While Christopher Newport looks forward to the return of intercollegiate competitions, our friends at TowneBank are partnering with CNUsports.com to spend some time throughout the fall semester looking back at a few of the more memorable moments in the storied history of the athletic department. Over the course of the next three months, the Captains will honor the anniversary of three dozen record-setting accomplishments, championship-clinching victories, and other historic events in order to celebrate the past while preparing for even more great moments in the future.

AT A GLANCE
Helping punctuate an inspirational career, Karen Humphrey earned a bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships after placing eighth at the regional meet on November 14, 1987. Capitalizing on a fantastic push over the final mile at Newport News Park, the senior star equaled the program record with a time of 18:43 during the 5k race. That effort not only established a new personal best for the longtime Captain, but it also added another chapter to an impressive life story.
 
BACKSTORY
Karen Humphrey was born with scoliosis, which produced a 60-degree twist in her spine. At a young age, she was told she needed a brace that would impede her athletic pursuits. She opted to run. When she was told that the issue affected her lung capacity, putting her at a significant disadvantage against distance runners. She opted to run. Farther.
 
Shortly after she arrived at Christopher Newport in 1983, Humphrey began suffering from stress fractures due to her constant training. So she modified her workouts. And continued running.
 
In this world, there are people who run, and there are runners. Karen Humphrey was the latter. Running wasn't just something she did. It was a part of who she was. And nothing - not scoliosis, not stress fractures, not doctors' orders - could slow her down.
 
By the time her senior campaign rolled around, Humphrey was unquestionably the most accomplished distance runner in Christopher Newport history. In cross country, she was an All-Region performer who already owned four of the program's top-six times in the 5k. In track & field, she was a two-time national qualifier and boasted 11 program records ranging from the 800 to the 10,000.
 
But one thing was missing from her résumé.
 
For years, Humphrey continued searching for an elusive bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. As a freshman, she placed 16th at the regional meet, missing the national competition by eight spots. As a junior, she placed 11th, missing by three.
 
With one final opportunity to earn a spot among the top cross country runners in the nation, she had no interest in coming up short again. Considering the obstacles Humphrey overcame just to reach the starting line at the 1987 Regional Championships, the five kilometers standing between her and the finish line seemed quaint by comparison.
 
MEET RECAP
After toeing the line at the start of the 5k race at Newport News Park, Humphrey took off like a shot. Keeping pace with the front of the field over the first mile, she was in a strong position during the opening third of the race. But in the middle portion, she slipped back a few spots. As the final mile approached, she was sitting 13th, five spots shy of a berth in the national meet.
 
Tracking his top runner, head coach Vince Brown appeared on the side of the course and provided some encouragement.
 
"It's now or never," shouted Brown. "Karen, you've got to do it now!"
 
One mile to go. Five runners to pass.
 
Digging deep over the final stretch, Humphrey made her move. One by one, she picked off the runners in front of her. Writing her own storybook ending, the senior climbed into eighth-place during the closing stretch. Holding onto the spot at the finish line, she earned the last bid to the NCAA Championships with a time of 18:43.
 
Not only did her clocking establish a new personal best, but it also equaled the fastest 5k time in the history of the Christopher Newport cross country program.
 
POSTSCRIPT
One week after clinching a bid to the national meet, Humphrey took part in the NCAA Championships at Hope College. She placed 98th in the country.
 
For her historic 1987 campaign, Karen Humphrey earned her 12th varsity letter at Christopher Newport. A four-year recipient in cross country as well as indoor and outdoor track & field, she became the first 12-time letter-winner in school history. But, if you think that's where her story ends, you haven't paid attention. Humphrey never stopped.
 
In the spring, she joined the softball team, earning nine starts as an outfielder while receiving an unprecedented 13th varsity letter.
 
As Vince Brown perfectly put it in an interview with the Daily Press in 1987, "She's accomplished everything with hard work. Any athlete can do it, but she was willing to do it."
 
At the time of her graduation, Humphrey was the only female in Christopher Newport history to represent the Captains at both the NCAA Cross Country and Track & Field Championships. To this day, she still ranks third in program history in the 5k and indoor 800.
 
For her historic career, Humphrey was enshrined in the Christopher Newport Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994, becoming the first women's distance runner to earn the honor.
 
For a full listing of the fall 2020 features published to date, click here.
---ISH---