Benedictine inducting 6 into athletic Hall of Fame
Benedictine University will induct six athletes into its Hall of Fame during ceremonies Saturday, Feb. 5, in the school’s Dan and Ada Rice Center at College Road and Maple Avenue.
The ceremony will be held in conjunction with men’s and women’s basketball games against Lakeland College and will include a lunch at 11 a.m. and a hospitality room from 1 to 4 p.m.
The inductees are basketball and volleyball star Jennifer (Olson) Wildes, baseball standout Michael Kowalewski, softball star Kathleen (Enochs) Keller, basketball player and coach Keith Bunkenburg, football’s Kevin Downs, and the late Stephen Napierala, who starred in numerous sports.
Jennifer Wildes
Jennifer (Olson) Wildes, who graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s in management and organizational behavior, enjoyed one of the most impressive two-sport careers in the history of Benedictine athletics.
When she graduated, she was the women’s basketball team’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder and a four-time all-conference selection.
In volleyball, Wildes was a four-time all-conference player and three-time conference Player of the Year. Wildes also was named female Student-Athlete of the Year and Student of the Year in the management and organizational behavior program.
Michael Kowalewski
Michael Kowalewski, who graduated in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, is one of only six first-team All-Americans in the history of the Benedictine University baseball program. He stands atop the Benedictine career record books in batting average, hits, doubles and runs batted in while ranking second in career home runs and runs scored.
Kowalewski also holds single-season records for hits and doubles and is second in single-season home runs and batting average.
Kathleen Keller
Kathleen (Enochs) Keller, who graduated in 1996 with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education, is one of the most decorated student-athletes at Benedictine University and one of the most successful pitchers in the history of NCAA Division III softball, setting the Division III record for single-season winning percentage (.917) in 1993.
Keller was a four-time All-American and was a first team selection in 1996. She won 80 games (86 percent of her decisions) including 41 by shutout, pitching 645 innings with 545 strikeouts and a career 0.73 earned run average.
Keith Bunkenburg
Keith Bunkenburg, who graduated in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, was a four-year starter and three-time all-conference basketball player under Hall of Fame coach Tony LaScala. He played on four conference championship teams and is the school’s ninth all-time leading scorer and is second in career assists.
As men’s basketball coach, Bunkenburg won five conference tournament championships, strung together nine consecutive winning seasons (1996-2005) and is second all-time in career wins.
Kevin Downs
Kevin Downs, who graduated in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in English, was a four-year starter and three-time team captain under Illinois Benedictine College Hall of Fame football coach Tom Beck, whose teams were some of the most successful in school history. Downs still owns the school career punt return mark at 18.5 yards per return.
As a junior and senior, Downs led Benedictine to 14 wins after the Eagles had won just three games the previous two seasons. Downs also served as an assistant coach for three seasons following his graduation.
Stephen Napierala
No one has been nominated for the Benedictine University Athletic Hall of Fame in more sports than the late Stephen Napierala, who graduated in 1963 with a bachelor of science in mathematics.
Napierala pioneered the hockey club while at St. Procopius College and led his team in scoring in both his junior and senior seasons. He led the football team in rushing and scoring in 1962 and was named to the Little All-American Team. In baseball, Napierala was named team MVP in 1961 after leading St. Procopius to the first conference title in school history.