Eight slated to join Hanover’s Athletic Hall of Fame

The Hanover Athletic Hall of Fame will induct eight new members during Hall of Fame Day festivities on campus this fall. Bob Donewald Sr. ’64, Erika Shepherd Dixon ’16, Melissa Fenton ’97, Ben Fox ’96, Ernest “Skip” Lichtfuss Jr., Mike Rivera ’95, Micah Shrewsberry ’99 and Jim Spencer ’75 will each be inducted Saturday, Sept. 5, during a morning ceremony. The honorees will also be saluted at gatherings associated with Hanover’s football game against Centre College that afternoon.

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A basketball coach for nearly four decades, Donewald was a four-year member of Hanover’s basketball team and even served one season as coach of the College’s freshman squad. He was a boys’ high school basketball coach at South Bend Saint Joseph (Ind.) High School for eight seasons before joining Indiana University’s staff in 1973. He was an assistant coach at Indiana for five seasons, helping the undefeated Hoosiers (32-0) win the men’s 1976 NCAA Division I national championship. He later served as head coach at Illinois State University (1978-89) and Western Michigan University (1989-2000), compiling a 359-276 record through 11 seasons at each school.

Dixon was a four-year standout for Hanover’s golf squad. She led the Panthers to three straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference titles and three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III national championship. She earned three top-10 finishes at the Heartland Conference meet and was named the HCAC’s most valuable player in 2015 and 2016 after earning medalist honors at the league championship each season. As a senior, she posted Hanover’s best individual finish at the national tournament, placing 12th overall at the rain-shortened 54-hole tourney with a 229 (80-77-72).

Fenton, the College’s 1997 outstanding senior athlete, was a four-year member and three-time all-Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference selection for the softball squad. She also played one season for the volleyball squad. As a catcher and outfielder, Fenton helped propel the softball program to three straight 20-win seasons, including a still-standing school-record 24 wins (24-12) in 1995. She led the Panthers to ICAC regular-season titles in 1995 and 1996 and a league tournament crown in 1995. Following the 1995 season, she was named the league’s most valuable player after batting .381 with 13 doubles and 35 runs batted in.

Fox was an all-American wingback and two-time all-conference selection for Hanover’s football squad. In 1995, he earned all-league and all-American honors after helping the Panthers post the school’s first 10-win season and earn the program’s first berth in the NCAA playoffs. That fall, he led NCAA Division III with 95 receptions, 1,087 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. The previous season, he grabbed all-ICAC honors after amassing more than 1,500 all-purpose yards with 68 catches and 824 receiving yards. He capped his career ranked among the top five in school history in total offense (4,235 yards), receptions (207), touchdown catches (25) and points (216).

A member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Lichtfuss started Hanover’s men’s lacrosse program in 2011 and guided the Panthers to a 47-80 record in eight seasons, including three berths in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference’s post-season tournament. He was named the league’s coach of the year in 2016 and 2018. Lichtfuss played and coached at the indoor and outdoor professional level. He is the only player, coach or administrator to have played a role with every USA Men’s National Team from 1978-2023. He retired as USA Lacrosse’s director of national teams and high performance in 2023.

Rivera, the College’s 1995 outstanding senior athlete, was a three-time all-conference and two-time most valuable runner for the Panthers’ cross country squad. He was a three-time most valuable runner for the track team and the first Hanover athlete to compete at the NAIA national track and field championship. He placed 16th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 1992 national meet in Vancouver. As a senior, he set Hanover’s record in the outdoor 3,000-meter run (8:57.10). He continues to hold the College’s records for the indoor 1,000 meters (2:31.20), set in 1992, and steeplechase (9:25.75), established in 1993.

Shrewsberry, a four-year guard for Hanover’s basketball program, has coached at the collegiate, professional and international levels through the past three decades. He serves as men’s head coach at Notre Dame University and previously led programs at Pennsylvania State University (2021-23) and Indiana University South Bend (2005-07). He was also an assistant at Purdue University, Butler University, DePauw University and Wabash College. Shrewsberry was a member of the Boston Celtics’ coaching staff from 2013-19, which included a role with the NBA’s Eastern Conference all-star team in 2017. He has recently worked with USA Basketball, winning gold medals at the FIBA U19 World Cup in 2025 and the FIBA U18 Americup in 2024.

Spencer was a four-year starter at offensive guard on Hanover’s football team and an all-Hoosier-Buckeye Collegiate Conference honoree. A two-time team captain, he helped lead the Panthers to a 24-13 overall record, including two consecutive HBCC titles and a berth in the NAIA national playoffs. Spencer was selected as the Panthers’ top offensive lineman as a junior. He was named the team’s most valuable player following the 1974 campaign, marking the only time in school history that an offensive lineman has earned the honor.

The induction ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at Collier Arena. A tailgate reception will begin at 12:45 p.m. near the north end zone at Alumni Stadium. The inductees will also be recognized at halftime of the football game, which kicks off at 2 p.m.