Marquette University Athletics
Maskala's Jersey to Be Retired Tomorrow Night
1/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
At halftime of tomorrow night's home game against Seton Hall, Maskala will become just the second Marquette women?s basketball player to have her jersey retired in the history of the program. Kathy Andrykowski (1977-8) had her #21 jersey was retired in 2005. After an incredible career, Maskala will take her rightful place on the north wall of the Al McGuire Center, as her #22 jersey is being honored.
?It is somewhat unbelievable to me still,? Maskala said. ?I won't be able to fully appreciate it I am sure until I actually see #22 hanging up in 'The Al.' I loved playing basketball for Marquette, so this really means the world to me. It is also special that it is only the second women's jersey to be retired. To me it represents the first teams to make it to the NIT and NCAA's in Marquette women's basketball.?
A member of the women?s basketball team from 1991-1994, Maskala helped Marquette achieve many firsts in the history of the program. In 1992, Marquette made its first postseason appearance in the National Women?s Invitation Tournament (NWIT), after capturing first place in the Great Midwest Conference with a 10-0 record.
That season, Maskala was a First Team All-Great Midwest selection. The following season, Marquette would make its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, after the team tallied a program-best 22 wins. Maskala was again rewarded for her play with with back-to-back First Team All-Great Midwest honors.
"Playing in the NCAA tournament was definitely a highlight of my playing career." Maskala explained. "Making it to the NCAA?s was a huge turning point for the program."
After the 1993-94 season in which she earned her third First Team All-Great Midwest accolade, Maskala received the Hank Raymonds Sportsmanship Award as well as the McCahill award in 1994. In 2004, she was inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame in 2004.
Head women?s basketball coach Terri Mitchell, now in her 10th year as head coach of the Golden Eagles, was an assistant coach at Marquette while Maskala was a member of the team.
"I had the opportunity to coach Kristen when I was an assistant here at Marquette," said Mitchell. "And the one thing that stands out about Kristen is how much of a winner she was, on and off the court. On the court, she would do anything it took to win, offensively and defensively. And certainly off the court, she was a terrific student and has done exceptionally well in medical school and now in her professional life as a orthopedic surgeon. We are honoring a truly great individual."
Her name is inked in the Marquette women?s basketball record books, as she holds the all-time career scoring average record at 19.6 points per game. She led the Golden Eagles in scoring in each of her three seasons with 21.9, 19.6 and 17.5 points, respectively each season from 1992-1994. Maskala left Marquette with 1,745 career points in three seasons, which currently ranks third on the all-time scoring list. She also set single-season records in points (635), scoring average (21.9), and field goals made (242), in 1991-92.
Not only did Maskala excel on the court, but in the classroom as well. She was named Academic All-American of the Year at the conclusion of the 1993-94 season, becoming the first and only Marquette female student athlete to earn such an honor. She also earned GTE Academic All-America First Team honors in 1993-94, was a second team selection in 1992-93 and a third team selection in 1991-92. After her senior season she was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate scholarship to continue her education.
After her time at Marquette, Maskala attended Rush Medical College in Chicago, Ill., where she studied orthopedic surgery - specializing in sports medicine. She graduated with honors in 1998. No stranger to athletes with injuries, Maskala herself had to go through reconstructive surgery on both of her knees during her freshman season, but despite all of the individual athletic accolades - both team and individual - and all of her All-America honors, she lists returning to the court after the grueling recovery process associated with knee surgeries after her freshman season as her greatest athletic accomplishment.
Although given an opportunity to play overseas, Maskala was already admitted to medical school and chose to get started with the school and decided against pursuing a playing career.
Today, Maskala is an orthopedic surgeon, specializing in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery, at the Synergy Clinic in West Bend, Wis. A typical day involves usually seeing patients in clinic or performing surgeries during the day. She and her husband Monte Smith met during her residency in Milwaukee and have been married for almost three years.
Away from her full-time job as a surgeon, Maskala says she enjoys coming back to Marquette to catch a game in "the Al" with her best friend and former teammate, Moya Baylis (1990-93).
"Wherever I have gone, people are always impressed that I was a basketball player at Marquette," Maskala expressed. "Basketball exposed me to so many people and places that I feel it really helped me to be able to relate to a wide variety of people. I also learned a great deal about discipline, which was very helpful in managing my time and studies in medical school and residency."
The Golden Eagles take on Seton Hall tomorrow night at the Al McGuire Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Click here for Marquette/Seton Hall gamenotes.
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