Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Athletics inducted sprinter and Scripps College alumna Jennifer Culley ’98 into the Hall of Fame during their annual Hall of Fame Dinner in November. CMS announced Culley as a 2012 inductee this summer alongside women’s basketball coach Jodie Burton, Roberto Munoz CMC ’76, and Tyler Laughery CMC ’97.
“The whole thing was quite a humbling experience,” said Culley, who currently resides in England but flew back to Claremont for the ceremony. She remembered fondly the support she received from professors and students during her athletic career and enjoyed seeing the changes around campus. Though she no longer runs competitively, Culley still keeps in contact with her former teammates and still feels passionately about the positive impact of sports on both life and the college experience.
Culley majored in economics and dance and was an extremely accomplished student-athlete. After joining the track and field team mid-season during her freshman year, she became a six-time All-American, a nineteen-time all-SCIAC selection, and CMS team captain and MVP in 1997 and 1998.
Her performances at the national level were equally outstanding, with a win in the 400 meter title at the NCAA Championships in 1998 and second place in the 200 meter race in 1997. Culley also took fifth place on the CMS 4×100 relay team in 1997 and fifth as part of the 4×400 relay team in 1998; her winning time in the 400 (54.11s) remains Division III’s fifth-best time, and she still holds both the SCIAC and CMS records.
“What I do love about the American system of education,” she said, “is the ability to pursue several different interests simultaneously. Don’t limit yourself and don’t let anybody limit you.”