TCU Rifle: Meet Kristen Hemphill

First in a series highlighting TCU student-athletes who are now Think NIL Ambassadors.

KillerFrogs wants you to get to know some of TCU's student-athletes before the 2022-23 seasons begin. KillerFrogs is a partner of Think NIL, a TCU collective. Think NIL's mission states that they are "committed to finding and creating Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities for all TCU student-athletes. They recently announced eight new Ambassadors. As part of the partnership with KillerFrogs, we will be profiling many of these new Ambassadors.

It is fascinating to be able to cover these exceptional athletes. The first I have the honor to cover is TCU Rifle legend, Kristen Hemphill. Hemphill is from Lohn, Texas. She is pursuing a major in Nursing in hopes of becoming a nurse practitioner in women's health. She claims her perseverance and hard work come from her roots back home. For example, her dad Doug Hemphill, and grandpa work as farmers and ranchers in her hometown.

Additionally, her father is a realtor on the side. Her mom, Tammy Hemphill, is a medical transcriptionist and bookkeeper and works real estate with her dad. Her older sister, Courtney Hemphill, graduated from Kansas State with a Ph.D. in Grain and Feed Science and now works in Dublin, TX, at a feed mill. Hemphill claims her family is the most hardworking people she has ever met, and she is thankful to have had that rub off on her. However, regardless of all these significant accomplishments she and her family have made, you can witness how grounded and family-oriented Hemphill is as she mentioned that her sister just had a little girl named Clara. Hemphill said Clara is the biggest blessing to their family.

When asked why Hemphill selected TCU, she stated, "coming from a small town of around 100 people, TCU provides that small-town community feels while still being in a big city, which I loved. Also, it has one of the country's best nursing and rifle programs, so it felt like the perfect fit for me." Hemphill offers this advice for athletes who are selecting a college soon: "Pick a college that reflects your athletic goals and your academic goals as well."

Growing up, she competed in cheer, basketball, track, and gymnastics. Hemphill fell in love with Fort Worth because the people are friendly, and there are so many fun things to do in the Fort Worth metroplex. She said that at home, she had to travel over 70 miles to get to the closest semi-big city to do anything fun, so having everything a few miles down the road was like a new world. Hemphill has acclimated to the area because her restaurant recommendation in Fort Worth would likely be the infamous Joe T. Garcia's.

Hemphill is one of the most accomplished TCU athletes ever. She claimed the Title of the 2019 NCAA Individual Air Rifle Champion, which she says is her most significant accomplishment because it is something TCU had never done before in her sport.

Doing big things on the national scene! Keep it going Abby and Kristen!#GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/Pkc6ozEgN9
— TCU Rifle (@TCURifle) July 6, 2022

Even though Hemphill may be one of the best in her sports, she says all is not perfect, as she recalls one of her lowest points. Hemphill stated, "Last year, I went through a period where I wasn't performing well. My averages weren't as good as they normally were, and I felt like I would never get out of that slump. Usually, my "slumps" only last for a match or two, but this one lasted months. It was very tiring on me emotionally, but I could get out of it and start performing well after a couple of tweaks to my equipment and some talks with a mental coach." However, she is the definition of a true athlete as she will not allow her lowest moments to define her. Instead, she looks to positivity to get out of her slumps.

Hemphill said she is the proudest of the person that she has become because of her family and athletics. She states that she has learned so much discipline and time management in her time at TCU and balancing both rifle and nursing. In addition, again, Hemphill credits her family for teaching her love and patience with her sport. She knows there will be ups but that there will also definitely be downs, and her family has always been the best support system for her to get through those downs.

Hemphill graduated last year from TCU with a Nursing degree. She returns this next season as a graduate student. In addition to shooting for TCU, she is now on the USA Air Rifle National Team and has hopes of trying out for the Olympics in 2024.

She has to say this about Think NIL, what it means to her, and how she will capitalize on it:

"There are so many opportunities available for athletes through NIL, and I'm looking forward to showing how athletes can market themselves in a way that's never been done before. Pro-athletes have always been able to get sponsorships and deals, but now college athletes can do those things, and it's something we've waited a long time for. I am lucky that I came at the right time to get in on it."

Career Honors

Hemphill has been very successful on TCU's rifle team having earned several career honors individually. Plus, she contributed to back-to-back air rifle national championships for the team. Here are her individual honors:

2022 2nd-team All-American (Aggregate)
2022 2nd-team All-American (Air Rifle)
2022 3rd-team All-American (Smallbore)
2022 1st-team Academic All-Big 12
2021 2nd-team All-American (Aggregate)
2021 1st-team All-American (Smallbore)
2021 1st-team All-American (Air Rifle)
2021 1st-team Academic All-Big 12
2020 1st-team All-American (Aggregate)
2020 1st-team All-American (Smallbore)
2020 1st-team All-American (Air Rifle)
2019 NCAA Air Rifle Individual National Champion
2019 1st-team All-American (Air Rifle)
2019 3rd-team All-American (Aggregate)
2019 Honorable Mention All-American (Smallbore)

I know we are all excited about where Hemphill's many talents will take her, wishing only the best as she moves on with her next step in life!

About Think NIL

Think NIL is a Fort Worth-based, fully staffed TCU collective led by a TCU Neeley School of Business Alumni and experienced Media & Entertainment Executive & Serial Entrepreneur, in addition to a former TCU Athletics administrative veteran.

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