Athletics Hall of Fame
Laura (Hering) Granger was a member of the UW-Whitewater softball team from 1996-1999. The four-year letterwinner and ace on the mound compiled the most wins in the history of the league when she graduated with a record of 67-18. That mark still ranks sixth in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record book and is second in the UW-Whitewater records. She led the Warhawks to two conference titles (1996 and 1999) and three NCAA tournament berths (1996, 1998 and 1999). Granger earned first team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 1998 and 1999 to go along with numerous athletic awards. She was named first team All-Region in 1998, second team All-Region in 1999 and third team All-Region in 1997, and added All-Tournament Team accolades in the 1999 regional. Granger was selected to the All-WIAC teams four times, with first team honors in 1998 and 1999 and honorable mention recognition in 1996 and 1997. She was a team captain in 1998 and 1999 and was also named the team's Pitcher of the Year three seasons (1996, 1997, 1998). When she graduated, Granger held the top marks in the UW-Whitewater record book in season win-loss record (20-4 in 1998), strikeouts in a season (72 in 1998), career wins (67) and career strikeouts (229). Her name can still be found under a number of other categories in the Warhawks' records, including innings pitched in a season, complete games, shutouts in a season, career innings pitched and most innings pitched in a game. Off the field, Granger excelled in the classroom, earning the Chancellor Scholar Athlete Award and the WIAC Scholar Athlete of the Year honor in addition to being named named the Marty van Steenderen Sportswoman of the Year in 1999. She was also named the Sociology Department Junior of the Year in 1998. Granger received her degree in sociology/criminal justice and currently works for Rutabaga Paddlesports in Madison.
