WAVERLY, Iowa—Six individuals will be inducted into the Wartburg Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the annual Homecoming weekend festivities this fall.
Induction Ceremony photo gallery

Travis "TJ" Craig '99: Craig was a four-year member of the cross country and track and field teams and was a two-time National Qualifier for cross country. He was a two-time All-Conference champion, as well as the IIAC MVP in cross country and also won the 5,000m and 10,000m runs for track in 1998 and the 10,000 in 1999. At one time, he held the indoor 5k record and the seventh-fastest cross country time. Craig earned three All-Conference honors in the 10,000m run and four in the 5,000m run. He earned his Master's degree in administration from Drake University in 2005. Craig now lives in Iowa City where he teaches fifth and sixth grade at Horn Elementary, coaches junior high cross country and high school track at Iowa City West. Craig has been a three-time member of the Mississippi Valley Conference Track Coaches of the Year. Currently, he is an assistant track coach at Iowa City West where it won the 4A Team Championship in 2007 and 2012, Runner-up in 2008, 2009 and 2013. He has coached several All-state performers during his career at four different Iowa high schools in the 3200, 1600 and the 4 x 8, one State Champion and many Runner-ups. Craig has coached either cross country or track for 14 years and has had nine athletes qualify for the Drake Relays in the 3,200m run or the 1,600 meters. He has been married to Autumn for nine years and has two children, Kellen, age 7 and Amelia, age 2. He was inducted to Iowa City Regina's Athletic Hall of Fall in 2013 and continues to coach at Wartburg Cross Country camp that is held each summer.

Brian Nelson '97: Nelson was a four-year member of the football and baseball teams. He played quarterback for the Knights and was a two-year starter and also earned All-Conference honors those seasons. On the gridiron, Nelson threw 260 passes for 4,051 yards and 45 touchdowns. He also amassed 1,031 yards on the ground which included 10 touchdowns. The Knights finished 34-6 in his four years and were 27-5 in Iowa Conference games. On the diamond, Nelson was a four-year starter in the outfield and had a .287 career batting average. His nine career triples ranks sixth-best on the program's all-time career leader list. Nelson played in 140 games, had 119 hits, 24 doubles, nine triples, 13 home runs and 81 RBIs. Wartburg won the 1997 Iowa Conference Championship. He was a member of the football and baseball teams that reached the NCAA Tournament. Nelson lives in Forsyth, Georgia where he is a teacher and a coach at Mary Persons High School.

Melissa (Stensland) Norton '01: Norton was a four-year member of the track and field team where she was a three-time Iowa Conference champion in the shot put. She was a National Qualifier in four events for indoor nationals and six for outdoor nationals in her four-year career. Norton was a two-time All-American in the shot put and placed as high as third in 1999. She held the school record in the hammer throw, weight throw and shot put in both venues but all records have since been broken by athletes she has coached. Norton lives in Waverly and is an assistant track and field and assistant strength and conditioning coach at Wartburg College. The Knights have won seven NCAA National Championships and she has coached 11 All-American women's throwers and three All-American men's throwers, including a National Championship in the shot put. The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named her the women's Assistant Outdoor Coach of the Year in 2013 and she has received three USTFCCCA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year awards.

Jessica (Mennen) Rettig '04: Rettig was a four-year member of the basketball team where she was a three-time All-Conference selection, including two First-team honors. She played in 114 games, scored 1,442 points, 687 rebounds, 61 blocked shots, had a 12.6 PPG career scoring average and a .512 lifetime field goal percentage. Rettig received All-Region honors from d3hoops.com for the 2003-04 season. She lives in Johnston where she is a cardio pulmonary specialist at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. Rettig has volunteered with the American Heart Association Heart Walk and Heart expo, is a Heartland volunteer and has been a first grade Sunday school teacher and a vacation bible school volunteer at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines.

Gary Ross '79: Ross was a three-year member of the football team and four-year member of the baseball team. He played quarterback for the Knights and threw 197 passes for 2,133 yards and four touchdowns in his two years as the starter. Ross was also the punter and had 131 punts for an average of 37.1 yards per kick. On the diamond, he had eight career wins on the mound and had a .321 career batting average as he had 83 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 51 RBIs and was a perfect nine-for-nine in stolen base attempts. Ross was a member of the three Iowa Conference Championship baseball teams and was named the Conference's Player of the Year in 1979. He resides in Urbandale where he works as the Activities and Athletic Director at Johnston Schools in Des Moines. Ross currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Drake Relays and is a past president of the Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association.

Heather (Nail) Schmidt '00: Schmidt was a four-year member of the volleyball team where she played in 128 matches and recorded 941 kills, 1,440 digs, 156 blocks, 92 service aces and had a career hitting percentage of .769. The Knights finished 89-39 in her four years and qualified for the 1997 and 1998 NCAA Tournament. She was a First-team All-Conference selection in 1999 and held the school records in kills, digs, attack attempts when she graduated. Schmidt earned her master's degree from Minnesota State-Mankato. She lives in Ankeny and works in Heart Ball Director for the American Heart Assoc. in Des Moines.. Schmidt has taught bible school classes at her church, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, meals for the Heartland and Junior Leagues.