Former M-ette Part of Hall of Fame Team

Former Malta M-ette and Dickinson State University Blue Hawk Kelly Pankratz was recently inducted into Dickinson State University's Hall of Fame as a part of the 2008-2009 Women's Basketball Team. The announcement was made in September, and the banquet was held in October.

Pankratz, the daughter of Bill and Laura Pankratz of Malta, is a 2007 MHS graduate and was a valuable part of Malta's 26-0 team that year. Pankratz was named the 2007 Class B State Tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Things started off pretty rocky for Pankratz in her first year of college basketball. She was a true freshman at the University of Montana Western and despite being named a starter early in the season, things just didn't work out.

She said that the team was pretty mean to her. During a play gone wrong, Pankratz fell to the floor, and some not so friendly fire occurred.

"I fell and hurt myself," Pankratz said. "My teammate fell on the back of my head. Smashed my face on the gym floor, broke my teeth out, and broke my nose."

After her injuries, Pankratz never gained her starting spot back at Western.

"The girls weren't very nice to me, so that's why I left," Pankratz said.

Pankratz has had two neck surgeries since that day and is currently recovering from her last surgery in Malta.

During her freshman year at Montana Western, Pankratz started 12 of 26 games and shot 32.5%.

Pankratz transferred to DSU for the 2008-09 season, and things were different for the shooting guard.

"I had my best season, my sophomore year," Pankratz said. "I loved the culture and that is why I went there. I left a full ride for basically nothing, to go to Dickinson to play for this coach because I like him so much."

That coach was Guy Fridley and that 2008-09 team would become legendary at DSU.

The team compiled a 26-7 record and advanced to the NAIA Elite Eight, falling 69-56 to the College of the Ozarks. The team was 12-2 in their conference. The team ranked seventh in the NAIA for three point field goal percentage (37.5%). Pankratz made 27-of-78 three point attempts (34%), and made 61-of-72 of her free throw attempts (84.7%). She had a total of 240 points.

Fridley also coached two more teams that were inducted into DSU's 2022 Hall of Fame Class. The 2008 and 2009 softball teams.

Pankratz admitted that the transfer wasn't easy at first, but she clicked with her new teammates.

"I just got along with these girls a lot better at Dickinson," Pankratz said. "It was a bunch of girls from California, Montana, and North Dakota. It was a super random clash of teammates to get along with but we loved each other, and had a great time. We partied a lot off the court, and I think that played into why we got along so well."

She said that because the team had built camaraderie by just hanging out together off the court, she was able to trust them, and they trusted each other.

Another reason that she believes she found success at DSU was because she switched roles from the point guard position to shooting guard. She played point guard at Montana Western.

"I'm more of a two-guard than a point guard," Pankratz said.

Pankratz even preferred playing off-ball during her four years at Malta High School.

"I'm definitely a shooting guard, but I also had to play point guard in weird situations where we didn't have a point guard. Laramie Schwenke is a point guard."

She also attributed Coach Fridley's age to the team's success. Fridley was 32 at the time.

"He just let us play more freely and let us play our game at DSU," Pankratz said. "I was kind of pigeon-holed into playing a certain way at Western, that wasn't my game."

Pankratz preferred scoring off of the fast-break, but was encouraged to slow things down during her time at Western.

Pankratz spent two years at DSU. She was asked what her favorite game or moment was.

"I had some big games against Black Hills State," Pankratz said. "Black Hills State plays a really fast paced kind of play."

That year, Pankratz scored 14 points against Black Hills State. She was 4-of-6 from the floor and knocked down 2-of-3 treys. Her highest scoring game was the first game of the year, when she scored 20 points against Montana Tech. She was 10-of-10 from the free throw line.

DSU was led by Kia Herbel, a center that earned First Team NAIA All-American honors that year. Herbel made the Hall of Fame as an individual player this year.

"We fed off of her," Pankratz said. "She was amazing to play with."

Pankratz transferred to Minot State University for her senior year of college for the 2010-2011 season. She scored a season high of 16 points against Black Hills State as well as a season high of six assists that same game. Defensively, she had 24 steals that year, four of which came in the opening game of the season, against Montana Western.

Pankratz earned a degree in Exercise Science from Dickinson State University in 2012 and has also earned a degree in Physical Therapy from Mohave Community College. She has lived in Colorado for the past several years, working as a Physical Therapist.