Minnesota North College – Rainy River Campus is proud to celebrate its first-ever Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, #15, Destiny Piekarski. 

A native of Littlefork, Minnesota, Destiny’s passion for basketball started early. She began playing in 6th grade and earned a spot on the varsity team by 8th grade. By her junior year, she had achieved the impressive milestone of 1,000 career points. 

In her senior year, Destiny committed to Chaminade University of Honolulu in Hawaii to continue her basketball journey. Unfortunately, a season-ending injury cut her first semester short. 

“I tore my ACL and meniscus, so I left before spring semester and came home for surgery. My doctors weren’t sure if I could return to basketball because my recovery wasn’t progressing as quickly as expected,” Piekarski shared. 

At one point, Destiny considered giving up the game, but Rainy River’s head women’s basketball coach, Josh Koenig, reached out with an opportunity. He encouraged her to join the Voyageurs for a recovery year. 

“I realized I wasn’t ready to walk away from the game I’ve loved my whole life. It gave me a second chance to keep playing while staying closer to home with the people I love.” 

Her recovery picked up speed, and just eight months after surgery, Destiny was back on the court. 

In the 2023-2024 season with the Voyageurs, Destiny played both shooting guard and small forward, averaging 24.9 points per game. She shot 44.8% from the field, 28.6% from three-point range, and 77.9% from the free-throw line, and averaged a double-double all season. Her stellar performance earned her first-team All-America honors. Destiny graduated in May 2024 with an Associate of Arts degree and is currently pursuing both a coaching certificate and an Associate of Science in Exercise Science. 

Her jersey number, #15, has been a part of her identity since her first competitive basketball game. 

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Knoxville, Tennessee, celebrates the achievements of outstanding players and coaches from across the nation, and Destiny Piekarski’s journey is now part of that legacy.