South Dakota State University Athletics
Hall of Fame -- Laurie (Bruns) Kruse
7/31/2017 10:27:00 PM | General
Inducted: 2016
Graduated: 1992
Laurie (Bruns) Kruse holds the distinction of being the only Jackrabbit women's basketball player to be named North Central Conference Most Valuable Player, earning the award during a stellar 1990-91 season. During that campaign, Kruse averaged an NCC-best 23.5 points per game in conference games, and her 423 points in 18 games set a league record.
She set five other NCC records during her senior season: single-season field goals made (155), single-season free throws made (113), single-season free throws attempted (156), career free throws made (262) and career free throws attempted (361).
A Lennox native, Kruse finished her senior year with a Jackrabbit single-season scoring record with an average of 22.8 points per game (593 points in 26 games), tallying 30 or more points in a game six times. She completed her career sixth (now 13th) in career scoring at SDSU with 1,370 points, while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor. She added 663 rebounds, 118 steals and 70 blocked shots in 108 career games.
Also during the 1990-91 season, Kruse was named to the GTE Academic All-America Second Team.
She also was recognized as one of the top 50 female student-athletes during SDSU's 50 Years of Women's Athletics celebration during the 2015-16 school year.