Northern State Athletics Hall of Fame
Janel Birrenkott graduated from Northern in 1987 with a degree in industrial technology. Birrenkott helped lead the United States to two gold medals in basketbal lin 1993 and 1997. Birrenkott played in the first professional women's basketball league in the country. The precursor to professional women's basketball today, the National Women's Basketball Association becan in 1986 and Birrenkott played for an inaugural team in Des Moines, Iowa, called The Pride of Iowa. Birrenkott has also won numerous outstanding player awards at thenational level, leading three teams in Arizona and one in Minnesota to USA Deaf Basketball national championships.
Birrenkott was inducted into the South Dakota Association of the Deaf Hall of Fame last year for lifetime achievements as a deaf individual.
