Krista Menke

Classroom

Krista Menke is as focused and driven in the classroom as she is on the field. Her desire to continue her education, and pursue a career in the field of exercise science, demands specific academic requirements. In spite of missing a double-digit number of classes each spring due to extensive travel, Menke has maintained and excelled with her semester grades and overall GPA. Her current grade-point average is 3.627, and she plans to apply for an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Menke’s time-management skills and commitment to her dream of becoming a physical therapist have been paramount in her not only meeting those academic standards, but surpassing them. She has been a NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete, a Summit League Distinguished Scholar, was and selected to the Summit League’s All-Academic Softball Team during her career.

Character

Menke is a young woman with a sense of social responsibility and obligation. She’s the rare talent with a moral compass to do right thing. She’s a person who expresses gratitude for her opportunities and empathy for those less fortunate or with challenging circumstances. Her maturity, awareness and compassion have been key components to the influence and impact she’s had on the lives of others. Menke is a young adult with incredible work ethic, a sense of pursuit, pride and belief in who she is, and the knowledge that anything she wants can be achieved. She has been completely invested in her experience as a collegiate athlete. She is a person who can proudly say she’s left nothing undone and nothing to chance; she’s played her career with no excuses and no regrets. She’s the type of person you know will be successful and accomplished at whatever they choose to pursue in life because failure is simply not an option for her.

Community

Menke is a true winner, committed to greatness in every area if her life. She has consistently delivered high-level results, fulfilling her responsibilities as a person, student and athlete at North Dakota State University. With her success and accomplishments, she has become the face of the program, and she shoulders much of the responsibility as the representative across campus and within the community. Menke has been a member of NDSU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council, which has taken the lead in number of outreach activities in the Fargo-Moorhead and campus community.

Competition

As a player, Menke is someone who wants to max out her potential. She’s a pitcher who plays off the emotion and energy of her teammates, and whatever individual recognition she has received, it has never exceeded the importance, well-being and goals of the team. North Dakota State has been to the NCAA Tournament five times over the past six seasons. In 2014, Menke was named to the NFCA All-Midwest Region First Team after posting a 29-9 record and a 2.07 ERA and claiming Summit League Tournament MVP honors. She is a 10-time Summit League Player of the Week and a two-time all-league performer. Menke has posted a 63-29 record and 2.44 ERA over her first three seasons, and she has 547 strikeouts in 596.1 innings pitched.