Hall of Fame
Melissa Wegner grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Lane Tech High School, where she helped lead the softball team to four city championships and also earned four varsity letters in basketball.
Wegner entered Lake Forest College in 2002 and helped the Forester softball team claim Midwest Conference titles each of the next four seasons. The four-year starter at shortstop graduated as the program’s career leader with 114 runs scored and 382 assists and finished among the top four in team history with 150 hits, 221 total bases, 28 doubles, and 35 stolen bases. Wegner was a team captain and Lake Forest’s Most Valuable Player as a junior and senior. She also earned First Team All-MWC South Division honors each of her final two seasons and was voted MWC South Position Player of the Year as a senior. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association made her a Third Team All-Great Lakes Region selection as a junior and a Second Team honoree the following season. The Foresters won more than 100 games and were 39-13 in conference play during Wegner’s career. They also advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament each season and she was named to the 2005 Regional All-Tournament Team.
Wegner was also extremely successful in the classroom, receiving Academic All-MWC honors three times and adding Third Team Academic All-America® accolades her senior year. The business and environmental studies double major earned senior prizes in both fields. During her four years on campus she was also involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Best Buddies, and Athletic Council.
After graduating magna cum laude, Wegner spent a year serving in a ministry in Ghana before pursuing a career in education as a teacher, school administrator, and basketball and softball coach. She also earned master’s degrees from Northwestern University and Concordia University Chicago.
