The path less taken

Mt. Vernon senior blazes trail to collegiate play
 
NCAA.org states that every year 192,000 athletes compete in Division I athletics across 350 member schools on 6,700 athletic teams. Each and every one of those 192,000 has a different route to get to their dreams. However, most high school athletes have a direct path to a scholarship behind exemplary play on the field. The problem for Mt. Vernon senior and Middle Tennessee State soccer signee Kadence Krempges, she never played one MSHSAA sanctioned soccer match.
While high school soccer is growing in southwest Missouri with other surrounding schools such as Aurora and Monett each adding soccer programs in the last 10 years, Mt. Vernon still does not have one of their own.
“The way I feel when I play soccer is unlike any other sport I have played," Krempges said. "I felt comfortable and competitive about it. It felt like my sport. Like I was meant to compete in soccer from very early on. So this led to me and my parents having several very serious conversations about finding a school where I could compete in my sport. However, due to MSHSAA rules, I was unable to unless it was Springfield Catholic and I didn’t want to drive 45 minutes to school every day.”

Soccer journey begins
Krempges began her soccer journey on the fields of Lawrence County in the Lawrence County Soccer Association at the age of four. After torching the city leagues for a few years, she was contacted by the Springfield Magic and started playing club soccer. After stints with the Magic, SMSA (Southern Missouri Soccer Academy) and Demise Soccer Club, she finished her club career for Sporting Springfield where she started gaining interest from Tulsa University, and a pair of Missouri Valley schools in Indiana State University and the local Missouri State University. Yet, none of them felt like home to Kadence.

Fateful Tennessee trip
It wasn’t until a trip to visit family in Murfreesboro, Tenn. before Krempges even knew that MTSU even existed.
“We flew into Nashville and first thing off the plane, I noticed was a sign for MTSU and I’m not sure why it I noticed it," Krempges said of learning about the Blue Raiders. "I just remember thinking back on it and how amazing it was and just meant to be. I got curious so I started looking into the school and saw that they were DI and their women’s soccer program has been pretty successful and was losing a big group of seniors and even had one go to play in Spain, but didn’t give it much thought beyond thinking it’d be cool.”
Call it fate or call it coincidence, The weekend was about to make another unexpected turn.
“My two cousins are really good dancers and me, my aunt and my meemaw were going to their dance recital and guess where it happened to be. Middle Tennessee," Krempges said. "I got a chance to see the campus and walk around and we found a flyer for an ID camp they were having that weekend. This just added to craziness. Every ID camp I have ever seen was on Saturday which was the same day as the recital. Except this one was on Sunday. I remember looking up at my family and saying how crazy would it be if I came all the way out here and participated in this camp.”
Then, thanks to an impromptu equipment run to Academy Sports, she was ready to go.
After opening the eyes of the coaching staff at the camp, head coach Aston Rhoden wanted Krempges to go on a campus tour before returning to Mt. Vernon. The next day, Rhoden did some digging on the athletic profile and uncovered that despite not playing high school soccer, Krempges is a state track athlete and was nearly a state champion on the basketball court.
“Coach Rhoden was saying that he was going to have to keep the track and basketball coaches away and I just laughed it off and said no, soccer is my sport,” Krempges said.
Krempges returned home but stayed in close contact with the coaching staff and was invited to another camp MTSU was hosting a couple months later. However, Krempges had yet another obstacle to overcome ahead of the second camp.
“After I came back, I was in a car accident and injured my back and that was just a few weeks before the second camp. So, I hadn’t played since that last camp.”
Kadence was still able to compete and did enough to impress the coaching staff yet again.
“After the camp they took me and my parents into the coach’s office and told me that they had good news and bad news. I will never forget how they said this because it gave me butterflies," Krempges said. "They said that I wasn’t leaving this room without an offer but I didn’t have much time to make a decision because I was their first choice but needed to know if they needed to move on. I looked at my parents and said that I don’t need any more time, I don’t see myself anywhere else and then everyone started fist bumping.”

Celebration upon return
The reaction from the family was just as big, as Krempges was welcomed back to a decorated house and a surprise party complete with confetti cannons.
“It really felt like home," Krempges said. "They say don’t make a decision based on coaches but I get along with the girls already on the team so well and even others in the incoming class, we are already so close its like home. … The coaches were another reason because they are the kind of coaches that you want to play well for because you don’t want to let them down.”

Blue Raider class
Krempges is part of what is a very promising 2024 class for the Blue Raiders, as she joins four other signees to make Murfreesboro home for the next four years.
“It is so cool that I get to show that if you really want something you can get it," Krepmges said. "A motto of mine has always been embrace the suck. It sucks that Mt. Vernon doesn’t have soccer but I have gotten more opportunities. There’s been times where it's gotten so tough but do what makes you happy and don’t do it for others. Do it for yourself because that’s what matters.”
As Krempges prepares to take that next step in her life, she has made it a priority to not forget those who made it possible.
“My parents have been rock stars through the whole process," Krempges said. "I would not be here without them. They are my No. 1 supporters and have never missed a game. They have been a huge help to get me where I am now and I just can't thank them enough for all the sacrifices they have made so I can choose this path.”