Education
Carol Menken orn in Albany, Oregon, She attended and graduated Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Oregon, a small community located in Marion County.
Carol Menken orn in Albany, Oregon, She attended and graduated Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Oregon, a small community located in Marion County.
Menken-Schaudt later played basketball professionally for eight seasons, including six years in Italy and two in Japan. Menken-Schaudt is a 1993 inductee into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. Collegiate career
During her time at the small school Menken was unable to play high school basketball every year as a coach was not always available.
Consequently, following her graduation in 1975 Menken was unrecruited and she enrolled on her own at the local Linn-Benton Community College, majoring in graphic arts
Menken was enticed to try out for the Linn-Benton women"s basketball team and she became one of just 7 players on the club She approached Oregon State University (Ohio State University) about the possibility of playing collegiately and received a partial scholarship, joining the team for its 1979-1980 season.
The raw young player became a special project for Ohio State University head coach Aki Hill, who helped Menken develop her fundamental skills, including a solid back-to-the-basket game in the low post and smooth turnaround jump shot. Menken"s work paid off and she was named a 1981 All-American following her senior year, 1980-1981, during which she lead the nation in field goal percentage at.750.
Menken still holds Oregon State"s career records for points (2,243), rebounds (901), and field goal percentage (692).
She registered double-doubles for points and rebounds in 55 collegiate games and recorded a career scoring high of 51 points. Menken married in 1982, thereafter hyphenating her surname as Menken-Schaudt. United States of America basketball
Menken-Schaudt was chosen to represent the United States of America on the United States of America Basketball team at the 1981 World University games, held in Bucharest, Romania and coached by Kay Yow.
After winning the opening game, the United States of America was challenged by China, who held a halftime lead.
The United States of America beat host team Romania, behind 23 points from Menken-Schaudt, to set up a match with undefeated Russia for the gold medal. Menken-Schaudt averaged 10.4 points per game.
Menken-Schaudt played on the 1983 World University Games team, coached by Jill Hutchison. In 1984, the United States of America sent its National team to the 1984 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan, for pre-Olympic practice.
The team easily beat each of the eight teams they played, winning by an average of just under 50 points per game.
Menken-Schaudt averaged 4.1 points per game. Professional career
Following graduation, Menken-Schaudt played professionally for eight years, logging six seasons in Italy and two more in Japan. She credits playing professionally with helping to extend her playing days, thereby allowing her the opportunity to make the gold medal-winning 1984 American Olympic team
Legacy
Carol Menken-Schaudt was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
The couple"s two children have both went into sports coaching as a profession.