Ten alumni selected for induction into Grinnell College Athletic Hall of Fame
Ten outstanding former Pioneer student-athletes will become the newest members of the Grinnell College Athletic Hall of Fame this fall. The 2024 inductees are:
- Norris Stubbs ’72
- Felipe Bautista ’02
- Jeff Pedersen ’02
- Rachel Moskowitz ’06
- Hannah Wolf Schmidt ’08
- JP Prouty ’10
- Graham Fisher ’16
- Kayla Morrissey ’18
- Vidushi Sinha ’19
- Vrishali Sinha ’19
The celebration of the newest class of Pioneer Hall of Famers will take place during the 2024 Fall Athletics Weekend, which will be held Sept. 21-22. While this event traditionally takes place around Labor Day, this year it will be a couple weeks later to coincide with a weekend when many of the fall sports teams play at home. It’s also the College’s Family Weekend.
The Grinnell College Athletic Hall of Fame was created in 1995 to recognize the achievements of the College’s most accomplished student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. The September event will be the tenth induction ceremony at which time there will be 126 Hall of Famers.
The nine-member Hall of Fame Selection Committee – comprised of alums, faculty and staff members, and a student – made the selections.
Here is a closer look at the 2024 inductees:
Norris Stubbs ’72
Norris Stubbs ’72 achieved something few Grinnellians have by earning a spot to compete in the Olympic Games. To make that feat even more impressive, he did so while still a college student at Grinnell. Running for the Bahamas in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Stubbs led off the 4x100-meter relay that advanced to the semifinal round. The squad’s clocking of 39.45 seconds was a national record that stood for decades.
Stubbs also competed in the 100 and 200 meters at the same Olympic Games and established personal-best times of 10.67 in the 100 and 20.8 in the 200. Stubbs, who also participated in the 1967 Pan-American Games, carried over his Olympic experience to Grinnell and the Midwest Conference. In 1969, he sprinted to Midwest Conference (MWC) crowns in both the 100- and 220-yard dashes with times of 10.2 and 23.0, respectively.
Besides being a star sprinter, Stubbs also excelled in the field events. His outdoor triple jump record of 14.13 meters (46 feet, 4.5 inches) was set in 1966 and remains the Grinnell school mark after nearly 60 years. Indoors, Stubbs had an all-time best triple jump mark of 13.27 meters (43 feet, 6.5 inches), an effort that still ranks fourth in program history.
Stubbs graduated from Grinnell with a degree in physics and went on to Columbia University, where he earned a Ph.D. He served as an assistant professor in the Columbia School of Engineering and then as a professor of engineering mechanics in the Civil Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. His specialty was in structural reliability, structural dynamics, non-destructive evaluation, quality in design construction process and experimental mechanics. His services at Texas A&M extended beyond the classroom as he also served as a member of the University’s Athletic Council. He remained at Texas A&M until his death in 2014.
Felipe Bautista ’02
Felipe Bautista ’02 and the rise to dominance of the Grinnell College men’s tennis program go hand-in-hand. A six-time Midwest Conference champion in singles and doubles play, Bautista has the distinction of being the first Grinnell tennis player to earn a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Bautista made his mark from the start, posting records of 21-4 in singles and 15-6 in doubles during his first season, which culminated with a title at the No. 2 singles flight of the MWC Tourney. As a team, Grinnell went 15-6 and rose to second place in the MWC team race, the highest league finish in nearly a decade.
Bautista repeated as the No. 2 MWC singles champ the following year while going 19-8 in singles play and 18-7 in doubles. Grinnell was 15-10 overall and repeated as the MWC team runner-up. Bautista moved to the top of the league his junior season. He won both top-flight singles and doubles titles while going a combined 29-3 on the season, posting a 16-2 mark in singles and 13-1 in doubles. As a team, Grinnell posted 14 victories and won its first MWC divisional title while finishing second overall. Bautista certainly saved his best for last, leading the Pioneers to their first MWC title in more than 40 years during his senior season. He not only repeated as the MWC No. 1 singles and doubles champ but also punched his ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament. He finished the season with a 26-3 mark in singles, with the win total and winning percentage of 88.9 percent both ranking among the best in program history. Bautista added 19 wins in doubles play.
For his career, Bautista won 82 singles matches, which ranks fifth all-time, with a career winning percentage of 82.8 percent, which is sixth. He also ranks among the all-time leaders in doubles victories with 62 and doubles winning percentage at 75.6 percent. Overall, Bautista broke the school record with 147 combined victories and still ranks seventh all-time in that category.
Bautista majored in chemistry and then completed medical school in his home country of Ecuador before moving back to the United States for further medical training. Currently, he is a pediatric hematologist and oncologist working in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he lives with his wife Naomie and two children, Emma (8) and Nico (5).
Jeff Pedersen ’02
Jeff Pedersen ’02 has made strong contributions to Grinnell, first as a student-athlete and currently as a faculty coach. A two-time All-American and four-time All-Midwest Conference player, Pedersen started at tight end for the storied 1998 football team, which went 10-0 and claimed the program’s first Midwest Conference title in three decades. He was an integral part of teams that enjoyed the best four-year record in school history.
As a first-year on that 1998 team, he was named honorable mention All-MWC. The Pioneers enjoyed another strong season in 1999 finishing second in the MWC as Pedersen led the nation in receptions for a tight end while claiming first-team All-MWC honors and a coveted spot on the Hewlett-Packard All-America first team. He repeated as an All-American and first-team all-league performer as a junior, and then moved to his natural position as a senior, taking the helm as the team’s quarterback. The move was fruitful as Pedersen again earned All-MWC honors and was selected to participate in the 2001 Aztec Bowl, an all-star game comprised of the best Division III players in the country.
He is listed 43 times in the program’s record book and his versatility is evident in that he owns single-season school records for both passing (222 completions) and receiving (84 receptions). On Grinnell’s career chart, he is listed in 18 categories including pass receptions (157), reception yards (1,887), and reception touchdowns (22) as well as pass completions (267), passing yards (3,546), and passing touchdowns (24). In his time at Grinnell, Pedersen also won two letters in basketball and was presented with both the G. Lester Duke ’25 Award as a first-year and the Morgan Taylor ’26 Award as a senior.
After a coaching stint at Catholic University, Pedersen returned to Grinnell and began a 10-year run as the Pioneers’ football coach. In his first season, he guided the team to its first winning campaign in six years and was named MWC Coach of the Year. Pedersen also served on the track and field staff at that time and took over as head coach of that program in 2020. His track and field teams have consistently ranked among the best in the MWC and have featured several national-caliber athletes. He and his wife, Jordan Esbrook ’01, have two daughters, Frances Belle and Nora Jane.
Rachel Moskowitz ’06
Rachel Moskowitz ’06 was the classic embodiment of “student-athlete” by excelling both on the pitch as well as the classroom. Moskowitz is the only Grinnell College women’s soccer player to earn a spot on the prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-America Team, collecting first-team honors as a senior in 2005. The forward was also a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. In a career that paralleled dominance by the Grinnell women’s soccer program, Moskowitz became one of the few soccer athletes in school history to earn All-Midwest Conference honors. A second-teamer as a first-year in 2002, she rose to the elite team in each of her final three seasons. Grinnell won a pair of MWC regular-season titles in that span, two league tournament crowns, and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament twice.
She is listed in the Grinnell record book 41 times and still owns career records for assists with 46, which is also a MWC record, and shots on goal with 126. She is second in shots attempted (319), third in points (140), sixth in match-winning goals (six), seventh in goals (42), and eighth in games played (72). Moskowitz also set the program record for assists in a season with 17 in 2004, while her totals of 12 and 11 in 2005 and 2003 rank fourth and seventh, respectively. She also owns the mark for shots on goal in a season with 48 in 2005.
After going 9-7 in her first season, the Pioneers rose to 11-6-1 and 12-5-1 in the next two campaigns. They won the MWC regular-season title her sophomore season and the league’s tourney title the following year, which culminated in the program’s second-ever trip to the NCAA Tourney. Moskowitz saved her best for last, guiding the Pioneers to a 14-4-2 record in 2005. They claimed the MWC regular-season and tourney crowns and earned another appearance in the NCAA Tourney. There, Grinnell advanced to the second round for the first and only time in program history. During her time at Grinnell, she won both the G. Lester Duke ’25 Award as a first-year and Grace McIlrath-Parker ’11 Award as a senior.
Moskowitz played all four years together with her twin sister Kara Moskowitz ’06. Her brother Daniel Moskowitz ’09 is also a Grinnell graduate. Rachel majored in political science and went on to earn her Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She is currently an assistant professor of public policy & law at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and lives with her wife Ashley and her son Gabriel.
Hannah Wolf Schmidt ’08
Hannah Wolf Schmidt ’08 established herself as one of the best players in Grinnell College women’s basketball history, recording a stellar playing career that wrapped up in 2008. She is listed in Grinnell’s record book 50 times and still owns numerous school records, including career 3-pointers with 323. That is 127 more than the second player on the list. She is also first in career 3-pointers attempted with 913 and ranks second in total points (1,668), scoring average (19.2 points per game), field goals (571), field goals attempted (1,434) and 3-point percentage (35.4 percent), as well as fourth in free throw percentage (80.2 percent).
Far from just a scorer, though, she ranks sixth for career steals with 143, seventh in steals average with 1.6 a game, and ninth for assists with 230. Wolf also owns school single-season records for 3-pointers (99 while leading the NCAA in 3-pointers per game in 2004-05) and 3-point attempts (250). She also has Grinnell’s game record for free throw percentage by hitting 100 percent of her shots (10-of-10) in a 2007 contest. Wolf holds four of the program’s top six 3-point totals for a season. Besides her record-setting total in 2004-05, she had 80 treys in 2006-07, 75 in 2005-06, and 69 in 2007-08. She also has seven marks in the record book for 3-pointers in a game, with a high of eight and several contests with seven. In addition, she has two of the top point tallies in a game with 42 and 39.
Wolf’s contributions were evident by the fact Grinnell rose at least one spot in the Midwest Conference standings each of her four seasons. Wolf’s accomplishments were certainly noticed by others. She was the Grinnell College Women’s Freshman Athlete of the Year in 2005 and the Grinnell College Outstanding Female Senior Athlete in a Team Sport in 2008. She is only the second player in program history to earn All-Region honors twice and also one of Grinnell’s few four-time All-MWC performers, earning a spot on the second team her first two seasons and making the leap to the elite unit as a junior and senior. Wolf also excelled in the classroom and is one of just four Grinnell basketball players to earn Academic All-Region honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She was also Academic All-Conference on three occasions while majoring in psychology. She went on to earn a master’s in education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Since graduation, she has been teaching middle school math, including two years for Teach for America in Kansas City and then at Andersen Middle School at Millard Public Schools in Omaha. She married Grinnell graduate Mike Schmidt ’08 in 2010 and they have two daughters, Talia (5) and Nora (2).
JP Prouty ’10
JP Prouty ’10 was instrumental in leading the Grinnell College men’s soccer team’s resurgence. The first player to earn NSCAA All-Region honors in the College’s men’s soccer history, Prouty also played a part in Grinnell punching its ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first and only time. He helped the Pioneers reach the Midwest Conference Tournament all four of his seasons, which included one tourney crown and a runner-up finish. He was also one of only a few players in program history to earn All-MWC honors all four years, including three times on the elite unit.
Playing the defender spot where statistics are at a minimum, Prouty still managed to put his name in the school record book six times. He ranks second in program history for penalty kicks made, sixth in games played with 71, and 10th in game-winning goals. Prouty impacted the program from the start, earning All-MWC second-team honors in his first season as Grinnell posted its first winning record in seven years. When Grinnell made the MWC Tourney that season, it broke a five-year drought. The Pioneers also registered winning records each of Prouty’s three remaining years, including a 12-victory season in 2008. That was the most wins for the team in 14 years.
Prouty, twice an All-Region selection, also starred in the classroom by earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors as well as NSCAA Scholar-All-Region accolades. In addition, Prouty played on the Pioneer baseball team and is listed six times in their record book. He owns the school record for sacrifice flies in a game, ranks second in career stolen base percentage, is third in at-bats in a game, and fourth in stolen bases in a game. As a team, Grinnell increased its win total each of Prouty’s four seasons, which culminated with a perfect 12-0 mark in MWC South Division play his senior year. Prouty, who won the G. Lester Duke ’25 Award after his first year, finished his Grinnell days by claiming the David Theophilus ’51 Award.
Leaving Grinnell with a degree in biochemistry, Prouty went on to attend the University of Missouri School of Medicine, graduating in 2014. He subsequently attended Oregon Health and Sciences University Cascades East Family Medicine Residency in Klamath Falls, Oregon. In 2017, Prouty moved to rural Hailey, Idaho, and started a full-spectrum family medicine practice.
Graham Fisher ’16
Graham Fisher ’16, who can lay claim as one of the best two-sport male athlete in Pioneer history, starred on both the baseball and football fields. He is listed 29 times in Grinnell’s baseball record book while serving a dual role as a hitter and pitcher. Fisher was named a second-team All-American as a senior and earned All-Region and All-Midwest Conference honors three times. In a career that included four trips to the MWC Tournament, Fisher became Grinnell’s all-time hitting leader in the current era with a .398 average, ranks second in slugging percentage at .720, and is third in on-base percentage at .471. Fisher is also fifth in career home runs with 17. On the mound, Fisher has the second-most wins in program history with 20 and ranks fourth in both career earned run average (2.65) and opponent batting average (.245). He fanned 155 batters in 200.1 innings pitched – both figures rank in the program’s top 10.
While he enjoyed success throughout his collegiate career on the diamond, his senior campaign was the best. His program top 10 performances from 2016 include batting average (.426), slugging percentage (.787), on-base percentage (.510), home runs (10), and RBIs (41), as well as ERA (1.47), opponent batting average (.223), and pitching victories (seven). Fisher went on to be named MWC Pitcher of the Year as the Pioneers finished 2016 with a program-record 30 victories and made the national rankings for the first time in school history.
Fisher was equally dazzling on the football field, with his name appearing 64 times in the program record book. Playing as a kicker and punter, he owns school records for career punting average (38.33 yards), average yards per punt in a season (41.68 yards), and field goals made in a career (23). He has the second- and third-longest field goals in Grinnell history with boots of 50 and 49 yards, and he is second in program history for extra point accuracy. He capped his senior season by being named to the D3football.com All-Region Team as a punter. Other accolades include being selected three times to the All-MWC squad, and he was named the Dick Ullrich ’33 Award winner as the team’s best back.
Fisher capped off his time at Grinnell by graduating with a degree in economics and claiming the David Theophilus ’51 Award for his athletic efforts. After Grinnell, Fisher’s baseball career continued for almost four years in Australia, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium, playing, coaching, and consulting with baseball organizations. He coached and mentored over 100 youth and young professionals and worked with his clubs on how to best grow the game in their communities. On the diamond, he compiled 39 home runs and a .372 batting average, and on the mound earned 18 wins and one save with 316 strikeouts and a 3.94 ERA. Known for his versatility, Fisher played every position over his career. For his efforts, he was named All-League in Australia in 2019 and the National League MVP in Switzerland in 2018. Fisher is currently pursuing a career in the finance industry in Chicago.
Kayla Morrissey ’18
Kayla Morrissey ’18 is arguably the best women’s two-sport athlete to ever suit up at Grinnell. A standout in both softball and basketball, she made her mark on Pioneer athletics in ways that may never be replicated. On the softball diamond, Morrissey still holds school records in multiple career categories including games played (142), games started (142), at bats (472), runs scored (117), hits (196), triples (14), RBIs (102) and total bases (271). She ranks third in career batting average at .415 and on-base percentage at .468, and she is sixth in slugging percentage at .574. She is also listed in the program’s top 10 for doubles, home runs, walks, fielding chances, and fielding assists. In all, she is listed in the record book’s top 10 a total of 44 times. She hit over .400 all four seasons and had a superb career fielding percentage of .944 while playing a majority of games at the hot corner.
Her accolades were recognized by others, as she is the only Grinnell player to earn All-Region honors four times. A second-team All-Midwest Conference honoree as a first-year, she was elevated to the first team each of her final three seasons and was named the league’s Player of the Year in 2017. She still holds the MWC record for hits in a career with 196. In her final season, she guided the Pioneers to a then-program record 24 victories and their first trip to the MWC Tourney in more than a decade.
She also made a big mark in basketball and is still the program’s career leader in free throws made with 417. A complete player, she ranks third in points scored (1,426), sixth in rebounds (614) and seventh in blocked shots (66). In all, she is listed 29 times in Grinnell College’s record book. Morrissey was an All-Region and CoSIDA Academic All-Region selection as a senior, plus was twice named to the All-MWC first team. Twice she led the Pioneers to the MWC Tourney after the team hadn’t qualified in more than a decade. A multiple Academic All-Conference performer, she was presented the G. Lester Duke ’25 Award following her first year at Grinnell and the Joyce Buck ’56 Award as a senior.
Community service was also an integral part of Morrissey’s four years at Grinnell. An active member of Student-Athletes Leading Social Change, she helped coordinate two sexual assault awareness walks. Morrissey majored in general science with concentrations in biology and statistics. After college, she pursued her passion for basketball and played professionally in Ireland while earning a master’s degree in exercise physiology. With a desire to continue her involvement with sport, she served a stint in collegiate coaching for both basketball and softball. While coaching, she earned her master’s in business administration. Morrissey now serves as the athletics admission counselor at Roosevelt University, functioning as the liaison between athletics and admissions. In this role, she helps guide prospective students and their families through the recruitment process.
Vidushi Sinha ’19
Vidushi Sinha ’19 and her twin sister, Hall of Fame inductee Vrishali Sinha ’19, together propelled Grinnell College’s women’s golf program to national prominence. As co-captains of the women’s golf team for three years, they left an indelible mark and rewrote the Grinnell and Midwest Conference record books. Vidushi Sinha remains the Pioneers’ all-time stroke average leader, boasting a career marked by multiple All-America honors and three Midwest Conference Tournament individual titles.
Setting the bar high from the outset, she clinched the 2015 MWC Tourney crown as a first-year, scoring 235 over three days, while leading her team to the overall title with a record-setting 1,018 strokes. Sinha followed that with a runner-up MWC Tourney finish in 2016, following her sister’s lead, with a score of 232. Grinnell once again clinched the team title with a school-record score of 981. Sinha went on to earn second-team All-America honors and All-Central Region recognition while posting a season stroke average of 74.29 in her second year, which was a program record at the time and still ranks second in College history. In 2017, Sinha claimed her second MWC individual title with a score of 226, guiding the Pioneers to yet another team crown. Her third-year stroke average of 75.62 still stands as seventh-best in program history, earning her All-Central Region accolades.
But Sinha and the Pioneers saved their best for last, culminating with a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament in her final season. Earlier in the campaign, Sinha claimed a third MWC individual title with a two-day score of 151 as the Pioneers again won the team crown. Sinha, a first-team All-American and All-Central Region selection, was sharp at the national meet and finished seventh with a four-day score of 303, which is still a program record for 72 holes. Her performance guided Grinnell to ninth place in the team standings, the second-best national finish for any Pioneer team. Sinha finished the season with a stroke average of 75.67, still among the top 10 in program history.
For her career, Sinha holds the Grinnell stroke average record of 75.83 over 59 rounds, and the top two 36-hole totals in program history (140 and 141). A multi-year Academic All-Conference selection, Sinha capped her senior season by winning the Grace McIllrath Parker ’11 Award. She was also named to the prestigious 18Birdies All-American Scholar Team by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association – an academic honor which requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5. In 2021, Sinha was celebrated as one of Midwest Conference’s Top-100 student-athletes as part of the league’s centennial celebration. Sinha graduated from Grinnell with a double major in economics and studio art. Post-graduation, she embarked on a career with Hines, a leading real estate developer, investor, and manager, joining their Investments Team. Sinha is set to commence her MBA at the London Business School in August 2024. She is the recipient of the Forté Foundation Fellowship, a prestigious award that recognizes individuals who exhibit exemplary leadership and demonstrate a commitment to advancing women in business.
Vrishali Sinha ’19
Vrishali Sinha ’19 and her twin sister, Hall of Fame inductee Vidushi Sinha ’19, formed a formidable duo that propelled the Grinnell College women’s golf team to national prominence. Vrishali Sinha’s stint at Grinnell was characterized by multiple All-America honors and a Midwest Conference championship. She made an immediate impact, securing a runner-up position behind her sister at the 2015 Midwest Conference Tournament with a three-day score of 241. This stellar performance contributed to the team’s overall victory, achieving a remarkable score of 1018.
Throughout her career, Sinha maintained a high level of performance, boasting a team-best stroke average of 76.07 in her debut season, a school record at the time and still among the top 10 in program history. Her exceptional skills were recognized with the Freshman of the Year award by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association and a second-team All-America selection. In her second season, Sinha continued her impressive streak, clinching the MWC individual title with a then-program record score of 221, still the third-best three-day score in program history. She achieved a stroke average of 75.29, ranking fifth all-time at Grinnell. The Pioneers secured another MWC team title with a school-record score of 981, and Sinha earned All-Central Region honors. During her third season, Sinha achieved a runner-up finish in the MWC tournament and maintained a stroke average of 76.69. Grinnell once again claimed the team title, and Sinha was named All-Region. In her final season, Sinha’s leadership guided the Pioneers to the NCAA Division III Tournament, where they finished ninth with a four-day score of 1,258. Sinha tied for 22nd individually with a 311. She also achieved a runner-up finish in the MWC Tournament and was named All-Region and honorable mention All-America.
Sinha concluded her remarkable career with a stroke average of 76.37, second in program history at the time and currently third. In addition to her athletic achievements, she was recognized as an Academic All-Conference selection. Sinha also received Grinnell’s G. Lester Duke ’25 Award in her freshman year and the Grace McIllrath Parker ’11 Award after her senior season. Sinha graduated from Grinnell in 2019 with a major in economics and a concentration in global development studies. Subsequently, she returned to India to pursue a career focused on social impact and digital empowerment, working for companies such as EY, Etsy, and Snapdeal. Sinha is scheduled to begin her MBA at London Business School in August 2024. She is the recipient of the Forté Foundation Fellowship, a prestigious award that recognizes individuals who exhibit exemplary leadership, represent diverse backgrounds, and demonstrate a commitment to advancing women in business.
— by Ted Schultz