MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) -Â Wisconsin Lutheran College will induct five new members into the Paul F. Knueppel Hall of Fame on Friday, September 19 at the Sonesta Milwaukee West Wauwatosa.
Jenny (Ebeling) Biebert '15, Abby (Mahsem) Davis '19, Jen Dowden '19, Jacob Jodat '17, and
Dr. Dennis Miller will be the eighth class inducted into the department's hall of fame as part of Homecoming weekend.
The event, which begins with a 5 p.m. social followed by dinner and program at 6 p.m., will be streamed live on
WLCSports.com.
Jenny (Ebeling) Biebert
Jenny (Ebeling) Biebert made history for Wisconsin Lutheran College women's track & field, becoming the program's first student-athlete to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships when she earned a spot in the 2015 outdoor Heptathlon. A three-time Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference champion in the Heptathlon (2013, 2014, 2015) and two-time champion in the Javelin (2014, 2015), she was among the conference's premier multi-event competitors throughout her four-year career (2012-2015) with the Warriors. Biebert graduated as WLC's record holder in the indoor Pentathlon (3,084 points), outdoor Javelin (39.93m), and outdoor Heptathlon (4,338 points), records which still stand today. Her name remains etched throughout the Warriors' record books, with top-10 performances in 11 indoor events and eight outdoor events. She finished her career with 19 first-place finishes. The Muskego, Wisconsin, native was a four-time NACC Scholar-Athlete and recipient of the 2015 Roger Fleming Senior Scholar-Athlete Award.
Abby (Mahsem) Davis
Abby (Mahsem) Davis is one of the most decorated student-athletes in Wisconsin Lutheran College softball history. A dominant two-way player, Davis made her mark both in the circle and at the plate during her four-year career (2016–2019) with the Warriors. She was a two-time NFCA Second Team All-Region selection, the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Pitcher of the Year in both 2018 and 2019, and a three-time All-NACC honoree. Davis led the conference in strikeouts in consecutive seasons, fanning 169 batters in 2018 and 154 in 2019, while also pacing the league with a 1.81 ERA her senior year. She threw the first perfect game in program history on April 7, 2019, in a 12-0 five-inning shutout over Edgewood. Davis graduated as the Warriors' all-time leader in at-bats (469), hits (165), doubles (36), and RBI (82), while finishing her career ranked second in program history in strikeouts (481), shutouts (14), and ERA (2.40). The South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native was named NACC Student-Athlete of the Week three times and earned NACC Scholar-Athlete recognition all four years.
Jen Dowden
Jen Dowden cemented her place among the NCAA Division III's elite during her standout women's basketball career at Wisconsin Lutheran College. She was honored as a D3hoops.com Second Team All-American in 2018, the same season she was named the Central Region Player of the Year. A four-time D3hoops.com All-Region honoree, Dowden began her career as the Central Region Rookie of the Year in 2016. At the conference level, she was a four-time First Team All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference selection, a two-time NACC Player of the Year, and the 2016 NACC Freshman of the Year. Dowden started all 105 games of her four-year career (2015-2019) with the Warriors, graduating as the Warriors' all-time leading scorer with 1,757 points. Dowden also ranks second in program history in career scoring average (16.7), field goals made (657), free throws made (344), and minutes played (3,088). Her leadership fueled one of the most successful stretches in program history, guiding the Warriors to three NCAA Tournament appearances in four years, including a first-round win over No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan in 2019. Off the court, the Bonduel, Wisconsin, native was a three-time NACC Scholar-Athlete and earned NACC Student-Athlete of the Week honors eight times.
Jacob Jodat
Jacob Jodat left an indelible mark on Wisconsin Lutheran College distance running, excelling in both cross country and track & field for the Warriors from 2013-2017. A three-time All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference honoree in cross country, Jodat capped his career by being named the 2017 NACC Runner of the Year and earning All-North Region honors. He set WLC's all-time 8K record (24:11.8), tallied 15 career top-10 finishes with five event victories, and was a seven-time NACC Student-Athlete of the Week. On the track, Jodat was a dominant force, earning NACC Track Athlete of the Meet honors both indoors (2016) and outdoors (2017). He claimed six conference individual titles, including championships in the 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, and 10,000m, and posted 18 career first-place finishes. His name is etched across the Warriors' record books, ranking in the top 10 in three indoor events and 11 outdoor events. He was a four-time NACC Student-Athlete of the Week and four-time conference Scholar-Athlete. The Waukesha, Wisconsin, native capped his career by receiving WLC's Roger Fleming Senior Scholar-Athlete Award in 2017.
Dr. Dennis Miller
Dr. Dennis Miller, the first head coach and founder of Wisconsin Lutheran College football, built the Warriors program from the ground up. Hired in 1998, he spent two years laying the foundation before leading WLC onto the field for its inaugural game on September 2, 2000, a 14-0 victory at Rockford College. During the program's early years, Miller guided the Warriors through practices at Rainbow Park and games at multiple sites throughout the Milwaukee area until the opening of Raabe Stadium in 2004. Over 19 seasons at the helm, Miller directed Wisconsin Lutheran into America's oldest collegiate athletic conference, the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 2002 and later into the current Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference in 2008. He won 71 games, including 42 NACC contests. Miller's most successful campaign came in 2014, when he was named NACC Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Warriors to a 7-3 record and a share of the program's first conference championship. He mentored 49 First Team all-conference selections, including five players who are enshrined into the Paul F. Knueppel Hall of Fame.
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