IOWA FALLS, IOWA -- From 1976 through 1978, Lori Stielow competed for the Ellsworth Community College Panthers softball team. As the number-one starting pitcher during her freshman year, Ellsworth won the 1977 NJCAA Softball National Championship. In the national tournament, Ellsworth won 9-4 over Northeastern Colorado, won 10-0 in five innings against Spoon River (IL), and, in the championship game, they defeated Jackson (MI) by a final score of 3-2. Stielow pitched all three games in the tournament to help the Panthers win the title.

As a pitcher, Stielow contributed to much of Ellsworth's success. Many honors were bestowed upon Stielow including winning the Northern JUCO Conference (fall), Waldorf Tournament (fall), Northern JUCO Conference (spring), and NJCAA Region 11 (spring). Stielow was named to the 1977 NJCAA All-Tournament Team and inducted as the first-ever female into the inaugural Ellsworth Hall of Fame years later in 1995.

Before Stielow joined the Panthers, Ellsworth's record was 16-21. During her freshman year, she worked hard and helped the Panthers improve to 37-6-1. Out of those games, she won 30, lost 2, and had one tie. In 2019, Ellsworth's 1977 championship team was inducted into the Ellsworth Community College Hall of Fame. Stielow's success and determination for the Panthers back then leads many to describe her as a pioneer for the school's female athletic programs.

Photo Courtesy: NJCAA.org