Update Friday AM:
The North Dakota Highway Patrol has now confirmed that former UND basketball standout Katie Richards was the individual killed in a single vehicle crash west of Reynolds (ND) on Thursday.
Richards’ vehicle ran off the road…vaulted…and rolled on its side near County Road 13 and County 25 shortly after midnight.
The 45-year-old native of Hope (ND) was the Director of Student Success and Support Services at Mayville State University.
Richards was a UND guard from 1996 to 2000, playing on three consecutive national Division-Two championship teams in her first three years.
Richards was formerly a head coach and later assistant coach for the Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg High School boys basketball team.
UND issued a statement Thursday that Richards had died unexpectedly.
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(UND Athletics release:)
North Dakota Athletics mourns the loss of former North Dakota women’s basketball standout Katie Richards, who passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, Nov. 2. She was 45.
“We are all devastated and heartbroken to hear the news about Katie,” said UND Athletics Director Bill Chaves. “She was one of the most influential alums we have had at UND and her legacy will live on forever.”
Richards is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to put on the basketball uniform at North Dakota, helping the Fighting Sioux reach four NCAA Tournaments, win two North Central Conference crowns and win three straight national championships during her four years (1996-00).
Following a standout prep career where she was named Miss Basketball North Dakota, Richards played in 123 games with UND and dominated on both ends of the floor. The Hope, N.D., native finished with 1,512 points and 769 rebounds over her career to earn All-NCC honors in her junior and senior years.
In her junior campaign, Richards exploded for a career-best 18.0 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game to earn Daktronics All-North Central Region Second Team honors and was named an All-American Honorable Mention by the WBCA as part of a Sioux team that finished 31-1 and captured their third national crown.
“The news of Katie’s passing is absolutely devastating,” said UND women’s basketball head coach Mallory Bernhard. “She was not only just one of the greats of our program, but so much more. She was a great teammate, not just to those she played with, but to with everyone that put on the North Dakota jersey. She was a great mother, dear friend and one of the most selfless people I know. Everything Katie did she did 100 percent and with all her heart.”
Most recently, Richards served on the UND Letterwinners Association and was an instructor at Mayville State.
“It’s hard to put into words the impact Katie had on this program,” said Bernhard. “Katie was always someone I could go to for support and knew I was going to get her honest opinion both as an alum and real friend. I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and know Katie and her family.”
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(Photo: Mayville State University)