The final inductee into the 2016 Loras Athletics Hall of Fame helped ignite a program from the middle of the road to a regular NCAA Tournament team.
Michelle (Wieser) Keppler ('04) commanded the pitch and put the women's soccer program in a position to be successful. Keppler averaged nearly one goal per game, finishing her career with 87 goals while adding 53 assists for a career total of 227 points. A four-time First Team All-Iowa Conference honoree, Keppler helped lead the Duhawks to a 72-14-5 record in four seasons, which included three IIAC Championships and appearances in the NCAA Tournament in each of her final three seasons.
As a junior, Keppler was recognized as an NSCAA First Team All-Central Region member and a NSCAA Third Team All-American. That year, she finished with 26 goals and 16 assists for 68 points. In her final campaign, Keppler was an NSCAA/Adidas All-Region First Team member and named Iowa Conference MVP, while also earning CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. For over 10 years, Keppler's career marks remain unscathed, ranking first all-time in goals, assists, and points.
"Her accolades are what got our soccer programs moving in the right direction," head coach
Dan Rothert ('96) said. "She put the team on her back and led them to the NCAA Tournament, which paved the way for many teams that followed in her footsteps."
