* 2013 Preseason All-Summit League First Team
* 2012 Preseason All-Summit League Second Team
* 2011 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List
* 2011 Preseason All-Summit League First Team
* 2011 Summit League All-Academic Team, Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence
* 2010 All-Summit League First Team
* 2010 Summit League Player of the Week
* 2010 Summit League Winter/Spring All-Academic Team
* 2009 Summit League All-Tournament Team
* 2009 Summit League All-Newcomer Team
DeHoff's Take: "As a fifth year senior, Katie is more than ready to bounce back from her ACL injury last season. Her ability to create for herself and others, as well as her on court leadership & energy, will set the tone for an exciting year.”
The 2011-12 Season: Missed the entire season with a knee injury.
The 2010-11 Season: Selected to the 2012 Preseason All-Summit League second team ... Started all 29 games as a junior ... Has 87 consecutive starts in career, averaging a school record 33.5 minutes per game ... Averaged 13.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals over 35.2 minutes played per game ... Connected on 38.7 percent from the field including 34.1 percent from three-point line ... Made 63.3 percent from the foul line ... Scored in double-figures in 25 games including a career-high 27 points vs. Mayville State (12-7-10), hitting a career best 7 of 9 from the three-point line ... Connected on 9 of 11 field goals overall against the Comets ... Led the Bison in scoring on six occasions ... Has 61 career double-figure games scoring ... Had four games with 20+ points in 2011, nine games in career ... In the Summit League statistics, ranked 5th in assists and assist/turnover ratio, 12th in three-point field goals made and three-point shooting, 13th in steals and 17th in scoring ... On Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List and preseason Summit League first team at start of the season.
The 2009-10 Season: Named to the 2010 All-Summit League first team ... Started all 29 games as a sophomore ... Averaged 12.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game .. Ranked 55th nationally in steals ... Hit 44.5 percent from the field including 37.1 percent from the three-point line ... Made 75.7 percent from the foul line ... Reached 20-points in four games including a season-high 25 points at IPFW (2-22-10) ... In the Summit League statistics, ranked 4th in steals (2.4 spg), 7th in three-point shooting (.388), 9th in scoring (14.1 ppg) and 10th in assists (2.6 apg) ... Reached double-figure scoring in 21 games including 9 of the last 10 ... Led the Bison in scoring nine times, rebounding on six occasions including a career-high eight at IPFW (2-22-10) and vs. Wyoming (11-20-09) ... Matched her career best with five steals in three games including vs. Centenary (1-4-10).
The 2008-09 Season: Named to the 2009 Summit League All-Tournament team and All-Newcomer team to put the finishing touches on impressive freshman year ... Started all 29 games ... Averaged 10 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals in 33.4 minutes played per game ... Connected on 34.8 percent from the field including 31 percent from three-point line ... Made 71.8 percent from free throw line ... In the Summit League statistics, ranked 5th in assist/TO ratio, 7th in assists and 8th in steals ... Bolted out of the game with 18-point effort in season opener against UNI (11-14-08) ... Poured in season-high 21 points against Oral Roberts (12-8-08) ... Led Bison in scoring on five occasions ... Had season-high eight assists against Centenary (12-6-08) ... Had season-high four steals in four games including vs. Oakland (3-9-09) at Summit League tournament ... Scored in double-figures in 16 games including last six of seven.
High School Days: A 2008 graduate of Lincoln Southeast High School ... Nebraska's "Miss Basketball" as a senior ... Three-time all-conference and honorable mention all-state performer for Lincoln Southeast and head coach John Larsen ... Averaged 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals per game in leading team to 26-1 record and state championship as a senior ... Southeast also claimed district, conference and city championships in 2008 ... Captain of Super State team ... Four-year starter and three-time captain ... All-time leading scorer and tops in steals in school history ... Two-time academic all-state ... Played AAU basketball for the Nebraska Adidas Bison and coach Dan Lesoing ... A multi-sport athlete, member of two state champion 4x400 meter relay teams, a state champ in the 400 meter dash, and also earned all-state honors in 200 ... Southeast claimed the 2008 conference and city titles in track & field ... Two-time all-conference performer in softball and played on district championship team in 2005 ... 2008 Girls and Women in Sports and Fitness Athlete of the Year ... Earned local Perkins Award ... Runza Student-Athlete of the Month winner in March 2008.
Personal File: Daughter of Nick and Cherie Birkel ... Strangest nickname is "Buku" ... Has four brothers, Shane, TJ, Matt, Andy ... College major is university studies with a minor in psychology ... Plans to begin accelerated nursing program next year ... Mother played basketball at Nebraska-Omaha ... Brothers, TJ played baseball at North Central College, and Andy played football at Nebraska and Northern Colorado, while uncle, Terry, played football for UNO ... Went to Point Guard College in August 2009 in Hagerstown, Md., and worked against players from the ACC, Big 12, Big 10, SEC and Big East.
Katie's Career Bests
Points: 27 vs. Mayville State, 12-7-10
FG Made: 10 at Oakland, 2-20-10
FG Att: 23 at IPFW, 2-22-10
FG Pct.: 81.8% (9-11) vs. Mayville State, 12-7-10
FT Made: 9 vs. UMKC, 2-16-09
FT Att.: 12 vs. New Mexico State, 11-12-10
FT Pct.: 100% (5-5) vs. Oral Roberts, 12-8-08
3FGM: 7 vs. Mayville State, 12-7-10
3FGA: 9 vs. Mayville State, 12-7-10
3FG Pct.: 77.8% (7-9) vs. Mayville State, 12-7-10
Rebounds: 8 vs. four teams, last vs. Oakland, 1-22-11
Assists: 8 vs. Centenary, 12-6-08
Blocks: 2 vs. three teams, last vs. Southern Utah, 1-31-11
Steals: 5 vs. three teams, last vs. Centenary, 1-4-10
Games W/20+ Points: 9 games
Games W/Double Figure Points: 61 games (25, 2011)
