Gustavus Adolphus College

Melissa Ring Griffith was the track and field program's first shot put specialist to consistently compete on the national stage during the late 1990s. Dedicated to her craft and a workhorse in both the weight room and throwing pit, Griffith's sheer strength allowed her to become a four-time All-American during her Gustavus career. She was the first Gustie to earn All- America honors in the shot put at the NCAA indoor championships with a fourth place finish in 1999. At the NCAA outdoor championships, Melissa achieved All-America status in the shot put three times by placing eighth in 1997, fifth in 1998, and sixth in 1999. At the conference level, the Anoka High School product collected a total of six all-conference honors. She claimed gold at the 1999 MIAC indoor championships after finishing runner-up two consecutive seasons in 1997 and 1998. Griffith won the shot put title at the 1999 MIAC outdoor championships following a third-place finish in 1997 and a second-place performance in 1998.

After graduating in 1999 with a degree in theatre, Melissa spent five years as a theatre electrician at the Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis. She then worked four years as a master electrician at the Arizona Repertory Theatre in Tucson before taking a position as an inventory processing team manager at Borders in 2008. Griffith is currently the office manager at Superior Landscape and Irrigation in St. Paul, where she lives with her husband, Jim.