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Molly Musland 'has no days off' as a college athlete at Concordia

katie ringer, the jamestown sun, n.d.
·4 min read

Aug. 4—MOORHEAD, Minn. — Molly Musland knew there would be a lot of changes when she left LaMoure/Litchville-Marion and continued her basketball career at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.

"No one told me how much we will be eating at Jimmie John's and Kwik Trip," Musland said with a laugh. "Every away game it was usually the same pregame and postgame meal with the occasional stop at Chipotle and Panera."

But not even the routine stops at the same two restaurants could disappoint the LLM alum who is truly thriving after one year as a college athlete.

"When I first got to Concordia, I didn't know what to expect really," Musland said. "I was a freshman moving to a new town and school where I knew no one. however, I knew it was going to exceed my expectations. All the coaches were so supportive of me in high school and through my AAU career and so I knew that I was coming to a culture that I wanted to become a part of.

"I love when there is structure, routine, and expectations for players and that is what I have gotten at Concordia," she said. "We were expected to get good grades and give 100% in practice and games. The coaches also wanted us to have fun which allowed my teammates to turn into my second family."

Musland wrapped up her first collegiate season with the Cobbers in February. Concordia went 22-5 overall and 18-4 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Musland scored 50 points in her 24 games played and nabbed 21 total rebounds. She played 231 minutes.

Aside from scoring points, Musland said, as a freshman, her role was to work as hard as possible all the time in an attempt to get the Concordia coaching staff to notice her in practice. Musland worked hard during the year doing the little things like having a great attitude and energy no matter what she was doing.

"You need to be loud and prove yourself because they recruited you for a reason, they know you're good but now you need to show them what you can truly bring to the team," Musland said. "After playing at the collegiate level for a year it makes me excited for next year. By the end of the year, I had got comfortable with the pace (the game was) played and know how to fit into the role that my coaches wanted me at. I will be more prepared because I will know what to expect and what to do to see the court again like I did last season."

While the Cobbers fell short of the conference championship, Musland said the taste of success has made the squad even more hungry for next season which means the training has only intensified.

"As the saying goes there are really 'no off days'," Musland said with a laugh. "After the season ends our coaches made us take at least a two-week break to take a physical and mental break which makes you miss training and want to get back to it.

"In the summer it's a lot of shooting reps and working on individual moves," she said. "We also have open gyms every week which helps. When school started we had 6 a.m. lifting and conditioning, open gym twice a week, and a skill session twice a week as well. I love lifting. It's a passion of mine outside of basketball so I take strength training pretty seriously. I lift almost every day in the summer."

Aside from training, Musland has remained busy and is currently balancing a nannying position and coaching slot at [solidcore] — a pilates studio based out of Fargo.

"My summer is flying by," Musland said. "I am living at a house right by Concordia with a few of my teammates. There are five of us in the house and it makes it even more special because before we lived in the house the upperclassmen on our team lived there so we already have a lot of good memories there.

"I was surprised by how fast my teammates became my family," she said. "Going into the school year I only knew one girl on the team which was my AAU teammate and one of my best friends Taylor Safranski but other than that I didn't know what to expect. But, the girls were beyond welcoming and I felt I could truly be my sarcastic light-hearted self and grew a connection with them right away."

While she's made quite the circle of friends in Moorhead, Musland still finds herself missing LaMoure from time to time and is thankful for the hometown community that still checks in every now and again.

"Once a Loboe, always a Loboe," Musland said. "Seriously the community in LaMoure is so supportive and I am so blessed that I grew up in a town that loves sports as much as I do. I have so many people follow me at Concordia, come to my games, and reach out to see how I'm doing. I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who supports me. I will forever bleed red, black, and white."