Bio

Joel Stryker enters into his first season (2025-26) as the head women's basketball coach at Waldorf University. 

Stryker comes to Waldorf after spending the last year as an assistant coach for the Wayne State College Men's Basketball team. WSC finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 16-13 overall and finished 10^th in the NSIC, losing in the first round of the NSIC conference tournament to Winona State. In his one-year, Stryker had the opportunity to coach a 2^nd Team All NSIC selection in his freshman year.

Stryker came to WSC after spending the previous five years as an assistant coach at Doane University including the final 1 1/2 years as associate head coach. He helped coach the Tigers men's team to one of the best seasons in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 2021-22, going 19-13 overall and matching the school record for most wins in conference play (11-9). Under Stryker, Doane improved from 6-19 to 19-13 in one season (2021-22) while the Tigers saw an increase in conference wins each of the first three seasons.

Other coaching stops for Stryker include three years as head coach at Wood River High School (NE) where he coached two Class C-1 All-State honorable players and a 1,000-point scorer. He also served as head junior high basketball coach at Sidney High School (NE), assistant coach at Lutheran High Northeast High School (NE), and volunteer assistant coach at South Loup High School (NE).

A native of Callaway, Nebraska, Stryker holds a pair of degrees from Wayne State College earning his bachelor's degree in Pre-K/12 Physical Education and Health and a master's degree in sport and recreation management in 2022. 

Stryker played collegiately for North Platte Community College, Dana College, and Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA).  At NTCA, he set a school record scoring 55 points in a game (twice), assists in a game (12), 3-pointers in a single game (12), and single season scoring average (34.2) to earn USCAA Division II First Team All-American honors and was a two-time USCAA Division II Academic All-American.

Stryker, his wife Quinn, and their dog Swish reside in Forest City.