Callista DeCramer '21 is arguably the most decorated track & field student-athlete in Ripon College history. The only five-time National qualifier in program history, DeCramer currently holds eight school records, including three relays. An All-Region performer in both the Heptathlon (2019) and Javelin (2021), DeCramer was named Midwest Conference Performer of the Week seven times during her storied career and earned her first and only All-American status in 2020.

"In the 100+ year history of a program, there are athletes that come around that can transcend the level of the team, and Callista will forever go down as one of those athletes. That's not just focusing on the amount of school records or track accomplishments, but as someone who shows that you can literally do anything you commit yourself to," Ripon Head Track & Field Coach Bob Wood said. "She came in as a very talented athlete (State Qualifier in high school), but was not automatically at a national qualifying level her freshman year. She set her goals to be a versatile team-first athlete and qualify for the NCAA championships and never looked back."

Not only was DeCramer extremely successful on the track, but she also performed exceptionally well in the classroom, earning Academic All-Conference honors during all five of her years at Ripon College. She is also a three-time National All-Academic performer.

"My athletics experience at Ripon College means everything to me and will help me tremendously with the coaching career that I am pursuing," DeCramer said. "The connections I made with teammates and even opponents, and the invaluable life lessons I gained, are all products of the unforgettable experience I was privileged to have at Ripon College."

DeCramer holds individual school records in the indoor 60m Hurdles (9.15), indoor Triple Jump (38-02.75), indoor Pentathlon (3,499), outdoor 100m Hurdles (15.17), and outdoor Heptathlon (4,607). She also ran a leg on Ripon's school relay records in the indoor 4x200 (1:44.35), indoor 4x400 (4:04.75), and outdoor 4x100 (48.77).

"My favorite memory I have of my career by far is being a part of the relay team that won both the 4x2 and the 4x4 relays at the 2020 MWC Indoor Championships," DeCramer said. "Although I enjoyed competing in individual events, the thrill and comradeship of competing alongside my three talented teammates, Briana Bartz Petersen, Emma Karpinski Spaulding, and Camrie Schmitz was unmatched."

After failing to reach Nationals in each of her first two seasons, DeCramer more than made up for that as a junior in 2019, qualifying for Nationals in the indoor Pentathlon and Triple Jump and in the Outdoor Heptathlon. She followed that up by qualifying for the pentathlon during the 2020 COVID-shortened season, before capping her career off by qualifying for Nationals in the Outdoor Heptathlon in 2021, in which she received a waiver from the NCAA due to COVID, to compete in a fifth season.

"From the first week of practice my freshman year, Coach Wood saw my potential in the multi-events. Without his knowledge and guidance, I never could have achieved any of the athletic or academic successes I enjoyed during my college career. Not only did he support me as a student-athlete, but he taught me lessons that helped and continues to help me in all areas of my life," DeCramer said. "Coach Wood is a truly transformational coach who cares about his team not just as athletes, but as people. As I begin my own coaching career and further my coaching knowledge throughout a masters program, I can only hope to become as influential for my student-athletes as Coach Wood was for me."

DeCramer currently lives in Yuma, Arizona with her boyfriend Armando Mosqueda, who played four years of football at Ripon College. She currently teaches Physical Education at Fourth Avenue Junior High, while continuing her Masters of Science in Coaching and Exercise Science at Concordia. DeCramer was recently hired as the Head Track & Field Coach at Kofa High School, a Division-I program in Yuma, with her first season as coach beginning in 2022.

"Callista's story is an inspiration to every student-athlete that comes into the program that it's possible to reach the peak of our sport if you're willing to fully commit to improving," Wood said. "It was inspirational to coach an athlete with that level of determination and commitment to their craft. She was always a great leader by example and really grew into a vocal leader with her passion for being a teammate and love of the sport, which will have a ripple effect throughout the program for years to come."


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