Grinnell College Athletics

Kayla Morrissey ’18 is arguably the best women’s two-sport athlete to ever suit up at Grinnell. A standout in both softball and basketball, she made her mark on Pioneer athletics in ways that may never be replicated. On the softball diamond, Morrissey still holds school records in multiple career categories including games played (142), games started (142), at bats (472), runs scored (117), hits (196), triples (14), RBIs (102) and total bases (271). She ranks third in career batting average at .415 and on-base percentage at .468, and she is sixth in slugging percentage at .574. She is also listed in the program’s top 10 for doubles, home runs, walks, fielding chances, and fielding assists. In all, she is listed in the record book’s top 10 a total of 44 times. She hit over .400 all four seasons and had a superb career fielding percentage of .944 while playing a majority of games at the hot corner. 

Her accolades were recognized by others, as she is the only Grinnell player to earn All-Region honors four times. A second-team All-Midwest Conference honoree as a first-year, she was elevated to the first team each of her final three seasons and was named the league’s Player of the Year in 2017. She still holds the MWC record for hits in a career with 196. In her final season, she guided the Pioneers to a then-program record 24 victories and their first trip to the MWC Tourney in more than a decade. 

She also made a big mark in basketball and is still the program’s career leader in free throws made with 417. A complete player, she ranks third in points scored (1,426), sixth in rebounds (614) and seventh in blocked shots (66). In all, she is listed 29 times in Grinnell College’s record book. Morrissey was an All-Region and CoSIDA Academic All-Region selection as a senior, plus was twice named to the All-MWC first team. Twice she led the Pioneers to the MWC Tourney after the team hadn’t qualified in more than a decade. A multiple Academic All-Conference performer, she was presented the G. Lester Duke ’25 Award following her first year at Grinnell and the Joyce Buck ’56 Award as a senior. 

Community service was also an integral part of Morrissey’s four years at Grinnell. An active member of Student-Athletes Leading Social Change, she helped coordinate two sexual assault awareness walks. Morrissey majored in general science with concentrations in biology and statistics. After college, she pursued her passion for basketball and played professionally in Ireland while earning a master’s degree in exercise physiology. With a desire to continue her involvement with sport, she served a stint in collegiate coaching for both basketball and softball. While coaching, she earned her master’s in business administration. Morrissey now serves as the athletics admission counselor at Roosevelt University, functioning as the liaison between athletics and admissions. In this role, she helps guide prospective students and their families through the recruitment process.