INDIANAPOLIS – The second-winningest volleyball coach in NCAA Division II history, a seven-time GLVC Women's Soccer Coach of the Year, the NCAA softball record holder in perfect games, a two-time GLVC Women's Basketball Player of the Year and a three-time men's soccer All-American have been elected for induction to the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Hall of Fame, it was announced by the Conference office Thursday.
The GLVC's Class of 2023 inductees include Rockhurst University volleyball head coach Tracy Rietzke, Northern Kentucky University women's soccer head coach Bob Sheehan, University of Missouri-St. Louis softball player Hannah Perryman, Lewis University women's basketball player Mariyah Brawner-Henley and Lewis men's soccer player John Thompson.
The GLVC Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be honored at the Enterprise/GLVC Spring Awards Reception at the Embassy Suites in St. Charles, Mo., on Tuesday, May 23.
Rietzke began his long-time tenure at Rockhurst in the 1988 season, while the Hawks joined the GLVC in 2005. He accumulated 1,277 wins during his 38-year career, which currently ranks second in NCAA Division II history and fourth among women's volleyball coaches at all levels. While at Rockhurst, Rietzke's teams advanced to the D-II Tournament 13 times with eight appearances under the GLVC umbrella, playing in the Midwest Region final 10 times and earning three Regional titles (2015, 2017, 2019). The Hawks also appeared in the D-II National Semifinals in the 2017 and 2019 seasons and had a D-II National Quarterfinals appearance in 2015. A three-time GLVC Coach of the Year, Rietzke's last eight teams combined for 240 wins and won five GLVC Regular Season titles and three Tournament Championships (2012, 2018, 2019), finishing runner-up one time. On top of all his success leading the Hawks' program and being a consistent power in not only the Conference, but the Midwest, he coached 54 All-GLVC selections and a combined 27 NAIA and NCAA All-Americans with 15 AVCA All-Americans named while in the GLVC, along with seven CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Moreover, Rietzke won USMC/AVCA D-II National Coach of the Year honors in 2019 and the AVCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year award in 2014. He had 12 teams ranked in the final AVCA polls, highlighted by a No. 5 ranking in 2015 and No. 7 in 2019. Additionally, prior to his time in the GLVC, Rietzke's 1993 squad set the program record with 57 wins that year.
Sheehan became the head coach of Northern Kentucky's women's soccer team in 1997, building the team from scratch. The 1998 season marked the first of GLVC competition for him and the Norse, as NKU unexpectedly claimed the Conference Championship. The Norse followed that in 1999 by winning the GLVC crown again and making their first of 11 appearances in the NCAA Regional, winning the title and advancing to the first of three National Tournament Semifinals. Sheehan would go on to win five more GLVC titles, with the Norse making the school's first National Finals appearance in 2000. His team also finished first in the regular season 10 times and had a final Division II career overall record of 252-53-18 and a GLVC record of 135-23-10. Additionally, Sheehan was named GLVC Coach of the Year seven times and guided his players to 64 All-Conference selections, along with four GLVC Players of the Year, three Freshmen of the Year and one Offensive Player of the Year. His student-athletes also claimed 55 All-Region honors and 10 All-America recognitions. Sheehan remains the coach of NKU's women's soccer team, completing his 26th season in 2022.
The first-ever UMSL inductee in the league's Hall of Fame, Perryman is regarded as one of the best pitchers in the history of NCAA Division II softball. A Triton from 2013-16, she was named All-GLVC and All-American in all four of her collegiate seasons – the first UMSL student-athlete in any team sport to accomplish that feat. Those All-America honors came from two different organizations, including Daktronics/D2CCA and NFCA. Perryman has her name plastered all over the NCAA record books, owning the NCAA single-season (2015) record in perfect games (six) and two D-II career records in perfect games (nine) and strikeouts (1,725). The Streamwood, Ill., native also walked off the field third in no-hitters (15), fourth in strikeout ratio (12.12/7 innings pitched), sixth in wins (128) and seventh in shutouts (61). In the UMSL annals, she leads in career strikeouts, victories, shutouts and complete games (120). The hurler started 68 games and completed 49 with a 1.26 ERA during that stretch, helping lead the Tritons to three consecutive GLVC Tournament titles (2013-15), four NCAA Division II Midwest Regional berths (2013-16) and two-straight Regional Championship Series appearances (2014-15). A three-time GLVC Pitcher of the Year, Perryman was also named the 2015 Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year, along with finishing as a top-three finalist for Schutt Sports/NFCA D-II Player of the Year that season. Following her career at UMSL, Perryman was selected 37th overall by the Akron Racers, becoming the first D-II player to be selected in the National Pro Fastpitch draft.
Brawner-Henley was a constant double-double threat during her time at Lewis. A two-time GLVC Player of the Year, Brawner-Henley compiled school records in both career points (1,981) and rebounds (1,282) with 52.2 percent shooting from the field during her four-year career. Moreover, her 72 career double-doubles ranks second in NCAA history, while she added 16.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game over the four years. Her tenacity on the glass helped her lead the nation in rebounds for three consecutive seasons (2013-15), averaging 12.1, 12.1 and 11.8 boards per game. Additionally, she finished with 200 assists and 144 blocks. She helped Lewis compile an overall record of 106-18 for a winning percentage of .858, including a 65-7 (.903) GLVC clip. The Flyers won the GLVC Regular Season title three times (2013, 2014, 2016) and made NCAA Midwest Regional appearances in all four of Brawner-Henley's seasons, highlighted by a trip to the Elite Eight in 2015. She was named to the All-GLVC First Team three times and All-Defensive Second Team once. In addition to her GLVC accolades, Brawner-Henley also collected three-straight All-America honors from 2014-16, including being recognized by WBCA, Daktronics, D2CCA and DII Bulletin. Following her athletic career, Brawner-Henley took her talents to the sideline, earning a WBCA 30 under 30 award as an assistant coach for Illinois State University.
In Thompson's career at Lewis, he was named to the All-GLVC, All-Region and All-America First Team three times. Leading a Flyer defense that allowed 0.75 goals against average and 38 shutouts, Thompson helped Lewis to a 60-15-8 (.771) overall record and 41-7-4 (.827) GLVC ledger during his four-year career. The Flyers won the GLVC Championship his freshman year when he was also named Rookie of the Year, made a NCAA D-II Tournament Semifinals appearance during his junior year where the team was twice ranked No. 1 and led the team to a school-record 20 wins in his senior season to rank second in the nation and win another GLVC title. Playing in all 83 matches, Thompson also recorded 21 goals and nine assists throughout his Lewis career, pacing the team with 11 scores and eight helpers in his sophomore year to earn MVP honors. Additionally, he was named Academic All-GLVC two times.
The 2023 GLVC Hall of Fame Class will be the 20th class to be inducted since the establishment of the honor in 2002. With the inclusion of the Class of 2023 in May, the GLVC Hall of Fame membership will expand to 89 former administrators, coaches and student-athletes.