All Big Sky Conference Track and Field Athlete, Boise State 1987-91
Inducted into the Boise State Hall of Fame in 2001
Kathy Karpel is one of the greatest distance runners in Boise State history. Three times she won Big Sky Conference individual championships and as a member of the 4 x 800-meter relay team which won the 1990 Indoor Championship. Karpel also excelled away from the track in cross-country. She finished among the top five at the 1988, 1989 and 1990 Big Sky Conference Championships, including a runner-up finish in 1990. In 1989 and 1990 Karpel became the first member of the Boise State women’s cross-country team to qualify for the NCAA National Championships. At the time of her induction, Karpel held the second best time in school history at 3,000 meters (9:38.57 in 1990). Karpel’s only team championship came in 1988 when she helped the Broncos to the 1988 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championship. In 1992 Karpel received her final conference award when she was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Decade Team. Karpel graduated from Boise State with a degree in Biology.