BRENNAN KIRCHHOFF
After a stellar high school basketball career where she earned membership in the 1,000-point club at Thunder Ridge High School in Kensington, Kansas, current-day RiverHawks senior Brennan Kirchhoff continues to chase her dreams centered around on one principle for success.
“There’s no substitute for the importance of hard work,” said the senior guard for the women’s basketball team at Northeastern State University. “It’s the one thing that’s always going to get you further in life.”
Following high school, Kirchhoff played three seasons at Barton Community College in Kansas where her team reached the NJCAA tournament, and she earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Kansas Junior College conference.
The determined “hard work” approach would challenge Kirchhoff’s move to Northeastern State University. In her first season after earning a spot in the RiverHawks starting lineup, an injury ended her season after just 13 games in a year that saw NSU reach the MIAA championship tournament for the first time since 1918.
“But because of my teammates, I pushed myself to continue to earn my position on the team,” she said while noting her approach to current season. “As a senior, my goal is to be a difference maker, to lend a helping hand to a group of underclassmen adjusting to the college environment and help our team find success again.”
In the classroom, Kirchhoff is on schedule to complete her degree in nutritional science thanks to the endless advantages available for students at Northeastern State.
“The nutritional value of my studies has been important; what to and what not to eat to help me become a better athlete through food,” said “B-K”, as she’s known to her teammates, coaches, fans and professors. “It’s a community of support available to every student at NSU. The professors go out of their way to help the students succeed. As an athlete, there’s lots of travel and because of the 1-to-1 relationships, my instructors have helped me stay on task.”
Just like her own winning experiences as a student athlete, Brennan Kirchhoff encourages others to choose Northeastern State University when the opportunity presents itself.
“From my first impressions all the way to now, I’ve made friends for life that have given me connections for finding my dreams. It’s a close-knit community environment where everyone on campus and around town wants to see you enjoy the college experience and help you be a success.”
