Janet Kundrat O’Neill, a 1980 Jefferson Community High School graduate, was named to the Waldorf Athletics Hall of Fame during Homecoming festivities there last weekend.
O’Neill earned All-American and All-Conference honors in 1982 and participated in the national junior college all-star game. She continued her basketball career as a starting center at Creighton University.
Along with Waldorf and Creighton, she earned degrees at the University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota. She retired as a physical therapist in 2011.
Dr Robert Alsop, Waldorf University president, read the following citation in making the award:
“The Waldorf women’s basketball team enjoyed tremendous success in the early 1980s. In the first two seasons of the decade, the Warriors posted a combined record of 46-12, posted back-to-back NJCAA Region XI championships, and made consecutive trips to the National Tournament.
“Janet Kundrat O’Neill, Class of 1982, was an essential piece of the Waldorf championship puzzle. In 51 career games, Janet scored 735 career points, collected 368 rebounds, and 76 career steals.
“In her freshman campaign of 1980-81, Janet made an immediate impact. Playing 21 games, she averaged 14.8 points per game, good for second most on the team. She made 43.9 percent of her field goals and collected 154 total rebounds. Her efforts helped the team finish 23-5 on the season.
“In the 1981-82 season, Janet faced high expectations and was able to both meet and exceed them, earning a plethora of individual accolades to go along with the team’s success. Serving as Warrior co-captain, she led the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game, pouring in 424 total points after playing in all 30 games. Janet was named not only team MVP, but also Regional XI Tournament MVP following Waldorf’s second regional title in as many years with Janet on the floor. She was also named First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region XI.
“On the national stage in 1982, Janet also shined in the final games of her remarkable career. She earned honorable mentions for both the NJCAA All-Tournament Team and for the NJCAA All-American Team. Finally, she was selected to play in the NJCAA All-Star game.
“Janet also managed to find the time to be a pillar of the campus community. She was named to the homecoming court in the fall of 1981 and was also selected to serve as a resident assistant in her sophomore year.
“While the Waldorf women’s basketball program was blessed with success over a long period of time, it would be impossible to tell the story of the program without telling the story of this distinguished alum.
“With great pleasure, I now induct the newest member of the Waldorf Athletics Hall of Fame: from the Class of 1982, Mrs. Janet Kundrat O’Neill.”
