Family Of Athletes Has Appeared In 24 State Tournaments

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Student-athletes dream of competing in a State Tournament. Which is why the Hennen family of Minnesota considers themselves lucky.

Steve and Missy Hennen have 6 kids and each of them has not only qualified for multiple state tournaments, they've won several state titles too.

"When my oldest daughter was an 8th grader and she made the trip, Minneota had only been to state a couple times in volleyball before that," said Steve.

Since then, Samantha, Kelsey, Molly, Kyle, Morgan and Abby have made trips to state like some people make trips to the store.

"I guess you can make that many trips if you have a lot of kids, it helps," said Steve with a laugh.

The girls have won multiple state titles in volleyball and basketball.

In all, the Hennens have made 24 trips to State. And as you might imagine, that's created competition within the Hennen household.

Kyle won two state football titles and another in wrestling and he wasn't afraid to let his younger sisters Morgan and Abby know. But the girls tied him in the fall after winning state volleyball. And they have a chance to pass him if the Vikings win girls state basketball this weekend.

"We went home and we were really excited because we told him we tied him up and we were looking to beat him in basketball this year," said Abby, a junior.

"It would definitely be good to give him some trash talk back like he used to give us all the time," said Morgan, a senior.

Despite their success, the Hennens remain humble and hard-working. Before they left for the tournament the girls still had to get up early and do chores on their farm.

"When we won my dad was calling our coach to see when he could have our help," said Morgan.

And when it comes to help in sports, the family is quick to credit fans, teammates and coaches.

"It takes a village and that's a great thing when your kids can grow up in that," said Missy.

The Minneota girls are seeded first in Class-A and won their first-round game on Thursday.

Abby is only a junior, so the family could be making more trips to State next year.