Photo by: Holly Fasching
Three New Members Inducted Into Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame
9/5/2025 10:11:00 PM | Football, Athletics, Men's Soccer, Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh Athletics formally inducted its three newest members of the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 6 as Lehigh hosted its 23rd Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony at Wood Dining Room in Iacocca Hall. The 2025 induction class includes softball standout Jenny Bender '03, men's soccer star Andrew Mittendorf '99 and student-athlete, longtime administrator and former Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett '76.
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Bender and Sterrett were elected earlier this summer while Mittendorf was elected in 2023 but had to delay his formal induction to 2025.
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Lehigh elected three other individuals to its 2025 Hall of Fame class. Men's soccer standout Evan Bruno '03, women's basketball and women's lacrosse great and current WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engebert '86 and alumnus, friend and benefactor of athletics John Harmon '59. Those three will have their formal induction ceremonies deferred to another date.
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Click on the inductee's name below to view the full biography.
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JENNY BENDER '03
A productive and versatile player, Jenny Bender was one of the leaders for Lehigh softball in the early 2000s. Bender was the first Lehigh softball player to earn first-team laurels on four occasions, doing so as the designated player from 2000 through 2003. She added a pair of second team honors as a pitcher in her final two seasons. Bender's .394 batting average and 248 hits rank fourth in school history, while her 145 career runs batted in rank fifth. Bender was a two-time first-team NFCA All-Region honoree as a utility player and earned All-ECAC recognition on three occasions. A third team Academic All-American in 2003, Bender was also named MVP of the 2001 Patriot League Tournament which eventually led to Lehigh making its first NCAA Regional appearance.
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ANDREW MITTENDORF '99
The most prolific scorer in Lehigh men's soccer history, Mittendorf owns Lehigh single season and career records for goals and points that have stood for more than a quarter of a century. A two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, Mittendorf scored 24 goals and tallied 49 points as a senior in 1998. He finished his career with 43 goals and 106 points. Mittendorf was a two-time All-Region honoree and a three-time All-Patriot League selection. A member of the Patriot League All-Decade Team and the league's 25th Anniversary Team, Mittendorf was drafted by the Colorado Rapids in the first round of the 1999 Major League Soccer Draft and played professionally in Sweden and the United States.
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JOE STERRETT '76
Sterrett initially came to Lehigh as a first-year football student-athlete in 1972 and retired in 2024, concluding a 52-year association with the University. He was a student-athlete, then a coach and an administrator who spent 35 years as Lehigh's Athletic Director, becoming the first Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics in 2004. Through his experiences at Lehigh, Sterrett helped to develop the Lehigh athletics department into a group of highly skilled and caring educators whose common vision and exemplary work ethic aspired to make every student-athlete's experience a positive and developmental one. In his time as Athletic Director, he worked with nearly 6,000 student-athletes and saw Lehigh programs win 120 conference championships. Under Sterrett's leadership, Lehigh was a founding member of the Patriot League and added three women's varsity sports. Sterrett also helped establish the Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame, the Athletics Partnership and Flight 45 Leadership Development Program among other initiatives.
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The Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame induction is sponsored by the Lehigh Athletics Partnership.
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Bender and Sterrett were elected earlier this summer while Mittendorf was elected in 2023 but had to delay his formal induction to 2025.
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Lehigh elected three other individuals to its 2025 Hall of Fame class. Men's soccer standout Evan Bruno '03, women's basketball and women's lacrosse great and current WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engebert '86 and alumnus, friend and benefactor of athletics John Harmon '59. Those three will have their formal induction ceremonies deferred to another date.
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Click on the inductee's name below to view the full biography.
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JENNY BENDER '03
A productive and versatile player, Jenny Bender was one of the leaders for Lehigh softball in the early 2000s. Bender was the first Lehigh softball player to earn first-team laurels on four occasions, doing so as the designated player from 2000 through 2003. She added a pair of second team honors as a pitcher in her final two seasons. Bender's .394 batting average and 248 hits rank fourth in school history, while her 145 career runs batted in rank fifth. Bender was a two-time first-team NFCA All-Region honoree as a utility player and earned All-ECAC recognition on three occasions. A third team Academic All-American in 2003, Bender was also named MVP of the 2001 Patriot League Tournament which eventually led to Lehigh making its first NCAA Regional appearance.
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ANDREW MITTENDORF '99
The most prolific scorer in Lehigh men's soccer history, Mittendorf owns Lehigh single season and career records for goals and points that have stood for more than a quarter of a century. A two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, Mittendorf scored 24 goals and tallied 49 points as a senior in 1998. He finished his career with 43 goals and 106 points. Mittendorf was a two-time All-Region honoree and a three-time All-Patriot League selection. A member of the Patriot League All-Decade Team and the league's 25th Anniversary Team, Mittendorf was drafted by the Colorado Rapids in the first round of the 1999 Major League Soccer Draft and played professionally in Sweden and the United States.
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JOE STERRETT '76
Sterrett initially came to Lehigh as a first-year football student-athlete in 1972 and retired in 2024, concluding a 52-year association with the University. He was a student-athlete, then a coach and an administrator who spent 35 years as Lehigh's Athletic Director, becoming the first Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics in 2004. Through his experiences at Lehigh, Sterrett helped to develop the Lehigh athletics department into a group of highly skilled and caring educators whose common vision and exemplary work ethic aspired to make every student-athlete's experience a positive and developmental one. In his time as Athletic Director, he worked with nearly 6,000 student-athletes and saw Lehigh programs win 120 conference championships. Under Sterrett's leadership, Lehigh was a founding member of the Patriot League and added three women's varsity sports. Sterrett also helped establish the Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame, the Athletics Partnership and Flight 45 Leadership Development Program among other initiatives.
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The Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame induction is sponsored by the Lehigh Athletics Partnership.
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