Passion. Selfless. Genuine. These characteristics describe Kathy Selck as a player and person. Her true character was on display when she was on the diamond or the court; lifting the play of her teammates with unselfish play, leading by example with a pure passion for the game and her genuine nature that was revered by her many teammates and coaches.
Selck was a multi-sport star for Parkview High School in Orfordville, just 20 minutes down the road from Beloit, when she was recruited to Beloit College. Selck, a former four-sport letter winner in high school, went on to become a two-sport standout for the Buccaneers.
Selck led Beloit College to four Midwest Conference titles including three on the hardwood and one on the softball diamond. On the court, Selck was a master of getting her teammates open looks. She led the league in assists per game her junior and senior seasons when the Buccaneers won back-to-back conference titles. Those seasons, in addition to Selck’s first-year campaign, Beloit College went on to win the MWC Tournament title earning the league’s automatic bid into the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III tournament. By the end of her basketball career, Selck had written her name into the top five in program history in assists and steals.
On the diamond, Selck earned All-MWC honors in 1996 at second base. That year, she hit an astounding .538 en route to leading the Buccaneers to a regular season conference title and MWC tournament championship. Her five hits against Ripon College on April 26, 1996, is tied for the most recorded in league history.
“The team was the most important thing to Kathy,” said former teammate Christina Pape-Klawitter. “Kathy played with energy and emotion. As a point guard and in the infield, she was always in position, yelling encouragement to the rest of the team,” added Klawitter.
Selck was named Beloit College’s top junior and senior female student-athlete with the Donald ‘Red’ Janssen Award in 1997 and Ruth C. Peterson Award in 1998.
