TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Health issues can't slow Keppel down

ADVERTISEMENT

By CLIFF GILL

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 1, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - Many sports fans know that Jeanette Bolden earned a gold medal as part of the 4x100-meter relay team at the 1984 Summer Olympics. It is not widely known, however, that Bolden has had allergic asthma since childhood and uses an inhaler before any exercise.

Morgan Keppel, 17, the captain of the Land O' Lakes High cross country team, suffers from exercise-induced asthma and is allergic to grass and trees.

"I often wanted to quit, but my love of the sport kept me going," she said.

Keppel, the daughter of Gators cross country coach Kris Keppel, started running at age 4.

"I remember participating in the Flapjack 5K and the Sanders Elementary Fun Runs," she said. "Winning my age group several times inspired me to be a distance runner."

She had qualified twice for the Junior Olympics before running track in middle school.

"That was awesome, to compete on the same track as my running idol, Steve Prefontaine," Keppel said. "I was really nervous, but excited to be running against some of the best 12-year-olds in the country."

At the high school level, Keppel has been on the varsity team all four years, qualifying for the regional meet the past two years and for the state meet last year.

In addition to competing on the Gators' cross country team, Keppel is a member of the track team, specializing in the 2-mile run.

"In getting prepared, Morgan made sure the runners on the team were focused and intense," said girls track coach Rock Ridgeway. "This is invaluable for me as a coach to know there is an athlete with these kind of qualities. It gives the coach the opportunity to focus on other things and not worry so much about the distance runners."

During the winter months, Keppel is a member of the weightlifting team, qualifying for the state competition in 2008.

In the classroom, Keppel carries a 4.18 grade-point average and ranks ninth in her senior class. Her workload includes advanced placement classes in English, biology and calculus, plus honors anatomy. On the ACT college entrance examination, she scored 28, ranking in the top 10 percent in the nation.

"My older sister, Meredith, excelled in academics and was my role model," Keppel said. "When I started high school, I realized that I liked science and math and want to become involved in medicine, preferably as a physician assistant or in forensics. I have a number of health issues, and I want to relieve the suffering of others."

Many of Keppel's teachers have offered high praise for her efforts.

"Morgan is a person who sets her standards high and then works hard to attain her goals," said math teacher Linda Davies. "She does not make excuses. She has had some health problems, but she has not allowed that to be a road block.

"Last year in pre-calculus, she had a B at the start of the year. Some students would be satisfied with that grade, but not Morgan. She took the initiative and came in for help, did her homework daily and studied. The result of her hard work was an A."
Keppel volunteers for several charities. One is Relay For Life, which raises money to help cure breast cancer.

"My grandmother passed away from pancreatic cancer in April of my freshman year and Relay For Life is held in April, so it touched me on a personal level," she said. "We hold car washes and collect Coins for Cancer throughout the year."

Two other projects are Metropolitan Ministries and Toys for Tots, which provide food, presents and school supplies for underprivileged families in and around the Tampa Bay area.

"I help all I can, from loading vehicles to assisting parents selecting Christmas gifts," she said. "If we didn't help them, many children wouldn't get any presents. The look of happiness in a child's eyes makes it worthwhile."

Keppel's psychology teacher, Nancy Browning, is also a fan of Keppel's efforts in all aspects of her life.

"Morgan has learned to balance a very rigorous college preparatory academic course load, extracurricular activities, while excelling at three sports," Browning said. "She truly is the epitome of a scholar-athlete, a natural leader and the best of today's youth."

Teachers, coaches: If you would like to nominate an outstanding student-athlete to be featured in an upcoming In The Community article, contact Cliff Gill at reportercliffgill@yahoo.com or (727) 860-4903.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT