University of Minnesota Athletics
YOUNG-KRUSE NAMED GOPHER ASSISTANT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH
8/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
"I'm excited to add such a great addition to our staff," said Littlejohn. "Melissa's best asset is that she knows basketball in the state of Minnesota."
Young-Kruse, a Fairfax, Minn., native, brings a definite Minnesota flavor to the Golden Gopher coaching staff. A 1993 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, Young-Kruse has worked as a teacher and coach in the Twin Cities area for the last seven years. From 1994 to 2000, she coached St. Croix Lutheran High School to a 112-52 record and a pair of Tri-Valley Conference championships. She also taught one year at Bloomington Kennedy High School and spent the 1993-94 year as the head girls' basketball coach at Hastings High School.
Young-Kruse is active in Minnesota's AAU program, serving as the head coach of the Minnesota Swoosh since 1995. She owns a career AAU record of 126-38 and led the Swoosh to AAU National Tournament appearances the last three years.
Young-Kruse played her collegiate basketball at Gustavos Adolphus, helping the Gusties to two NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. A sharp-shooting guard, Young- Kruse was a three-time All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection from 1990-92 and still ranks second in the MIAC record book with 132 career three-point field goals. In a game against Macalester in 1992, Young-Kruse set an NCAA Division III single-game record by hitting a perfect 8-for-8 from three-point range. She also played softball at Gustavus Adolphus and was a starting outfielder on the Gusties' 1990 team that won the MIAC title with a 22-0 record.
Young-Kruse resides in Woodbury with her husband, Mark, and their daughter, Natasha (18 months).
