The Team Behind the Teams

On game day at Grinnell College, fans see packed stands, polished facilities, livestream broadcasts, and student-athletes competing at a high level. What most never see are the countless hours of preparation and collaboration that make those moments possible. 

Behind every competition is a network of staff members working long before the opening whistle and long after the final buzzer. Their work reflects the commitment of the Athletic Department to creating an environment where students can thrive academically, athletically, and personally. 

For Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities, Events and Equipment Kara Lowe, Head Facilities and Equipment Manager Luke Thompson, and Sports Information Director Ted Schultz, game day is about far more than logistics. It is about relationships, community, and creating the best possible experience for Grinnell students. 

Building the Foundation for Success 

Long before fans fill Darby Gymnasium or teams take the field, Thompson and his staff are already at work. 

“A lot of the time we open at 6 a.m.,” Thompson said. “And then we’re often here at 10 p.m. doing laundry, prepping travel bags, and making sure our student-athletes are ready for a road trip.” 

His team handles equipment checkouts, prepares uniforms and travel bags, oversees laundry services, and manages game-day setups for athletic events across campus. The goal, he says, is simple: “We want to let our students really focus on their academics and the sport that they’re playing and help the coaches not to have to worry about as much either,” Thompson said. 

That work often goes unnoticed, but it directly shapes the student-athlete experience. Thompson recently introduced in-house jersey repair and sewing through student workers — something uncommon at the Division III level. 

“We’ve got a good group of student employees who can do jersey repairs, sewing, and patchwork,” he said. “So, anything like that can be  done in-house now.” 

Thompson, who grew up in Grinnell and previously worked with the Iowa Wolves and Iowa Cubs, hopes the equipment room can also become a learning environment for students interested in careers in athletics. 

“I’d like to have an impact on some students here at Grinnell and hopefully encourage them and inspire them to work in athletics.” 

Making the Moments Memorable 

While Thompson helps teams prepare physically, Schultz helps tell their stories. 

Since joining Grinnell in 2007, Schultz has become a constant presence at nearly every athletic event. He oversees the athletics website, writes stories, manages statistics and social media, coordinates livestreams, and helps ensure every game-day operation runs smoothly. 

“There’s always something — whether it be the result of a game, a player of the week, a coaching hire, or some kind of record that’s broken,” Schultz said. 

On game days, Schultz manages everything from digital programs to webcasts and statistics while working closely with student employees and coaches. 

“It’s really nice. We use a lot of student-athletes as our student workers, and they do a good job of supporting each other,” he said. 

For nearly two decades, Schultz has witnessed some of the most memorable moments in Grinnell athletics history, including Jack Taylor’s 138-point performance in 2012 that brought international attention to the College. 

But for Schultz, the relationships matter more than the records. 

“I’ll never remember if we beat Monmouth College in a baseball game five years ago,” he said. “Some games I’ll remember, but mostly I’ll remember the people I got to know through the whole process.” 

Those relationships extend far beyond competition. Schultz regularly stays in touch with alumni, writes recommendation letters, and supports students through both celebrations and challenges. 

“Really knowing that you’re helping make their experience a good one is rewarding,” he said. 

A Community Effort 

For Lowe, successful game days depend on coordination across the entire campus community. 

In her role overseeing facilities, events and equipment, Lowe works closely with Facilities Management, Campus Safety, coaches, student workers, and community partners to ensure events run seamlessly. 

“A lot of it is making sure that if there are any issues, we’re there to take care of them before anyone else realizes there’s a problem,” Lowe said. 

That behind-the-scenes preparation became especially important during a stretch this year when Grinnell hosted the Midwest Conference swimming and diving championships, indoor track and field championships and men’s basketball conference tournament on consecutive weekends. 

“The number of people involved — student employees, coaches, department staff, friends and community members — made that event so successful,” Lowe said. “The coolest part was that we won all those events. All the events we hosted, we were conference champions in too, so that just puts the cherry on top.” 

For Lowe, those events reflected what makes Grinnell unique: collaboration and shared investment in student success. 

“It was incredible to see our department, our student-athletes, the Grinnell College community, and the broader Grinnell community all come together to create successful events for our students and student-athletes,” she said. 

She also has deep respect and praise for Thompson and Schultz and the countless details they manage every day to make the student-athlete experience at Grinnell possible. 

“The behind-the-scenes work they do — work that most people don’t see or fully understand — is a huge reason why all of our events run so smoothly,” Lowe said. “We are so thankful for what they do, what they’re committed to, and how they interact with our students. They really are incredible individuals.” 

Together, the work done by Lowe, Thompson, Schultz, and every other member of the Athletic Department ensures that Grinnell student-athletes can focus on what matters most: competing, learning, and growing. Their efforts may happen mostly behind the scenes, but they are essential to every successful game day and to the student-athlete experience that defines Grinnell athletics.