By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
GREEN BAY – Not many high school seniors can say they’ve earned college credits and have climbed Mount Denali in the same breath.
Green Bay Preble’s Krysten Capwell is one such example.
Capwell, a member of the Preble girls’ tennis team last fall, plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to pursue a degree in nursing, with the hopes of eventually becoming an anesthetist.
“I earned 36 college credits from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College,” said Krysten, the daughter of Kim and Corey Capwell. “Receiving my nursing degree one year earlier than most students will save me money and give me an advantage in the job market. I’m also looking at continuing my nursing education down south after UWGB.”
About a year ago, Capwell and her uncle and cousin ascended Denali in Alaska to more than 18,000 feet.
Also known as Mount McKinley, Denali’s highest elevation is more than 20,000 feet, making it the highest point in North America.
“It’s something I’ll never forget,” said Capwell, who currently works fulltime at Aurora BayCare Medical Center as a certified nursing assistant. “My uncle and cousin climbed Mount Whitney in California before Denali because the technicality level is similar, and they wanted to see if we’d need a guide on Denali. I’ve done lots of climbing trips with them. We also did Grand Teton in Wyoming, which is almost 14,000 feet.”
Capwell said the trio chose to climb unguided and got to camp five before deciding not to ascend any further.
“The elevation was the toughest part,” she said. “The climb wasn’t super strenuous, but the elevation kicked my butt.”
She said they thought about making a push for the summit, but ultimately decided against it.
“We wanted to, but none of us had done it before,” said Capwell. “We didn’t want to risk it without a guide.”
Capwell played at No. 1 singles her junior and senior seasons, was the team MVP her junior year and played under head coach Sara Schubring.
“It was nice having Sara as my coach,” she said. “She’s a professional tennis coach at a club, so her having that expertise was nice.”
Capwell likes traveling to Wyoming to visit her grandparents.
“My grandparents live in Dubois, Wyoming,” she said. “With everything going on with COVID-19, my family has taken turns traveling there to make sure they are okay. I was recently there for two weeks.”
She also likes dark chocolate, cornbread, the board game Settlers of Catan, Texas Roadhouse restaurant, card games and listening to Pandora music on her phone.
“My family is big into playing card games like Sheepshead, Solitaire and Rummy,” said Capwell. “My favorite type of music is country, but I listen to a wide genre. Johnny Cash and Jimmy Dean are some of my favorite country singers.”
Capwell has a sixth-grade sister, Kenna, who also plays tennis.
Her older sister, Kayla, attended UWGB, while both of her parents grew up west of Green Bay in Tigerton
“My dad played tennis recreationally in high school and made it to nationals as a swimmer,” said Capwell, who describes herself as smart, hard-working and determined. “My mom was competitive in gymnastics and cheer. My older sister did cross country to keep in shape. My parents mandated we did at least one sport through high school.”