On the bus ride home from the NCAA Cross Country Championship last season, coach Marc Burns took then-junior Jamie Kempfer aside.
“I told her, ‘Look, you just did something that was really special today,’” he said. “‘You’re an All-American. But you’re gonna get overshadowed. I want you to know how proud I am of you.’”
Burns was referring to then-junior Karissa Schweizer’s unexpected NCAA Championship win that same day. But Kempfer simply said, “It’s OK; I’m fine. I don’t need the spotlight.”
With both Kempfer and Schweizer entering their senior years, the pair is now the crux of the women’s team.