Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Award Recipients
Young Alumna of the Year Award
DR. KRISTEN L. MASKALA, ARTS '94
Richfield, Wis.
After setting standards on the basketball court that few have matched, Dr. Kristen Maskala has continued her winning ways off the court. You won’t find her in her No. 22 jersey, but she hasn’t strayed too far from sports: She is a highly respected orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine in West Bend, Wis.
Largely responsible for helping Marquette reach the women’s NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history during 2003–04, Kristen is a university legend, ranking in the top 10 in scoring, three-point field goals, free-throw percentage, steals and assists. She earned academic All-American status in all three of her seasons and won Academic All-American of the Year and NCAA Wisconsin Woman of the Year awards. Kristen was one of only 14 women’s players nationwide to earn an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and one of only three Marquette women’s players to have her jersey retired.
In addition to studying and playing basketball, Kristen also embraced Marquette’s mission of service, helping run basketball camps for Special Olympics and the Girl Scouts. Today, she volunteers as team doctor for Hartford (Wis.) High School, organizing free girls basketball camps with former teammates and mentoring young students interested in medicine.
Kristen, who recently gave birth to her first child, Little Monte, with husband Monte, helps in another important way. She attended Marquette only by virtue of a sports scholarship and hopes her donations “can help another student or student-athlete with expenses so they can concentrate more on studying. I know how much it means to have a degree from Marquette.”
Kristen received the Hank Raymonds Sportsmanship Award and McCahill Award in 1994. She was inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame in 2004.
Fun facts: As a surgeon, Kristen didn’t stray too far from her grade school ambitions of being a dentist. At Marquette, she says organic chemistry was her most challenging course.
