Ketterman-Benner Calling it a Career After 43 Years at Moravian
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Long-time women’s tennis coach Dawn Ketterman-Benner will be calling it a career after the 2014 season, retiring from Moravian College after 43 years at the institution.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Long-time women's tennis coach Dawn Ketterman-Benner will be calling it a career after the 2014 season, retiring from Moravian College after 43 years at the institution.
Ketterman-Benner arrived at Moravian in 1971 as a health and physical education professor, and in her early years, she coached badminton, archery and the cheerleaders along with assisting with the field hockey team and intramurals. Over her career, she has also served as Moravian's Primary Women's Administrator, which eventually became the Senior Women's Administrator under the NCAA, Associate Athletic Director and the Chairperson of Moravian's Physical Education Department.
After Title IX was passed in 1972, Ketterman-Benner helped Moravian re-introduce women's basketball and eventually add the sports of cross country, soccer, softball and volleyball. She served as the first head coach for the volleyball program, coaching the sport from 1975 until 1987 with an overall record of 165-103.
In 1987, Ketterman-Benner took over the reins of the women's tennis program from the late Betty Prince. Over the last 27-plus seasons, she has led the Greyhounds to a 286-115 record through April 3 and conference championships in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 & 2011. Ketterman-Benner also led Moravian to its first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in 2007 and a another berth in 2011. Over the last 18-plus years, Moravian has won 11 conference titles and has a 258-50 record.
She has earned a number of coaching accolades during her career as well. 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 was awarded the 2013 Edwin J. Faulkner College Coach of the Year and the 2013 Eastern Pennsylvania District (EPD) College Coach of the Year by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Middle States Section.
Ketterman-Benner has coached nine Greyhounds to Lehigh Valley Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (LVAIAW) Player of the Year, five Landmark Conference Players of the Year, three singles conference champions, and two conference doubles champions. She has also coached 23 players to All-Conference honors, including five First Team selections in singles and six First Team nods in doubles. She has also had her team earn the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Award for 13 straight years now (2001-2013), and 55 of her players through those years have earned the ITA Scholar-Athlete honor.
"Forty-three years has given me numerous memorable moments," Ketterman-Benner stated. "Seeing the women's sports program grow and succeed at Moravian, the growth and success of the Moravian College dance program, my successful tennis teams, my work as chair of the Physical Education Department and keeping the Moravian Community focused on health, wellness, and fitness."
In 1978, Ketterman-Benner and Prince along with their counterparts at Albright College, Cedar Crest College and Muhlenberg College were founding board members of the LVAIAW. She was also part of the first Hall of Fame Committee at Moravian that began to enshrine former Greyhound greats in 1983.
Ketterman-Benner, a graduate of East Stroudsburg University and a member of the Warriors' Hall of Fame, has also been active at Moravian outside of the athletic venue. In 1975, she helped start the dance program at Moravian and also helped to create the LVAIC Dance Consortium and Lehigh Valley Dance Forum. Moravian just hosted its 39th annual performance on March 28 and 29.
She was an early board member of the Lehigh Valley Tennis Association that has grown into the Eastern Pa. District Tennis Organization of which Ketterman-Benner is still a board member today. She helped develop the Tennis On Campus program for those non-varsity student-athletes play the sport. The USTA/Middle States ran the first program at Lehigh University, and it is still an active program today.
Ketterman-Benner has been active with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Moravian, currently serving as co-advisor. She has also been part of both the MAC and Landmark Conference SAAC groups, helping to write the initial by-laws for each group. She also helped two Moravian student-athletes earn terms on the NCAA Division III National SAAC.
"What I'll miss most about leaving is interacting with the wonderful students here at Moravian," Ketterman-Benner said.
Over the years, Ketterman-Benner attended the NCAA CHAMPS Leadership Conferences which in turn led Moravian to introducing an NCAA CHAMPS Life Skills program on campus and sending student-athletes to the NCAA Leadership Conference. That program has also helped lead to Moravian hosting a Sophomore Leadership Conference each January for all of its sophomore student-athletes. Ketterman-Benner also picked up the idea of an all-sports kickoff each fall through an information sharing session at an NCAA CHAMPS meeting and helped Moravian start the annual event on the Bethlehem campus.
While a 43-year career jam-packed with accolades, accomplishments and memories is coming to a close, the long-lasting legacy left by Ketterman-Benner, a native of Lititz, Pennsylvania, is just beginning.
"Retirement is an end for some things but also a new beginning for others," Ketterman-Benner finished. "I'll plan on doing some work as an adjunct for the Moravian Education Department and fundraising for the DKB Dance Endowment Fund. I have also been asked to be more active with ESU alumni activities as well as returning to officiating and high school coaching both in the Lehigh Valley and in Delaware/Sussex County. The people at Middle States would like me to get involved with Junior Team Tennis again so I'm planning on remaining very active and involved with athletics once I leave Moravian."
