Michael and Cindy Richartz always encouraged their daughter, Stephanie, to aim high.
At Carmel High School in Mundelein, she was a member of the National Honor Society and an accomplished athlete who became a state finalist in the pole vault.
Originally a walk-on at the University of Illinois, Richartz studied industrial engineering and earned an international study scholarship, but she was best known for her accomplishments in track and field. She steadily improved her vaulting skills, going from 11 feet, 6 inches as a prep athlete to 13-1 as a college freshman in 2011.
Richartz increased her height to 14-2 as a sophomore, becoming UI's first Big Ten pole vault champion.