Grinnell College Athletics Hall of Fame
Rebecca Mackenzie Ward ’09 and Grinnell College women’s soccer success go hand in hand. During her time with the program, the Pioneers posted an impressive overall record of 53–21–3, including a 30–6 mark in the Midwest Conference.
Mackenzie is one of the few Grinnell players to earn All–Midwest Conference honors in all four of her seasons, including first-team recognition in her final three years. She was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and to the NSCAA/adidas® First Team All-Central Region in 2006. In 2008, she earned a spot on the prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-District® First Team.
Mackenzie still holds the program’s career record for matches played with 77. She also ranks fourth in penalty kicks made, eighth in game-winning goals, and 10th in shots on goal. Her three-assist performance against Knox College in 2007 ranks fifth in program history, while her eight-point game against Knox in 2005 is seventh all-time.
Grinnell captured a pair of Midwest Conference titles during her career, beginning with her first season when the Pioneers also won the conference tournament and recorded the program’s only NCAA Division III Tournament victory - a 3–1 first-round win over Lakeland. That season, Grinnell tied a school record with 14 wins, then surpassed it the following year by going 15–3–1 and posting a perfect 9–0 conference record. The Pioneers also won the MWC Tournament that year to earn another NCAA Tournament berth.
Grinnell followed with two more conference tournament appearances in her final seasons, during which the Pioneers compiled a combined 24 victories.
After her senior season, Mackenzie received the Grace McIlrath Parker ‘11 Award for outstanding athlete in a team sport.
A chemistry and anthropology double major at Grinnell, Mackenzie later earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in chemistry from the University of Minnesota. She is now a Lecturer in the Chemistry Department at The Ohio State University. She resides in Worthington, Ohio, with her husband, Sam, and their two sons, Owen and Callum.
