CORALVILLE, Iowa – As part of the celebration of the 40th Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament, The Valley will be hosting a special community event – Her Legacy, Our Future – taking place on Sunday, March 15, at 11:00 a.m. CT inside GreenState Family Fieldhouse, connected to Xtream Arena.
 
The event will take place prior to the 2026 Credit Union 1 MVC Women’s Basketball title game, which tips off at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN2. 
 
Her Legacy, Our Future will bring together accomplished women whose journeys reflect the breadth and evolution of The Valley — from leadership and administration to record-setting performances on the court and excellence beyond it. Through conversation and storytelling, the panel will explore the growth of women’s basketball, the enduring impact of the MVC, and the opportunities ahead for the next generation.
 
The panel will feature:

• Jean Berger (Drake / UNI) – longtime Valley administrator and former Executive Director of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union
• Mary Crompton (Illinois State) – MVC champion, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and current University of Iowa medical student
• Katie Dinnebier (Drake) – two-time Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year and All-America honoree

The discussion will be moderated by UNI Hall of Famer and MVC TV Network analyst Jacqui Kalin.
 
The event is free and open to the public. Fans, families, students, alumni, youth teams, and community members throughout Iowa City and Coralville are encouraged to attend. Advanced registration is recommended. Light refreshments will be provided.
 
The panel provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the history of MVC women’s basketball while setting the stage for championship Sunday. Immediately following the discussion, attendees can have their game ticket scanned and head directly into Xtream Arena for the nationally-televised MVC Women’s Basketball Championship Game.
 
To purchase tickets for any round of the championship, please visit the tournament website.
 
MEET THE PANELISTS
Jean Berger – Drake and Northern Iowa Administrator
Jean Berger spent 25 years as an administrator within the Missouri Valley Conference, serving Drake for 17 years and Northern Iowa for eight. Berger was named Drake’s Senior Woman Administrator in 1994 and was the assistant athletic director for internal affairs, before being promoted to associate athletic director in 2005. While with the Bulldogs, Berger supervised 11 programs in an administrative role. Berger was on staff at Northern Iowa from 2008-2016, serving as the direct supervisor for women’s basketball, softball, tennis, soccer and volleyball. She oversaw academic services and athletic training while monitoring UNI’s gender equity plans, before serving as interim athletic director before her departure.
 
Before her retirement in 2024, Berger was the executive director of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. She had served in that role since 2016, and was just the fifth executive director in IGHSAU history and the first female in that position. Prior to beginning her administrative career, Berger was an assistant in the Drake sports information office. She served in a similar capacity at Wichita State and was the sports information director at Wayne State from 1985-to-1990.

Berger is a graduate of the University of Iowa, earning a bachelor's degree in journalism with a master's degree in physical education and sports studies. 
 
Mary Crompton – Illinois State Women’s Basketball Player, 2018-23
Mary Crompton etched her name into the Illinois State women’s basketball history book, both academically and athletically. The 2021 MVC Most-Improved Player and all-conference honoree led the league in three-point field goals her last two seasons while ranking third in Division I during the 2020-21 campaign in 3-point field goal percentage. Crompton graduated as the program’s career leader in made 3-pointers. She was a member of the first Illinois State team to win a Conference tournament title (2022) since 2008 and the first to take home a regular-season title (2023) since 2010.
 
For her success in the classroom, Crompton was honored as a two-time MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. She obtained a physiology, neuroscience and behavior undergraduate degree in 2021 before graduating with her masters in biology in May 2023. She is currently attending med school at the University of Iowa and is expected to graduate in 2027.
 
Katie Dinnebier – Drake Women’s Basketball Player, 2021-25
Katie Dinnebier left her legacy at Drake, playing for the Bulldogs from 2021-25. Dinnebier was a two-time Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year, three-time all-conference honoree and earned All-America honors from three different entities as a senior. In 2025, Dinnebier became the eighth player in Drake program history to take home the Jackie Stiles Player of the Year award. It was just the sixth time that an individual had won the award in back-to-back years. The two-time Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year finalist finished her career as Drake’s seventh-leading scorer in program history with 2,088 points, second-most assists (780) and third-most steals (272).
 
An Academic All-American in 2025, Dinnebier is currently in her third year of the pharmacy (PharmD) program at Drake and is expected to graduate in 2027.
 
Jacqui Kalin – Northern Iowa Women’s Basketball Player, 2007-13
One of Northern Iowa’s most decorated women’s basketball players of all-time, Jacqui Kalin left her legacy in many areas of the game. Kalin put together one of the most accomplished careers, developing from MVC Freshman of the Year into one of the most decorated student-athletes in league history. In 2013, she became the first player in MVC history to twice earn both Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. She closed her career as UNI’s all-time leader in scoring (2,081), three-pointers made (265), made free throws (484), free throw percentage (92%), assists (491), games played and started (136) and minutes played (4,352), while ranking sixth in MVC history in scoring and becoming just the third player in UNI men’s and women’s basketball history to surpass 2,000 career points. Kalin was inducted into the UNI Hall of Fame in 2017 and is the first female student-athlete to have her jersey retired at Northern Iowa.