2000s, Ashten Stelken joins this year's Hall of Fame class as one of the top middle blockers in program history.
The Manchester, Iowa native played for the Panthers from 2005 to 2008, leading Northern Iowa in blocks during her final two seasons with 182 blocks in 2007 and 174 stops in 2008. UNI's junior class record holder for blocks, she also led the Panthers with 411 kills as a junior and twice led the team in hitting percentage with a .351 clip in 2007 and a .308 mark a year later.
Stelken, who helped contribute to a Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season title in 2006 and back-to-back conference tournament championships in 2006 and 2007, played a key role in UNI reaching three straight NCAA Tournaments, the first of seven straight national tournament appearances for the purple and gold, a program record. The Panthers notably won a first round matchup against Winthrop in 2006.
Individually, Stelken was recognized as a two-time First Team All-MVC performer in 2007 and 2008, while also earning MVC Scholar-Athlete honors in both years as well. A member of the 2005 MVC All-Freshman and All-Tournament teams, she earned AVCA All-District recognition as a senior in 2008.
Stelken finished her playing career with Northern Iowa ranked seventh in team history with 1,302 career kills, as well as third in both block assists (540) and total blocks (583), and sixth in career points (1,649). Averaging 1.27 blocks per set during her four years in a Panther uniform, she also set a three-set, single-match team record with 23.5 points in 2007 in a match at Drake, while also tying for the second-most blocks (12) in a three-set, single-match in UNI history the same year against Iowa State.
A former standout at West Delaware High School in Manchester, Stelken graduated with a degree in elementary education and teaching in 2009 before becoming a teacher and volleyball coach in the Iowa City area. Today, she teaches second grade in the College Community School District in Cedar Rapids.
