Karen Richter – Class of 1987A lot can be gleaned from the excited chorus of a person’s fan club; Karen Richter’s cheering section is large, loud, and immensely proud. From the halls of Auburn Athletics, to the fields of the University of Central Florida, to the hometown neighborhoods of Naperville Central classmates, to the intimate walls of her family home, Karen’s fans are eager to sing her praises – and rightfully so. Karen Richter was, and continues to be, an integral force in women’s athletics. Richter first made her mark as an eager Redskin, earning seven varsity letters in three sports. She loved life on the basketball court, working steadily to improve her skills. She credits then freshman basketball coach Andy Nussbaum with seeing the best in her, saying, “He cared about us and wanted us to succeed. When I made the freshman basketball team, which I was thrilled to make, he told me I was #15 of 16 but he saw potential. I was pulled up to varsity by the end of my sophomore year and became a full-time varsity starter my junior and senior year. He was a very positive influence.” As a junior, Richter was named the Most Improved Player on a varsity squad that finished second in conference and won the Regional championship. In her senior year, she was named team captain, leading the way as the team’s top rebounder and earning recognition as a Daily Journal All Area Athlete Honorable Mention.As winter changed to spring each year, Richter happily followed Nussbaum from the basketball gym to the softball diamond, where she earned three varsity letters and was named an All-Conference Team selection as a senior. Most notably, she was named the Red and White Award winner in her final season, a testament to her leadership, heart and pure example. While talented in many areas, it was on the soccer field that Richter created a definitive name for herself, earning JV MVP honors as a freshman, Red and White honors as a sophomore, and varsity MVP status as a junior, leading her team to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. As a senior, a season shift forced her to choose between soccer and softball. She chose to continue her NCHS career as a spring softball player, playing club soccer in the fall of 1986. That year, she became Naperville Central’s first female All-American, selected by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and was also named to the Youth US Soccer National Team. She was a two-time participant in the US Olympic Festival and earned a soccer scholarship to the University of Central Florida, where she would go on to have a storied athletic career. As she looks back on her years as a Naperville Central Redskin, Richter is thankful for many opportunities and relationships. She advises current student-athletes to “embrace the journey of playing high school sports. You will miss the friends, the bus rides, the practices and getting to put on that jersey representing your high school, so make the most of it all now. Don’t get caught up in the superficial side of high school and be proud of who you are.” Richter has certainly lived her own advice, fully embracing life beyond competition and seriously tackling her studies. She remembers, “Senior year homecoming was a blast. We had a great group of friends who went together. Mrs. [Hazel] Carpenter, my senior year English teacher, was really tough but I learned so much from her. Her class helped me in college more than any other. And most importantly, I would not have met my husband, Scott Hoppa, class of 1989, had I not gone to NCHS!” Richter graduated Naperville Central with much to celebrate, including the Presidential Academic Fitness Award, recognition as an Illinois State Scholar and National Honor Society member, and the peer-voted honor of Female Athlete of the Year for the class of 1987. As a University of Central Florida Knight, Richter staked her claim as one of the greatest goalkeepers in UCF and NCAA history. A three-year starter from 1987-90, Richter allowed just 30 goals (0.594) in 48 career games, leading her squads to a 43-13-7 record during her tenure. Over her four years, Central Florida made two NCAA appearances, advancing to the Final Four in 1987 and the quarterfinals in 1988. Her 30 goals allowed, 0.594 goals against average, and 30.5 shutouts are still UCF career records. As a senior, Richter was named the 1990 Adidas/ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year, the NCAA Goalkeeper of the Year and was a finalist for the Hermann Award. As a junior, she was named to the 1989 Soccer America MVP Team after leading Central Florida to an 11-1-2 record. In 14 games, her team posted 11 shutouts and allowed just four goals all season. As committed to life off the field as on it, Richter was twice recognized as an Adidas/ISAA Scholar-Athlete. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Psychology and was named to the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000. Richter’s contributions to the UCF soccer program didn’t end with her playing days. She became the youngest Division 1 head coach in the NCAA at the time of her hire by the University of Central Florida soccer program in 1993. Over the course of six seasons with the Knights, she led her teams to five conference titles and was named the TAAC Coach of the Year in 1998. In 1999 she became the head women’s soccer coach at Auburn University, transforming Tiger soccer forever. Throughout her tenure at Auburn’s helm, she has taken her teams to 16 consecutive NCAA tournaments, winning 2 SEC championships, seven SEC West Conference championships, and an appearance at the 2016 NCAA Elite Eight, all while maintaining one of the highest team GPAs on the Auburn campus, collecting a NSCAA Team Academic Award for 13 consecutive seasons. Richter was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 2002, is the longest tenured coach in the SEC West, and is in the Top 35 in active coaches for total wins – 11 away from 300. Karen Richter’s achievements as a player and coach are impressive, she counts life with husband, Scott Hoppa and daughter, Bailey, as her richest blessing. For all of the accolades rightfully bestowed by fans, teammates, players and alumni of each of her schools, near and far, it’s their cheers that mean the most to this incredible force of a woman.