Hurricane Helene isn’t stopping former ESU runner from attending Hall of Honor induction in Kansas

EMPORIA ( KSNT ) – Former Emporia State runner Cynthia Klopfer says she was determined to make it to her Hall of Honor induction ceremony after Hurricane Helene dealt her lots of setbacks.

Paving the way for many women in sports, Klopfer said she and her teammates fought every day to give women a chance to compete.

“Women of our generation had to fight for equal opportunity in sports,” said Klopfer. “We passed around petitions, we fought battles. I swam on the boy’s swim team, I ran on the boy’s cross country team.”

Emporia State University inducted her, alongside three of her teammates, into its Hall of Honor on Friday, Oct. 4.

“The fact that we were able to achieve this honor and come together as a team and see where women’s cross country has gone now and in the future, it’s mean a lot,” Klopfer said. “It’s a fabulous experience.”

Klopfer currently lives in Florida, suffered widespread damage from Hurricane Helene. She lost electricity and both of her cars to the storm. Klopfer said all of that comes after just recently breaking her foot.

“It’s been a challenge to get here but we made it,” Klopfer said. “We will get through it, we are Floridians, we are used to these kinds of challenges, but we are praying for everyone across the nation that is struggling from this storm.”

For more local news, click here . Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts . Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.