Megan Draper '01 graduated from Ripon College as the all-time leader for career points in Ripon women's track & field history, as her 735 points were nearly 200 more than the next-highest total. Named Ripon's Most Valuable Performer in all four of her years with the Red Hawks, Draper is a two-time conference champion, achieving that feat in the 1999 outdoor long jump and 2000 indoor triple jump. Inducted into Ripon's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012, Draper was a provisional qualifier for Nationals twice, competing at the NCAA Division-III National Championships once (2000 outdoor long jump).

"Megan was the ultimate competitor and was all business each time she stepped on the runway to jump," former Ripon Track & Field Head Coach Robert Duley said. "Qualifying for Nationals in the long jump was certainly a highlight of her career, but she also became a versatile and complete student-athlete when we started entering her in the short sprints and relay events."

A native of Wausau, Wis., Draper's career began to take off during her sophomore season, which saw her win the first conference championship of her career, doing so in the outdoor long jump with a mark of 17-08. That helped her take home Midwest Conference Most Outstanding Field Event Performer honors, which followed an indoor season in which she became a provisional National qualifier, but did not compete at Nationals that season.

The following year, Draper won her second conference championship, doing so in the triple jump at the 2000 MWC Indoor Championships with a leap of 34-06.50. Later that year, Draper again provisionally qualified for Nationals, this time in the outdoor long jump. She would compete in that event at the D-III National Championships that season, hosted by North Central College in Naperville, Ill.

"Ripon College came into my focus because of athletics and choosing to attend the school was one of the best decisions of my life. As a first generation college student, the individual attention and education I received, as well as being surrounded by highly influential professors, peers, coaches, and teammates, opened my eyes to opportunities and insights into myself that I fear I would have otherwise missed," Draper said. "I learned to reach beyond my perceived limitations and "level up" in all areas of life. For that, I am forever grateful to Ripon College for the opportunity to compete as a student-athlete. It truly was, is, and will always be a great day to be a Red Hawk!"

Accompanying Draper to her lone appearance at Nationals was Coach Duley, who supported her athletic and educational endeavors from the second Draper stepped foot on campus.

"Coach Duley was incredibly dedicated to Ripon's track & field program. I don't mean "I'll work really hard" dedicated - he literally never stopped. If you were to add up all the miles ran by the entire team at the end of a meet, Coach Duley ran more! He coached every event well and was interested in recruiting good athletes and good people, while being committed to the overall mission of the college," Draper said. "More than that, Coach Duley loved with all his heart and treated his student-athletes like members of his family. He spent time to get to know us and what motivated us, while protecting and lifting us to levels that we didn't think were possible. He gave everything he had and asked only for our best. Coach Duley was an amazing coach and an even better person who inspires me to this day."

Duley wasn't the only person that inspired Draper during her four years at Ripon College. Her teammates and other classmates also played a role in motivating her, while pushing her to be her best.

"The memory that stands out in my mind from my track & field days is the inspiration and motivation I felt when other student-athletes and classmates rallied at a home meet to cheer on the individual events," Draper recalled. "Track doesn't usually attract large crowds, but that day football players, cheerleaders, and nearly the entire men's basketball team all showed up at Ingalls Field. That was the day I achieved what would be a career best in my favorite event, the long jump. That hype and support exemplifies what the Ripon experience is all about."

After graduating from Ripon, Draper went on to earn her degree from the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, before completing a residency in pediatric eye care at SUNY State College of Optometry in New York City. It was there that she met her partner Rich. The couple have been together for 16 years and both serve as optometrists in Madison, Wis. Although the triple and long jump are no longer part of her athletic endeavors, Megan and Rich recently hiked the John Muir Trail in California and ran 39 miles of the Zion Traverse, a trail across Zion National Park, which is located in Utah.


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