Heather Schneider Lutes '96 was a two-sport star at Ripon College, excelling in women's basketball and track & field. The Red Hawks' all-time leading rebounder, Lutes was a three-time All-Conference player on the hardwood, earning the Midwest Conference's first-ever MWC Player of the Year award during her senior season of 1996, while also being named to the All-American team. As a track star, Lutes held school records in both the 200 and 400 meters, which have since been broken. She was inducted into Ripon's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.

Lutes burst onto the scene for Ripon's track & field team, winning the conference championship in both the 200 and 400 meters as a freshman with times of 26.55 and 58.26, respectively, the latter of which stood as a conference record for a couple years. She scored 94.5 points for Ripon during her track & field career.

"Being able to participate in athletics at Ripon College was a privilege," Lutes said. "I was able to compete in sports that I was passionate about, but more importantly, I learned many life lessons and was given numerous opportunities to grow both personally and professionally."

As good as she was on the track, Lutes was most known for her basketball skills as a rebounding machine for the Red Hawks, snatching 829 career rebounds, which still stands as a school record and currently ranks seventh in MWC history, 25 years after her graduation. She also is tied for the school record for single season rebounds, pulling down 241 during her senior season, which gives her three of the top four single season rebounding totals in program history. Lutes recorded three of the top nine single game rebounding totals in program history, including a school-record 25 against Wisconsin Lutheran during her junior year.

Although she was best known for her rebounding prowess, Lutes was an all-around player as one of just nine players in program history to score more than 1,000 points. Her career total of 1,041 points was third in program history at the time of her graduation and currently ranks ninth, while her 23 double-doubles are a school record and is four more than the next-highest total. Lutes also finished her career with 163 steals, which ranked second in school history at the time, and currently ranks eighth. As a senior, which ended with Lutes receiving MWC Player of the Year, All-Region and Fifth Team All-American honors, she set single season school records (at the time) for points, rebounds, and steals.

All the individual stats and accolades are great, but for Lutes, her favorite memory while playing for the Red Hawks was centered around the team. During her senior season, Lutes capped off her career by helping the Red Hawks win the first MWC Championship in program history, advancing to the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.

"That was such a special moment because I was able to achieve that goal along with my other senior friends and teammates," Lutes said. "Along the way, there were many obstacles, challenges, and good times that we all shared together."

As one of the cornerstones of some of Julie Johnson's earliest teams, Lutes helped build a foundation for Ripon's women's basketball program for years to come.

"Coach Johnson was very deliberate about the culture that she created for her program and her values and behaviors matched the goal of our team," Lutes said. "She gave us ownership of our team's direction, but performance standards and effort were never compromised. Coach Johnson was the ultimate leader of our team."

Coach Johnson's long-time assistant Pat Gonyo also played a key role in Lutes' development both as a player and as a person.

"Coach Gonyo was a tough coach, but she was tough because she wanted me to become just as tough," Lutes said. "She showed me that hard work and discipline was more important than talent and that those two qualities could get me far in sports and just as far in life."

Originally from Hilbert, Wis., Lutes currently lives in Cuba City, Wis. with her husband Brad of 23 years and serves as a Physical Education and Health Teacher in the Darlington School District. The couple has two children, Nicklaus and Bailey, both of whom are currently in college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Illinois-Chicago, respectively.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CLICK HERE to view and read all of Ripon's archived '100 For 100' profiles, which will have each profile added to it once it is posted online.