NKU receives the GLVC Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday night.
ST. LOUIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference recognized several individuals from Northern Kentucky University on Tuesday night during its annual awards banquet.
Former NKU men's basketball player Kevin Listerman received the inaugural Dr. Thomas Kearns Service Award from the GLVC. The award is named in honor of Dr. Thomas Kearns, who was NKU's faculty athletic representative for 23 years and provided unparalleled service to the GLVC during that period.
Kearns served the GLVC as both treasurer and president during his tenure at NKU and assisted with the budget reporting system and the current revenue sharing policy. He spearheaded the league's first major expansion, wrote the GLVC Hall of Fame guidelines, served on the initial GLVC Awards Committee and developed and maintained the GLVC Handbook. Kearns spent countless hours developing the GLVC into one of the premier NCAA Division II athletic conferences.
In honor of Dr. Kearns, a 2010 GLVC Hall of Fame honoree, the Service Award is presented to an individual or group that has contributed to the success of the GLVC as it relates to the NCAA Division II attributes of learning, balance, resourcefulness, sportsmanship, passion and service.
Retired NKU volleyball coach Mary Biermann and former Norse tennis standout Jamie O'Hara were inducted into the GLVC's Hall of Fame on Tuesday night. Biermann posted a 286-106 record as the NKU head coach before retiring after the 2000 season. She led the Norse to four consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference championships (1997-2000) and a total of five league titles during her career.
Biermann also guided her teams to four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and a pair of regional championships. Her 1999 team advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four and finished 33-2, which still stands as the best record in the program's history. She was also named GLVC Coach of the Year five times during her career at NKU.
The most dominant women's tennis player in Norse history, O'Hara turned NKU into a championship team during her four years. She earned GLVC Player of the Year honors four times in her career and led NKU to four straight GLVC championships.
O'Hara finished her career with an unbeaten record (44-0) against GLVC opponents in No. 1 singles competition, and NKU advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament three times in four years. O'Hara posted a 60-13 overall record in No. 1 singles competition during her four years at NKU, and she earned the Great Lakes Region's ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship as a senior.
NKU was also presented with the GLVC's Commissioner's Cup for the fourth straight year at Tuesday night's banquet. It marked the seventh time since the Commissioner's Cup was instituted nine years ago that NKU has won the award.
