UWEC Athletics Hall of Fame
Janel Kempen played on the first Blugold women's basketball team to advance to NCAA post-season play and at the time of her induction still ranked among the top seven Blugolds in career scoring, rebounding and assists. Kempen played the final season under legendary coach Sandy Schumacher, one year for interim coach Lisa Herb and for the first season of current coach Lisa Stone. She earned team MVP honors as a sophomore, was the team Best Defense and Blue Collar award winner as a junior and captured the team Hustle Award and Blugold Award as a senior when she was also named to the All-Conference First Team. The Blugolds were 24-4 during her senior season and advanced to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament. West was named to the All-Great Lakes Regional Team that year as the Blugolds beat Alma, Michigan and UW-River Falls in the first two games of the tournament. A three-year team captain who played 100 career games, Kempen scored 1,138 points with 693 rebounds and 291 assists. She was a member of the third class of Super Six winners in 1989. After graduating from UWEC in 1990, she coached one year at Osseo-Fairchild High School where she achieved a 14-9 season record. She returned to UWEC in 1991 to pursue her master's degree and served as Lisa Stone's assistant for two years while completing her degree. At the time of her induction, she had taught and coached for three years at New Auburn High School where she produced a 40-23 record and guided the girls team to its first conference championship in school history. At the time of her induction, she and her husband Loren were parents of one child.
