Who is she? Krista Menke, a former pitcher for the North Dakota State Bison.
What is she known for? Menke was one of the best pitchers in NDSU program history, finishing her career with 97 wins; 938 strikeouts; and a 2.34 ERA. She set a program and conference single-season record with 391 strikeouts in her senior year. A 3-time All-Summit League and All-Region honoree, Menke was named the Summit League’s Pitcher of the Year in both 2012 and 2015.
Here’s something interesting… Menke’s hometown of Friend, Nebraska is one of only four cities in the United States bearing the name Friend. Asked for an interesting anecdote about herself, Menke also mentions the size of her family: “My dad is one of nine siblings and my mom is one of six. Altogether, I have 39 first cousins. When we get together on my dad’s side for Christmas, we normally rent out the school gym in order to hold everyone!”
Quotable quote: “Control the controllable. There are a lot of things in life that you can’t control, but you can control how you react to it. This is something I will live by for the rest of my life.”
What’s she up to now? Immediately following her collegiate career’s end, Menke played professional softball overseas for two seasons, in the Netherlands and Italy. In May of 2019, she graduated with her doctorate degree in physical therapy. She now works as a traveling physical therapist, and is currently working in a small town in Louisiana.
