By Carla Carlton

 

Four outstanding former cross country/track and field athletes. Two members of the 2011 NCAA Division II national champion men’s basketball team. The softball team’s only All-American. The career leader in points and goals for women’s soccer. The baseball pitcher with the most-ever strikeouts. The top goalkeeper in lacrosse history.

 

All entered the Bellarmine University Athletic Hall of Fame in a ceremony held in Frazier Hall on March 25. The late Jack McGetrick, right, who helped found Bellarmine’s Division I lacrosse program in 2004 and was head coach from 2005 through 2010, was inducted as an Athletic Hall of Fame Legend. McGetrick died of cancer in October 2010. His 45 career wins at Bellarmine remain a program record.

 

Three of these exceptional athletes are playing sports at the professional level; another went pro only to have an injury switch his career path to physical therapy. Several have coached their sports, either professionally or as an avocation. Others work in healthcare or own businesses.

 

All of them say their Bellarmine experiences helped to shape them and continue to resonate in their lives.

 

“I never questioned my belonging at BU and recognized early on that I was somewhere special,” says softball standout Ally Foster ’16. “Looking back almost eight years later, I recall Bellarmine as a safe environment that pushed me, but gave me the space and resources I needed to open my mind to understand who I was as an individual and where I could go next.”

 

The Bellarmine University Athletic Hall of Fame was founded in 1977 to honor individuals who distinguished themselves and the university in the field of intercollegiate athletics. 

 

Then: Foster was the program’s lone All-American, in 2014 and 2016; 2014 GLVC Player of the Year; a four-time All-Region selection; and holds either the all-time or top 5 record in nearly every hitting and pitching category at Bellarmine.

Now: Recruiter in Human Resources for L&N Federal Credit Union in Louisville; coached Bluegrass Adrenaline, a travel softball team, for three years.  

“My Bellarmine experience gave me the opportunity to grow personally and professionally, and I am proud to have a Bellarmine education to accompany me as I take on new adventures in my career.”

 

Then: Frith was a two-time cross country All-American (2012 and 2014), delivering in 2014 the top NCAA Championships finish in Bellarmine history (fourth). She was also a two-time GLVC XC Runner of the Year, a GLVC XC Freshman of the Year and a two-time outdoor track and field All-American (5,000 and 10,000).

Now: As a Human Factors scientist with Exponent Inc. in Bellevue, Washington, she examines relationships between movement, memory and creative problem-solving and their impact on human performance and safety across consumer and occupational contexts. She still enjoys running and hiking.

“My Bellarmine experience opened so many doors for me, academically and athletically. The best moments of my collegiate experience came to fruition because so many people at Bellarmine supported and believed in me, taught me to expect more from myself and invested time in my development. Becoming a Knight was one of the best decisions I ever made.”

 

Then: A forward on the pitch, Gorham Spivey was a first-team All-American and GLVC Offensive Player of the Year in 2015, GLVC Freshman of the Year in 2013 and a four-time All-Region selection, while being women’s soccer’s career leader in points (103) and goals scored (43).

Now: She, her father and brother run the Little Caesars franchise in Lexington. Husband Tate Spivey, who played soccer at Transylvania University, runs a soccer-training business and owns a carpet-cleaning franchise in Louisville. (He is pictured at right with son Cohen.)

“Bellarmine will always hold a special place in my heart because it was where I learned about who I am, who I wanted to be and how to treat others around me.”

 

Then: Musk was an All-American and GLVC Runner of the Year in cross country in 2012; in 2013, she was GLVC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and an All-American in the outdoor 1500. She captured six GLVC titles in her career, including five in individual events. 

Now: Musk is in her seventh season as the head coach of Bellarmine women’s cross country and her fourth as head coach for women’s track and field and was named GLVC Coach of the year for cross country in 2017. She continued her own athletic career after graduation and competed in the 2019 ITU World Triathlon in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she placed 18th overall for her age division and sixth for the United States. Her run segment of the race was the fastest for her age division. Despite a recent diagnosis with a Glioblastoma brain tumor, she has continued to be a mentor and advocate for her athletes while undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Her commitment to the sport is exceeded only by her commitment to her family (husband Jason Hapner and daughter Maeve are pictured) no matter what challenges arise.

 

Then: Guard Hobbs is Bellarmine Athletics’ lone National Player of the Year, earning the recognition in 2012, when he was also named GLVC Player of the Year for men’s basketball. He is also the only Bellarmine athlete to have his jersey retired. He was a two-time All-American (2011 and 2012) and the 2009 GLVC Freshman of the Year and helped lead the Knights to the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship.

Now: Living in Braunschweig, Germany, with wife Sadie and children Haven, Cormic and Benson, he is point guard/shooting guard for the professional team Basketball Löwen Braunschweig (Basketball Lions Braunschweig). In his 11-year professional career he has also played in Australia, Spain and Hungary. 

“Not only did Coach Scott Davenport make me a better basketball player, but he prepared me for the real world as well. He understood that his job was not restricted directly to what happened on the court, but to polish us for what life could throw at us. The experiences and lessons from those four years will stick with me forever.”

 

Then: Sprinter Jones was a three-time All-American and three-time GLVC Track Athlete of the Year. She earned 11 All-Region laurels and was a 13-time GLVC champion, including seven individual titles.

Now: Jones is senior hematology technologist at Norton Audubon, where she began her career as a medical lab scientist. She and her husband, Zack, live in Okolona with their dog, cat and axolotl.

“I often still think back to my time at Bellarmine and my track career. Track was a part of my life for many years, starting in fourth grade, and it was hard closing that door when I graduated. Receiving the news that I was being inducted to the Athletic Hall of Fame brought back all those memories. I feel incredibly honored to be recognized and am even more proud to be a Bellarmine Knight.”

  

Then: The men’s basketball guard was a two-time All-American (2011 and 2012) and the 2011 GLVC Player of the Year. He was the top scorer on the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship team and ranks fifth all time in career points (1,792).

Now: In his 11th year as a pro basketball player, Kendle is currently a point guard/shooting guard for the Southland Sharks of the New Zealand National Basketball League. He has also played in Morocco, Switzerland and Australia. He lives in Brisbane, where he and his wife, Nadia, have operated a skill development coaching and mentorship business called Jeremy Kendle Basketball and a ministry called Hoops for Christ Australia since 2018. They have twin boys, Tekoa Ace and Izzakin Joshua.

“My Bellarmine experience shaped me personally and professionally for the better. I learned how important it is to do life with like-minded people who strive for excellence in all they do. The leadership at BU is the reason I and many other graduates are able to have successful careers and more importantly live significant lives that serve other people.”

 

Then: Striegel was a three-time All-American in cross country (2015-17) and was the 2016 GLVC Runner of the Year. He holds the program's records for the 8k and 10k, the indoor 5,000 and the outdoor 5,000 and 10,000. 

Now: He’s an analyst at the Rawlings Company, a health insurance agency in La Grange, Kentucky. In May 2022 he married Ashley Reyna-Padilla ’20, another track and field alum, who is attending the police academy for the Oldham County Police Department . His brother, Josh Striegel, is a first-year student on Bellarmine’s cross country/track & field team.

“My experience at Bellarmine has had a huge impact on my life. I obviously met my wife at Bellarmine, but some of my best friends too. We have been in each other’s weddings and still get in runs together and hang out on the weekends. The degree I have was also hugely important in finding a job that I love.” 

 

Then: Thompson was the GLVC Pitcher of the Year in 2009, the consensus Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year and an All-American. He is the program’s career leader in strikeouts (342).

Now: Following graduation in 2009, Thompson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, but an injury ended his professional baseball career. “Luckily, I had an excellent career path in Physical Therapy because of Bellarmine University,” he said. He returned, finished his doctorate and started a PT practice, HomeLife Therapy. He helps coach his daughter’s softball team and his son’s coach-pitch baseball team and has run three marathons, including two Boston Marathons. Wife Suzanne is pictured.

“Bellarmine University helped shape me into the person I am today. I gained many life experiences both as a student and an athlete that continue to help me in my personal and professional life on a daily basis.”

 

Then: Ward was an All-American (the program’s first) and the ECAC Goalie of the Year in 2013 at Bellarmine and continues to hold every major goalkeeping record in program history.

Now: Now playing professional lacrosse for the Colorado Mammoth, he was selected third in the 2013 National Lacrosse League draft, becoming the first goaltender to be drafted in the top three since 1999. In 2022, the Colorado Mammoth captured the National Lacrosse League championship, and Ward was named NLL Finals Most Valuable Player. Also in 2022, he was named the Mammoth’s Lacrosse Development Manager, responsible for connecting with youth, recreational and amateur levels of athletes, coaches and parents throughout Colorado.