A heralded recruit when she arrived from her native Germany, Mandy Kaempf [2003-06] wasted little time proving she was an elite skier at the college level, finishing runner-up at the 2003 NCAA Championships in the 5-kilometer classical race. By the time she was done, Kaempf would leave as the undisputed top collegiate Nordic racer in the nation and one the best all-around athletes in UAA history, excelling in cross country and track & field as well.
And while she was among the fastest on the track and running trails, Kaempf was absolutely dominant on the snow, adding two more NCAA runner-up finishes, along with two conference titles and five individual wins in her 2004 ski campaign. As a senior in 2005, she would reach the pinnacle of her sport, sweeping the NCAA national titles in the 5K classical and 15K freestyle and winning a second straight RMISA classical crown. Although limited to three years of eligibility in skiing, Kaempf suited up for four straight cross country campaigns, emerging as the Seawolves’ No. 1 or 2 runner and earning All-GNAC honors every season.
As a sophomore and junior she placed among the top 50 at the national meet, helping UAA to its first two team appearances at the NCAA Championships, including a 12th-place finish in 2005. She placed third at the GNAC Championships as a junior and was runner-up as a senior, helping UAA to three straight second-place finishes.
In the spring of 2006, Kaempf turned her skills to the track, where she became just the second Seawolf woman to earn All-America honors in that sport, placing seventh in the 5,000 meters at the NCAAs. She was also the GNAC outdoor champion in the 5,000 and recorded the league’s second-best time in the 10,000 meters. At the end of eight competitive seasons, Kaempf’s six All-America awards stood as the second-most in UAA history, and she is still the only person to earn the honor in both skiing and track & field.
Her other major awards as a Seawolf included the 2004-05 Bill MacKay Athlete of the Year, the 2006-07 GNAC Woman of the Year, and the 2005-06 Dresser Cup – the athletic department’s highest academic honor. Still one of only six two-time Academic All-Americans at UAA, she graduated magna cum laude in Dec. 2006, carrying a 3.87 GPA as a double-major in sociology and history. Kaempf stayed with the Seawolves as an assistant Nordic ski coach until 2011, when she earned her master’s in project management from UAA’s School of Engineering.
An avid and active traveler, she works today as a senior management consultant for a major European IT consulting company in Munich, Germany.
