Tuesday, March 15, 2011

MORAVIAN’S DAWN KETTERMAN-BENNER REACHES 250 CAREER WINS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- Moravian College head women’s tennis coach Dawn Ketterman-Benner earned her 250th career win last week while the Greyhounds were competing at the Spring TennisFest in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The 250th win was a 9-0 victory of NCAA Division II Edinboro University of Pennsylvania to begin the trip.

Ketterman-Benner is in her 25th season in charge of the Moravian program, and she now has a 252-98 record with the majority of the 2010-11 season remaining.  She is the all-time winningest women’s tennis coach in school history.

Ketterman-Benner becomes the fifth coach on the Moravian staff with 250 wins, joining softball coach John Byrne (551 wins as of March 15th in 19 seasons), women’s basketball coach Mary Beth Spirk (448 in 24 season), men’s basketball coach Jim Walker (398 in 31 seasons) and women’s volleyball coach Shelley Bauder (366 in 19 seasons).  Ketterman-Benner is also one of six coaches on the staff that own the record for victories in their sport including Byrne, Spirk, Walker and Bauder as well as head football coach Scot Dapp (144 wins in 24 season).  Even though he is no longer coaching the sport, Walker holds the record for men’s tennis with 198 wins in 29 seasons.

Ketterman-Benner has led the Hounds to conference championships in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 & 2009. Ketterman-Benner led Moravian to its first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in 2007. Over the last 16 years, Moravian has won ten conference titles and had a 226-38 record. Ketterman-Benner was named the Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year four times. Ketterman-Benner also earned the U.S. Tennis Association/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Community Service Award for the Middle States Tennis Association in 2004 and the Middle States/EPD Award for Courage in 2009.

Ketterman-Benner, who is associate athletic director, senior women’s administrator and director of CHAMPS Life Skills, is a PTR certified professional teacher and a full professor in the physical education department. She has also served as coach for a variety of sports including volleyball, archery, badminton and field hockey. During her 13-year stint as volleyball coach, Moravian compiled a 165-103 record and won six MAC Southeast League titles.

Ketterman-Benner was the former chairperson of the MAC Tennis Games Committee and is now the Landmark Conference Tennis Chairperson, and she was recently appointed to the NCAA Division III Regional Tennis Committee. She is also on the NACWAA Membership Retention Committee.

Ketterman-Benner remains an active member of the Middle States Tennis Association and serves on the Lehigh Valley District XI Tennis Scholarship Committee. She was the MSTA Coach of the Year in 1999-2000 and was the EPD Coach of the Year in 2000-01 and 2007-08. Ketterman-Benner is the faculty advisor for the Moravian College Dance Company and the Moravian College cheerleaders, and she is the former Landmark Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee advisor.

Ketterman-Benner graduated with a Bachelor of Science in physical education from East Stroudsburg University, which inducted her into its Hall of Fame, received a Master of Science in education from Temple University in 1975 and continues to do post-graduate work in health education and wellness.