Athletic Hall of Fame inductees cherish time at Grinnell
September 26, 2024 — When Felipe Bautista ’02 was thinking about returning to his alma mater to be inducted into the Grinnell College Athletic Hall of Fame he wound up wondering how “a young kid from Ecuador – a small, developing country in South America – ended up at a selective and prestigious academic institution in the middle of Iowa.”
His mother – who made the trip from Ecuador on her birthday to see him enter the Hall of Fame – and Grinnell’s coaches played a key role in opening opportunities for Bautista in tennis and in life.
“Grinnell is a beautiful place,” he said. “I truly learned and lived the value of diversity and acceptance. My time as a student-athlete was so special.”
Felipe Bautista ’02 gives his acceptance speech at a dinner Saturday attended by the inductees and their families, teammates, and coaches.
Bautista was one of 10 Grinnell graduates inducted Saturday into the Athletic Hall of Fame. This year’s induction class included alums who played tennis, track, football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and golf. A ceremony was held at halftime of the Pioneers football game and then the inductees and their families, teammates, and coaches gathered for dinner Saturday at the College’s golf course.
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 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. Saturday marked the tenth induction ceremony. There are now 126 Hall of Famers.
Seven of the new inductees to the Grinnell College Hall of Fame pose for a photo with President Anne F. Harris, left, and Holly Roepke, director of athletics and recreation, right, at halftime of Saturday’s football game.
For Moskowitz, driving down I-80 to reach Grinnell brought back such a familiar feeling from her student days.
“When I think about attending Grinnell and playing soccer here, it helped shape me and gave me an opportunity to play with a wonderful team and go to an excellent school,” she said. “It also felt like a space where women’s sports were valued equally to men’s sports. I hadn’t had that experience before.”
During Saturday’s dinner, many of the former coaches of the hall of famers were on hand to introduce them. For Dana Harrold, head women’s basketball coach, Morrissey’s inclusion was especially sweet given she was Harrold’s first recruit to Grinnell.
“Kayla’s work ethic is the characteristic that set her apart,” Harrold said. “She set the tone with how hard she worked and how many extra hours she was willing to put in. I’m proud of you Kayla, and I’m so glad you chose Grinnell.”
Many of the coaches echoed Harrold about how much time and effort the inductees put in. Prouty said it was one of the reasons he thinks he was selected for the Hall of Fame.
Rachel Moskowitz ’06 stands next to her plaque at the Athletic Hall of Fame display in the Bear Recreation and Athletic Center.
“It was a big surprise,” Prouty said about the honor. “In the spring when Jaws [soccer coach Brian Jaworski] called me, I wondered what it was about. I was blown away. Looking back, I put a lot of hard work into it, and it feels good to be recognized. I showed up to practice to compete. I felt like if I wasn’t giving my all, there wasn’t a point to be there. I also think our soccer and baseball teams had so much talent. And I think good coaching contributed. It’s manifested by the fact Jaws and [baseball coach Tim] Hollibaugh are still coaching.”
“Grinnell College holds a really special spot in my heart,” Prouty added. “It gave us something to put our energy into other than academics. You can only do so much studying before you want to blow off some steam.”
The Hall of Fame inductions were part of the all-sport Grinnell College Athletics Reunion that took place Friday through Sunday. Alums enjoyed connecting with current student-athletes, coaches, and fellow alumni, and cheering on the volleyball, soccer, and football teams at their home matches and games.
Holly Roepke, director of athletics and recreation, right, shakes hands with Hannah Wolf Schmidt ’08.
This marked the second time every Pioneer sport had a reunion at the same time. In the past, several different team-specific reunions were held throughout the school year. The reunions were combined for the first time in 2022.
Athletics Reunion was held the same weekend as We Are Family Weekend so there was also some crossover events like a picnic lunch and concerts.
Both the football and swim teams opened their practices Friday afternoon so alums and parents could attend. A group of football alums from the classes of 1974-1978 watched the football team while catching up with one another.
“We’ve been coming back as a group since 2018,” said Dave Chroust ’78 who now lives in Illinois. “This year we had guys coming back from New Hampshire, Missouri, Washington, and Texas. It’s a lot of fun. Some of the wives attend as well. It’s getting to be a bigger deal. Every year, we have more alums come back.”
A group of 1970s Pioneers football alums reconnect while watching football practice on Friday afternoon.
The football reunion was coincidentally planned the same weekend as Athletics Reunion. Chroust said he thinks having an all-sports Athletics Reunion is a good idea. They enjoy talking with the football coaching staff when they are back as well as attending the practices and games.
Similar to the 1970s football alums, several of the newest hall of famers talked about how much their teammates meant to them and how they remain close friends today.
“We were here for sports and learning but the best parts about Grinnell were the relationships that will never end,” Fisher said.
— by Jeremy Shapiro