Multi-sport athletes, All-Americans and school record holders for Norse athletics were inducted the Luther College Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 3 in the Center for Faith and Life, as part of the 2025 Homecoming festivities.
The 2025 Hall of Fame class includes two-time all-conference offensive linemen David Lee '80, All-American wrestlers Gene Adams '00 and Jeff Patzke '05, three-time all-conference and all-region softball outfielder Holly (Wendt) Crowser '00, Iowa Conference Men's Soccer MVP Matthew Louder '00, NCAA III Women's Tennis Championships qualifier Leah (Schmitt) Taylor '00, All-American track and cross country distance runner Katie (Dolan) Gerber '10, four-time swimming All-American Michael Pettengill '10, National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American catcher Tiffany (Kruse) Rave '10, and two-time All-American men's soccer midfielder James Garcia-Prats '14.
Luther presented the Athletic Meritorious Service Award posthumously to the family of Professor Emeritus of Economics Warren G. Berg '48, who served as the sports information director at Luther College from 1950-66.
All honorees are selected by the Hall of Fame committee, which is composed of current and former coaches and staff members in the Norse Athletic Department.
2025 Hall of Fame Class (listed by graduation year)
David Lee – Football – 1980
Lee was an outstanding offensive lineman who helped lead the Norse to the 1978 Iowa Conference championship. He was named all-conference in 1978 and 1979 and helped pave the way for an offensive unit that produced 4,504 yards of total offense during his final two season in a Luther uniform.
Gene Adams – Wrestling – 2000
During his four years in a Norse uniform, Adams posted a career record of 75-51. During his senior year he was crowned the Iowa Conference champion at 184 and went on to earn All-American honors with a sixth place finish as the NCAA III National Championships.
Holly (Wendt) Crowser – Softball – 2000
(Wendt) Crowser rewrote the softball record books while playing outfield, completing her career holding school records for batting average (.399), slugging percentage (.612), hits (152), doubles (33) and stolen bases (48). Three times she was named all-Iowa Conference and all-region and is one of eight players in Luther history to be so honored in both categories.
Matthew Louder – Men's Soccer – 2000
Louder started 87 consecutive matches as a defender during his career and helped lead the Norse to four Iowa Conference championships and three appearances in the NCAA III National Tournament, that included a trip to the Elite 8 in 1996. During this four-year stretch the Norse posted a record of 68-22 that included a 36-0 record against Iowa Conference opponents. He was named the league MVP in 1998, and is one of five players in Luther history to be named all-conference four times. He was also a two-time all-region honoree.
Leah (Schmitt) Taylor – Women's Tennis – 2000
(Schmitt) Taylor posted a career singles record of (72-26) and doubles record of (75-26) while helping lead Luther to four Iowa Conference championships and two regional tournament appearances. Three-times she was named all-conference in both singles and doubles. During her senior year, she qualified for the NCAA III National Championships in both singles and doubles, advancing to the round of 16 in both categories.
Jeff Patzke – Wrestling – 2005
A three-time All-American at 141 pounds, Patzke posted a career record of 83-37. He helped lead Luther to NCAA III National Championships finishes of fifth (2003) and third (2004, 2005). Individually he placed eighth in 2003, sixth in 2004 and third in 2005. His senior year he tallied 33 wins, that ranks tied for ninth all-time for single season wins.
Katie (Dolan) Gerber – Women's Cross Country and Track & Field – 2010
During her career, (Dolan) Gerber earned all-conference honors twice in cross country and 10 times in track and field. She helped lead Luther to a conference and regional title in cross country and two trips to the National Cross Country Championships. In track, she was a two-time national qualifier outdoors in the 3000 Steeplechase, earning All-American honors her senior year. Three times she was the conference champion in this same event. She completed her track career with her name appearing on three school records, and currently ranks in the top-10 in seven events outdoors and five events indoors.
Michael Pettengill – Men's Swimming & Diving – 2010
One of the most dominating swimmers in Luther history, Pettengill earned All-American honors in the 200 breaststroke (2010) and three-times in the 100 breaststroke (2007, 2008, 2010). He also earned All-American honors as a member of the 200 and 400 medley relays (2008). Sixteen times he was crowned a conference champion and 11-times a Liberal Arts Championships champion. At graduation, his named appeared as the school record holder in five events.
Tiffany (Kruse) Rave – Softball and Volleyball – 2010
A multi-year letter winner in both volleyball and softball, (Kruse) Rave made her mark in both sports. She finished her volleyball career with 791 kills and 1,146 digs that ranks eighth all-time. Behind the dish for the Norse softball team, she was named a first-team National Softball Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American her senior year. Three times she was named all-conference and all-region. She helped lead the Norse to a record of 142-37, a conference championship (2007), three regional appearances (2007, 2009, 2010) and a fifth place finish at the NCAA III National Championship (2010). Her name still appears on the top-10 statistical list in six categories.
James Garcia-Prats – Men's Soccer – 2014
A 2014 graduate, Garcia-Prats was selected for the Class of 2024 but was not able to attend, so he will be inducted with the class of 2025. During his four years playing midfield, he helped lead the Norse to a record of 50-23-8, two conference championships and two appearances in the NCAA III National Tournament. Twice he was named a United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-American. He was also named all-region twice and all-conference three times. He was a USC Scholar All-American, CoSIDA Academic All-American and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholar.
About the Hall of Fame
In order to be eligible for the Luther Athletics Hall of Fame, individuals must be a graduate of the college and must have graduated 10 years prior to their induction. Inductees must have been an outstanding athlete or coach at Luther and have contributed to community life after graduation. All honorees are selected by the Hall of Fame committee, which is composed of current and former coaches and staff members in the Luther Athletic Department.
