ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Red Raider athletics Hall of Fame selection committee has selected four individuals as the newest members of its Hall of Fame, to be honored at the annual Hall of Fame banquet on January 25 at 6:00 p.m. Coaches of the Year and the Barnabas Award winner will also be honored. Tickets for the event will be available at www.nwcraiders.com/tickets later this fall.
HALL OF FAME – Alli (Dunkelberger) Engebretson (Women’s Basketball, 2010-14)
A First Team NAIA All-American and All-GPAC selection in 2014, Engebretson was part of the one of the greatest runs in program history. During her time at Northwestern, she was a two-time national champion and four-time NAIA tournament qualifier. Engebretson closed her career with 1,399 points, which sits 17th in program history. In her senior season, she averaged 19.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.
HALL OF FAME – Neil Malenke (Men’s Golf, 2010-14)
The 2013 GPAC Individual Champion and Player of the Year, Malenke’s name is prominent in the Raider record books. He was a member of two NAIA tournament-qualifying teams, an NAIA and GCAA All-American, a GCAA All-Region selection, and four-time All-Conference placer. Malenke shares the record for the lowest round in school history, shooting a 65 (-7) at the 2013 Palace City Invite. He won eight tournaments, also tied for the most in program history. Malenke held a career scoring average of 75.26 over 69 rounds of golf.
HALL OF FAME – Karlie (Schut) Schornback (Volleyball, 2012-16)
A three-time NAIA All-American, 2015 GPAC Player of the Year, and four-time All-GPAC selection, Schut led the Raiders to two national tournament appearances in her time at Northwestern. Schut currently ranks sixth in program history with 1,696 career kills, averaging 3.33 kills per set. She also recorded 340 career blocks from her opposite side position. Schut was stellar in the classroom as well, being named the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, and the NAIA’s A.O. Duer scholarship award winner.
HALL OF FAME – Nathan Wedel (Men’s Basketball, 2014-18)
Wedel closed his career with four All-GPAC selections, a First Team All-American honor, a conference title, and two NAIA tournament appearances. He still sits in the top-10 in all-time scoring at Northwestern with 1,924 points, also collecting 798 rebounds. He averaged 15.5 points per contest with a career-best average of 21.3 points per game his senior year, also averaging 6.4 rebounds for his career. Wedel scored a career-high 46 points against Dordt his senior year in one of the most productive offensive performances for a Red Raider.
COACH OF THE YEAR – Teri (Van Wechel) Anderson (’89)
The head girls track coach at MOC-Floyd Valley High School, Anderson led the Dutch to a runner-up finish at the 3A state track championship last season. It was the highest team finish ever for the MOC-FV program.
COACH OF THE YEAR – Aaron Thomas (’02)
Thomas, the head boys cross country coach at Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Iowa, led his team to its fourth state title in 2023. His team posted the second lowest state meet points total since Iowa high school cross country went to four classes in 2003.
COACH OF THE YEAR – Brad Van Roekel (’94)
Van Roekel led the Boyden-Hull high school boys golf team to an Iowa 1A state championship in 2024. The Comets posted a team score of 300 (+16) in a one-round tournament to claim the title.
BARNABAS AWARD – Grahm Kenobbie (’20)
Graduating from Northwestern with a degree in computer science and philosophy, Kenobbie was a Red Raider through and through. He was a leader in Northwestern’s football program, a light to those around campus, and a successful student. Kenobbie receives the award posthumously after passing unexpectedly at the age of 26 earlier this year.
