Jenny Koeppel

Jennifer Koeppel-Keenan
2001 Recipient of Amherst Central High School's Angela Coniglio Memorial Scholarship

In April 2001, Angela's mom and I finally got the courage to scatter some of her ashes at Amherst Central High School. The new running track was being built, and Angela is now part of the track. Fittingly, a month later Jennifer Koeppel, a track all-star, was named as the recipient of the Amherst scholarship in Angela's memory. An excellent student as well as an outstanding, three-season athlete, Jennifer attended the University of Buffalo on a Division One athletic scholarship.

After receiving her scholarship, Jennifer sent us this note:

SPORTS
9/22/2004
.

COLLEGES /By AMY MORITZ
*UB's Koeppel sprints ahead of her peers*
	In some ways, Jenny Koeppel didn't expect this. While the senior from Amherst has been a talented runner throughout high school and during her career at the University at Buffalo, she's still a bit reserved about her recent string of successes. Koeppel has won individual titles in the first two cross country meets of the season. She kicked off the season with a win at the Tommy Evans Invitational in Akron, Ohio, and then took the title again this past weekend, winning the Central Collegiate Invitational. "It's been very exciting but not quite what I expected, I guess," Koeppel said. "It was kind of shocking because I've been working for it for so long. . . . Thinking back when I first came to UB, I felt like I was running against all these girls who were so amazing. In the back of your mind you think that maybe someday you'll be there. But when you get up there, you don't take it for granted. There's always going to be someone that's better than you. It's just exciting to be able to run against tough girls." Now, Koeppel has established herself as one of those tough girls. Last year, she finished ninth at the Mid-American Conference meet and was a second team All-MAC selection. During the spring outdoor season she became UB's first track event champion, winning the MAC title in the 10,000-meter race. She went on to qualify for the NCAA Regionals in the 5,000 meters.
John Hickey/Buffalo News Jenny Koeppel traces her success as a runner to training.
Her story is based on the success of training. Koeppel competes in three seasons - cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring. Her freshman season was cut short with a stress fracture that kept her out during the spring. Her sophomore season didn't produce spectacular results, but she was consistent through three seasons, setting a solid foundation of training. Then came the breakthrough junior season, the success and the accolades. "The main difference for Jenny, and with any athlete, is that once you're able to have a consistent base and consistent training, you're going to perform well," said UB coach Vicki Mitchell. "It takes a talented athlete, a focused athlete and a determined athlete to persevere through little setbacks and little injuries. Jenny has all those qualities and she's excited about what she's doing." While Koeppel is taking the individual awards, the Bulls are having a breakout year, too. The women have won the team scoring in both meets this season and this past weekend placed four runners among the top 20. Along with Koeppel, junior Jen Jezorski turned in a strong performance with a fourth-place finish while freshman Aleksandra Bykowska was 15th and junior Kelli O'Brien placed 17th. "One of the main differences for us this year is we have a couple of additional women on our team that are really contributing," Mitchell said. "Our goal is that as they develop individually our whole team is gradually shifting up. I can look over the last five years and see that trend with the athletes."
.

SPORTS
11/17/2004
.

COLLEGES /By AMY MORITZ
*Koeppel's call was worth the wait*
John Hickey/Buffalo News *Jenny Koeppel will become the first UB woman to run in the NCAA Division I championships.*	The race was great. The wait was excruciating. After placing an impressive ninth at the Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Amherst native and University at Buffalo senior Jenny Koeppel had to wait until late Sunday to learn if she would qualify for nationals. When the call finally came, Koeppel learned she had indeed received an at-large bid to the 2004 NCAA Women's Cross Country National Championship on Monday at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind. "Oh, it's hit me," Koeppel said. "I'm so excited. It was very nerve-racking after the race and the next day. . . . I was waiting on the edge thinking, "Am I going to make it? Am I going to make it?' But hard work paid off."
The hard work for this season dates back to the summer, when she started her preseason workouts. The training helped her turn in one of the best women's cross country seasons in UB Division I history. In her eight meets of the fall, she placed first in four of them and second in one. "It's always been an ultimate goal," she said. "You always think, "I want to go to nationals. That would be amazing.' But really throughout the season you just look at each race. Each race is a challenge in itself, and you have to get geared up for that." First, she geared up for the Mid-American Conference Championships, where she won the title by completing the 5K Ottawa Park Golf Course in Toledo, Ohio, in 17:51.7. That set her up for this past weekend's regional race at a muddy, wet and cold course at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. "Van Cortlandt is a challenging course, and it's always been a big mental block for me," Koeppel said. "It's always been one of the toughest courses that I've run. Going in there, I had to get over that big mental block." Koeppel is the first UB woman and third Bulls runner to compete in the NCAA Division I Championship. Jeremie Slick ran in 2001, finishing 91st overall. Ed Fuchs ran in three championship races from 1968 to '70 in what was known as the NCAA's University Division, the forerunner of today's Division I classification. The Bulls did send women's runners to the NCAA Division III Championships during the 1980s, with the best finish coming in 1985 when Margaret Gehring finished 15th overall to gain All-American status.

SPORTS
2/4/2005
.

.Around & about

University at Buffalo distance runner Jenny Koeppel (Amherst) was named the Mid-American Conference Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Week. The senior broke her school record in the 5,000 meters Saturday at the Penn State National Meet in University Park, Pa., with a time of 16 minutes, 55.18 seconds.

December 9, 2023: More than two decades after receiving Amherst Central High School's Angela Coniglio Memorial Scholarship, Jennifer is still competing at a high level, here at the USA Track and Field Masters Championships.