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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Claudia Kepler grew up in Verona, Wisconsin, but made a name for herself by leading the Ohio State women's hockey team in goals her first three seasons as a winger with the Buckeyes. A coaching change prompted Kepler to transfer to Wisconsin, where she's been elected as a co-captain and happily reconnected with her roots after sitting out a year per NCAA transfer rules. She took a moment recently to talk about her family, her favorite discovery since returning home and how an enemy scouting report viewed the Badgers.
What was it like growing up with a twin brother?
"With my twin brother Nolan I think the best part was you always had someone to hang out with, even when we'd hang out too much and get in fights. But at the end of the day we'd always figure out a way to get along."
What's your greatest discovery since you've come back home?
"Bubble teas. I didn't go to Sencha (on State Street) for bubble tea until I was on this team and it is so good. It's tea with these tapioca pearls. Our whole team gets them right before we go on a bus trip."
Your bio says you like to cook. What meal would you serve to impress someone?
"I'd have to get my dad's spaghetti sauce recipe. He does really good spaghetti and meatballs."
When's the last time you took your laundry home and got a meal?
"This past Sunday. I was actually being good managing being away from home in Ohio, but now that I've actually moved back, it's kind of like a miss home the more I'm away from it. I've gotten so used to going home and hanging out with the parents and my brother and we just got a new dog. At least once a week I try to go back home and hang out with my parents."
You said you're pursuing a degree in Life Science Communications. What do you want to do when you graduate from UW?
"I think I want to be a hockey coach or something that helps grow women's sports."
Is there a Cliff's Notes version for why you transferred to UW in 2016 after three years at Ohio State?
"Sometimes with coaching changes (which happened with the Buckeyes), obviously some players like (the original) coach better. Some people would be better off with a different situation. That was me, so I changed the situation I was in."
What's been the most challenging part of this transition for you?
"I'd say the most challenging part would be just kind of the nerves that get built up over time, the nervousness of coming to a new team. Then the build-up to this season. I haven't played in almost two years it feels like."
Yet you were elected a co-captain along with senior winger Baylee Wellhausen. How did you react to that?
"I was a little surprised just because it was something I wasn't expecting when I was transferring. It was the last thing on my mind, really. But it really is an honor to be a captain, especially when you look at the list of captains that were here in the past. You want to follow in their footsteps."
What were some of the themes of the scouting report on Wisconsin when you played at Ohio State?
"The coaches would always say, 'It's a skilled team, but they're also a team that really doesn't hold back, either. They can get chippy and they battle you hard.' So it was a mixture of playing against really skilled players, but also players who are pretty tough. So we really had to play our best game in order to stick with them."
