Kate Wimmer Banner '95 was a two-sport student-athlete at Ripon College, competing in volleyball and becoming a three-time conference champion for Ripon's swim team where one of her school records still stands, nearly 30 years after her graduation. She was inducted into Ripon's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
Banner originally came to Ripon to play volleyball for legendary Head Coach Elaine Coll, but she would leave the school as arguably the greatest distance swimmer in school history. No matter the sport, Banner's competitive spirit always shone through.
"Kate decided to try swimming to keep in shape during volleyball's offseason, but she found out that she loved it and her coach Jim Leslie taught her to swim even splits," Coll recalled at Banner's Hall of Fame induction. "At Beloit during her freshman year, she was swimming the mile which is 66 laps, and was trying to do her even splits when another swimmer lapped her. Kate started to think about that and decided that she'd had enough and won the event by two lengths. That launched her on a very successful swimming career."
Banner continued to excel during her freshman season, which culminated in her setting a conference record in the 1650 Freestyle at the 1992 Midwest Conference Championships, winning the event with a time of 19:02.06. She also finished second at that meet in the 500 Freestyle with a time of 5:30.88, which was less than one second shy of the winning time.
Banner produced quite an encore the following season as a sophomore when she repeated as conference champion in the 1650, winning the event by 47 seconds with a time of 18:32.04, which broke her own school record by 30 seconds. She added a third conference championship to her resume that season, winning the 500 by three seconds with a time of 5:30.05, which also set a new conference record, both of which have since been broken. Her time in the 1650 also established a new school record, which still stands today, 28 years after that performance. She would add a second-place finish in the 200 Freestyle during that meet with a time of 2:03.02, which was less than four seconds behind the top time.
"When I speak with Alumni about Kate, they always mention her free spirit and larger than life personality. She brought an energy to the sport that is hard to find," current Ripon Head Swimming Coach
Ryan Goggans said. "Distance swimming is a grueling sport and takes an extraordinary amount of toughness, hard work, and discipline. I'm confident that these qualities helped make Kate the record-setting student-athlete that she became."
One year later, her conference record was topped in the 1650, as she finished second in the event with a time of 19:09.70. She added a third-place finish in the 500 at the 1994 MWC Championships with a time of 5:30.69. At the time of her graduation, Banner also held a school record in the 1000 Freestyle (11:12.51), which has since been broken.
"Coach Leslie had a neat perspective on practices that brought mental engagement and peak performance to the pool, and I loved every second of it," Banner said. "I'm grateful for everyone who contributed to my Ripon College experience. I've always felt that if you can't be happy at Ripon, then you can't be happy anywhere."
Coach Leslie was just one influence on Banner's student-athlete experience, with Coll being the other. One of her first acquaintances at Ripon College when Banner arrived on campus shortly after her 17th birthday, Coll served as Banner's volleyball coach for her first two years, before retiring after the 1992 season.
"Coach Coll taught me so much and nurtured my experiences," Banner recalled. "I remember sitting on the bench during a match my freshman year when she jumped up reacting to a play that had just happened and said, 'Did you see that?!' I would get so excited thinking, 'If I get off this bench, I'm going to crush the ball through the floor!"
In four years on the volleyball court, Banner compiled 390 kills, 356 digs, 91 total blocks, 51 service aces, and 42 assists. As a junior, she recorded 48 aces, which was the third-highest single season total in program history at the time, and still ranks seventh.
"Kate was a force in volleyball and she brought great technique and boundless energy as a Right Side hitter," Coll said. "She inspired the entire team with the energy she brought to our competitions."
A native of Wisconsin Dells, Banner now has a new 'team' to call her own, as she currently resides in Sun River, Montana with her husband and their five children. The couple operates Sun River Horse and Cattle Company, while Kate also works as a fitness instructor at a local health club, often teaching aqua aerobics to seniors.
"My husband is the coach, I'm the captain, and I have five MVP players who never weaken and never give up," Banner said during her Hall of Fame induction. "I'm so proud of my current team."
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