Krissy Kirkhoff has been a force of nature for IUPUI Women's Soccer since the moment she stepped on the field in 2014. As an Indianapolis native, choosing IUPUI as her collegiate home seemed like the right fit for her. Being close enough to home meant that her family could come see her play as much as possible.
 
In her 2014 season, Kirkhoff was named Freshman of the Year and First Team all-league by College Sports Madness. She led the Summit League in shot attempts, 72, and was 2 shy from tying IUPUI's single-season record. Her 9 goals that season were the most by any IUPUI player since 2009 and most by an IUPUI freshman since 2008. She recorded the fifth hat trick in school history and had a season high of 10 shots in a single game, making that the fourth-ever double-digit attempt in a game in school history.  
 
In her 2015 season, Kirkhoff completed the season with a school record of 8 assists. She had 32 points, which was 1 shy of tying the program's single-season mark. She had 73 shot attempts, the second-most in school history, and was 6 shy of tying the single-season mark.  
 
In her 2016 season, her last in the Summit League along with IUPUI, Kirkhoff completed a shorter season due to injury. Although she had to miss five weeks of athletic competition, she put the ball in the back of the net her first game back, proving that no injury was a match for Kirkhoff's ability to come back stronger than ever.  
 
In her 2017 season, Kirkhoff played her first season in the Horizon League with the Jaguars. She helped lead her team to the Horizon League Championships where they beat Milwaukee in penalty kicks. She was selected to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team because of her performance in playoffs. She was voted First Team All-Horizon and led the Horizon League with 83 shot attempts. Additionally, she tied the league-high with a school-record 11 assists. She tied the school record with 3 assists in a single game.  
 
In addition to her accomplishments on the soccer field, Kirkhoff dedicated much of her time to the classroom. She double majored in Elementary and Special Education all while making time for her family and friends. She was selected to The Summit League's Academic Honor roll in her 2014 and 2016 seasons. She was selected as a Summit League Distinguished Scholar in 2015 and named to The Summit League's Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. In 2017, she was second team Scholar All-North/Central Region and named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll both semesters. She was chosen to IUPUI's Academic Advisor's List for both semesters all four seasons.  
 
After all her contributions to the success of the IUPUI Women's Soccer program, both on the field as a competitor and throughout campus as an outstanding student, she is now being inducted into the Hall of Fame.  
 
When was the first time that you could remember yourself loving soccer? 
My sister and my oldest brother played soccer throughout their childhood. My sister played at Bowling Green in college so that was a very motivating factor. My brother, John, who is only a year older than me, is not an athlete. He tried soccer when he was around 4 or 5 years old and faked being sick all the time. He didn't want to be there. My dad was the coach and John quit his team eventually. It was an all-boys team, and my dad told me that I was going to take his place. Even though I was that young, I still remember it. I didn't care what team I was on. All I wanted to do was play hard and enjoy what I was doing. I remember thinking, "I could play with the boys. I'm good enough to do so." When I was younger, my family used to ask how many goals I would score in that game, and I used to say that I would score them all. That is still a running joke with my family. I have always loved scoring goals, even to the end of my career. Playing club in Carmel and being around girls who had the same desire to play in college motivated me tremendously. There was no doubt in my mind that I would play college soccer. When I was in the 5^th grade, I wanted to play professionally and my life obviously took a different turn, but I wanted to play ever since I was young. 
 
What was your proudest moment during your time at IUPUI?  
Well, of course, winning the Horizon League Championship. As a team, we had so much hope for our seasons in the Summit League. We switched to the Horizon League right before fall started. We just thought to ourselves, "How are we going to do this now in a different league?" We were traveling to new places and playing brand new teams. We were so used to playing the same teams in the Summit League, so this felt like such a drastic shift, which it was. To be able to win the Championship was just such a proud moment for myself and the team. We were one of the last teams to make it and we won it all, so that was cool.  
 
What are the moments/people/movements that defined your time at IUPUI? 
Coach Johnson has had a tremendous impact on me. There were times where we did not see eye to eye on things because, of course, you're not always going to agree on things. He was such a good coach for me because I know I wasn't the easiest player to coach. Stacy Pease was such a role model for me. I looked up to her, she played the same position as me, and she supported me as needed. She was always there and had my back with anything I needed. She still is that for me today. She is someone I still look up to as a postgraduate student and her impact on me is immeasurable. 
 
What is your favorite memory with the team?  
We went to New York my senior year, right when we had just changed to the Horizon League. The travel situation was insane. We went from a ferry to a train to a bus. All three of those things to get to our game. I remember my coach being like, "If we can win this game after traveling for three hours just to get here, we can do anything. We can win the whole thing." We ended up winning both of our games that we played in New York, and it was just so much fun. We went to Times Square and traveled all around New York. That's really the most memorable because my parents were able to go and watch me play. I love New York personally and the team bonding was amazing. 
 
How has your time at IUPUI prepared you for your job? 
With everything that I was involved with in college, it made me somebody who needs pressure. Having a busy lifestyle at times was overwhelming, but I needed the responsibilities. Having student-athletes and being on a team that prioritized academics made me strive to be a better student myself. Seeing all my friends on road trips pull out their laptops to do homework made me feel like I should be doing the same thing. I got pushed by my teammates to be the best I could be. That prepared me for my job now because I still have many responsibilities and pressure on me. I'm a teacher at Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School, which means I am around children who have very busy lives of their own. I have learned to juggle everything and manage my time well.
 
What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself? 
When I was in college, I was so hard on myself. I was so hard on myself to the point where I made it my identity. I let it define my worth as a player and as an athlete. Making mistakes is okay. I'm not perfect. I don't have to be perfect. Nobody really talks about post athlete bodies and how you feel about your body in college. I was so hard on myself for the way I looked, and while I was in the best shape of my life, I still didn't like myself or my body.  Now I'm embracing my body for what it is. I would go back and tell myself that you are great the way you are, and you don't need to change yourself for anyone. I would tell her that you're never going to be happy if you're just continuing to critique yourself. That's definitely something I think a lot of people don't talk about. How body dysmorphia greatly impacts athletes and how they eat. The way that they feel about themselves. I think that the more people talk about it and bring it up is great because the conversation needs to be had.
 
What are you proud to have accomplished since graduating? 
There have been a lot of things that I have been thankful for since graduating. I moved to Kansas for three years and back to Indianapolis again. I would have to say that the aspect that I am most proud of is being an aunt. Being able to watch my nieces and nephews grow up and play soccer with them while going to their games is something that I love. They just make me so proud all the time, like growing into little mini me's. 
 
What do you want people to know about you? 
I would have never gotten to the point where I'm at if it weren't for my team. Having Hayley Shelton and Leia Peterman, my best friend, just made such a difference to my experience as a student-athlete. Sophia Lipka coming in immediately and stepping up just motivated me to be a better player and teammate. I would've never gotten the stats that I had if it weren't for them. Valentine (V) Pursey is a great player who helped me get my stats and assists as well. She finished every single ball that I played her. Having a team who was just as great as V and played me the ball in the first place so I can take as many shots as I did is incredible. My family are my biggest role models and without their love and support, my career in athletics wouldn't be possible. I also coach soccer for my high school, Bishop Chatard, and I play soccer on Sunday's, so I'm still involved in the game, just in a different way.