Courtney Calkins attended Iowa Lakes Community College from 2015-2017 and is being inducted into the Hall of Fame for Softball.   

Courtney chose to attend Iowa Lakes because she loved the small campus; everyone was welcoming and it felt like the right fit for her to grow as a student and athlete.   

Her coach Katie King had the biggest impact on her while at Iowa Lakes.   

Coach King had this to say about Courtney, “Courtney is very deserving to be in the Iowa Lakes Athletics Hall of Fame. She is the epitome of what an Iowa Lakes student athlete should be, by finding success on the softball field, in the classroom, and within the community.  She was the leader and glue of her team. Her teammates turned to her in tough times, and she was always the first to celebrate the victories. I am thrilled that Courtney's attitude and effort will continue to impact young women in softball as she starts her journey as the head softball coach at Hawkeye Community College.” 

Courtney also really appreciated Kyle Norris, Janet Kirchner, Annie Kalous, and Sarah Stokes for what they did for her as a Laker.   

Courtney has many fond memories from her time at Iowa Lakes.  One of the best on the field was beating #2 ranked Kirkwood at home 7-5.  Another is celebrating with her team when they found out they were ranked 17th in the national poll.  She also loved all of the team bonding moments from living in the dorms together, team dinners, going through early morning lifts and late night practices.  There are so many good memories with her teammates that will always be with her.   

She also loved being able to be so involved on campus, especially going to every sporting event, taking stats for basketball, and being on student senate.  As a Laker, she was able to meet many different people from all over the world and make connections that she would not have been able to otherwise.   

While attending Iowa Lakes, Courtney earned All-Conference Honorable Mention as a freshman, and All-Conference 2nd Team as a sophomore.  She was named Pitcher of the Week in 2017, was the NJCAA Lea Plarski Award winner in 2017, won the NJCAA Pinnacle Academic Achievement Award in both 2016 and 2017, NJCAA All-Academic First team in both 2016 and 2017,  ICCAC 1st Team Academic All-Region XI all four semesters, and Presidential Honors List in 2016 and 2017.  She served as Student Senate Treasurer and Student Senate President as well as Commencement Speaker in 2017.   

Community service was really important to Courtney and she spent a great deal of time helping others while at Iowa Lakes.  She volunteered weekly at Demoney Elementary in a kindergarten classroom, put together and ran a canned food drive for Upper Des Moines, helped with a hygiene product drive for the half-way house in Spirit Lake, helped landscape Estherville trees, worked with the American Heart Association, donated toys for Upper Des Moines Toys for Tots, helped with Centers Against Abuse and Sexual Assault to organize the It’s On Us campaign at the school   

After Iowa Lakes, Courtney continued her athletic and academic career at Tennessee Wesleyan University.  The team was ranked #23 in the country her senior season.  Courtney served as team captain her senior year.  She earned numerous awards at Tennessee Wesleyan University including NAIA softball Scholar Athlete First Team in 2018 and 2019, Appalachian Athletic Conference All Academic Team in 2018 and 2019, TWU Softball Champion of Character Award Winner, Appalachian Athletic Conference Champion of Character Award Winner, Math Student of the Year and graduated Summa Cum Laude. 

Courtney would like to thank her mom and dad, Michelle and Terry Calkins, as well as her sister Erika Calkins.   

Congratulations Courtney Calkins on being inducted into the Iowa Lakes Hall of Fame.