Rockford University

Kristyn King was enshrined into the Rockford University Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2023. King spent the better part of four decades associated with Rockford University and its athletic department, dating back to her four-year career as a member of the Regent softball team in the late 1980s. After earning her master's degree at Northwest Missouri State University, King returned to her alma mater as an assistant softball coach in 1992, before taking over as the head coach for the 1993 season. She would lead the Rockford softball program for 23 years and then became the school's first full-time director of athletics following the 2015 season. Prior to that, King served simultaneously for over a decade as both the school's athletic director and head softball coach beginning in the fall of 2001. During her tenure at Rockford, King also held the titles of associate athletic director, senior woman administrator, the director of alumni affairs and served as a member of the faculty. Additionally, King held multiple regional and national committee and leadership positions, some of which include: serving on the Great Lakes Softball All-Region Committee, the Great Lakes Softball Regional Rankings Committee, the NIIC Treasurer, the chairperson for the NACC Director of Athletics group and serving on the NCAA Division III Membership Committee. Furthermore, she was selected as the Rockford University Employee of the Year in 2003 and 2011, and in 2014, King received the Talcott Cross, which is the highest award that can be presented to a Rockford University alumna. 
 
King began her Hall of Fame career in 1986 as a four-year starter on the Regent softball team. Rockford finished no lower than third in the Northern Illinois Intercollegiate Conference (NIIC) with King on the roster, including a second place finish during the 1986 season. Statistically, King never hit below .320 in any season and capped off her collegiate playing career with an outstanding senior year. King hit .458 as a senior, with a .625 on-base percentage, a .729 slugging percentage and a 1.354 OPS. She also scored 32 runs, drove in 14 runs, was a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen bases, walked six times and stuck out just once that season. Her outstanding year earned her First Team All-NIIC honors and NSCA Second Team All-Midwest Region status as a catcher. She was also named the 1988-89 Rockford University Female Athlete of the Year.  
 
King's Rockford University head coaching career began in 1993, when she was named the Regents' head softball coach. She would spend the next 23 years at the helm of the RU softball program, which is tied for the longest tenure of any head coach in school history. In just her fourth year, King led the Rockford softball program to its first 20-win season in program history. The Regents' finished the 1996 season with a 22-14 record, including a 7-3 mark in NIIC play, and King was named the NIIC Coach of the Year. Rockford would go on to post five more 20-win seasons over the next ten years, including setting the program record for both wins in a season and NIIC wins in a season in 2006 (28-11, 9-6 NIIC). King's teams were not just limited to success during the regular season, as they were also a stalwart in the NIIC Tournament. The Regents qualified for the conference tournament all nine years, beginning with its inception in 1998, until its final year in 2006. In 2006, Rockford advanced all the way to the championship game, but unfortunately, fell twice to finish in second. King concluded her career as both Rockford's winningest head coach in a single sport (354) and with the most head coaching wins across multiple sports (360).
 
King also left her mark as an administrator within the Rockford University athletic department, where she held multiple roles which included: director of athletics, associate athletic director and senior woman administrator. Her time in the 2000s as the University's athletic director is looked back upon as one of the most successful periods in school history. During her tenure as the AD, Rockford had five different programs win a total of nine conference championships and earn four berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament. She also oversaw the addition of both the men's and women's cross country programs to Rockford's athletic offerings, and the transition of Rockford University moving from the Northern Illinois Iowa Conference, to becoming a founding member of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Additionally, she was a driving force in helping promote and support Rockford's student-athletes, as well as honoring its alumni. King was at the forefront of helping with the athletic fitness center and weight room redesign and the overall enhancements to the Seaver Center. The University also moved to a separate athletic website and began live streaming athletic events under King's watch. Furthermore, she restarted the RU Athletic Hall of Fame, in order to recognize and honor the successes and accomplishments of both individuals and teams who made a profound impact at the school; as well as restarting the Regent Golf Playday, in order to help raise funds for the athletic department and its student-athletes.