SMITHFIELD, RI – Bryant University Athletics is pleased to announce the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will feature all former standout coaches who will be recognized on campus this fall. This year's class includes former men's lacrosse coach
Mike Pressler (2008-22),former baseball coach
Steve Owens (2011-19), former women's basketball coach
Mary Burke (1991-22), former men's tennis coach
Ron Gendron (2006-22), and former women's lacrosse coach
Jill Batcheller (2013-18). The announcement was made today by Vice President for Athletics and Recreation and Chair of the Hall of Fame Committee,
Bill Smith.
"This is a truly special year for the Bryant Athletics Hall of Fame with the induction of five outstanding coaches," said Smith. "Each and every one of these coaches helped put Bryant on the map and achieved incredible success competing at the highest level, winning championships throughout their careers and recruiting and retaining outstanding student-athletes."
This year's hall of fame induction dinner and ceremony will take place on the Bryant University campus on Friday, October 3, 2025 during Bryant's Homecoming and Reunion Weekend.
One of the most successful collegiate lacrosse coaches in NCAA history,
Mike Pressler led Bryant to six Northeast Conference titles and six appearances in the NCAA Division I Lacrosse Championships. During his time at Bryant, spanning 16 seasons (2008-22), Pressler posted a 153-102 record.
A total of 103 student-athletes earned all-conference honors including 13 major award honors by the Northeast Conference. He ranks eighth all-time in career coaching victories with 382 wins. In 2014, Pressler guided the Bulldogs to an historic upset of second-ranked Syracuse in the NCAA tournament to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in school history.
In his first season at Bryant, Pressler led the Bulldogs to their first-ever Northeast-10 Conference Championship. He is currently the head coach and general manager of the Atlas Lacrosse Club of the Premiere Lacrosse League as well as the varsity head coach for the Highland Park (Texas) High School lacrosse team.
During his nine-years as coach of the Bryant University baseball team,
Steve Owens led Bryant to eight consecutive Northeast Conference regular season titles and three NEC baseball tournament titles. Named the NEC Coach of the Year five times, Owens was named the Northeast Region Coach of the Year twice (2013, 2014) by the American Baseball Coaches Association. A total of 64 players earned all-conference honors while 13 were named All-American.
Bryant saw 18 players drafted by Major League Baseball under Owens guidance, with two players making their MLB debut.
From 2011 to 2019, Bryant averaged 36 wins per season winning a total of 327 games – the most by any team in the Northeast during that span. That included Bryant University's first-ever Division I NCAA victory, a 4-1 win over Arkansas, in 2013.
Owens is currently the head coach at Rutgers.
One of the longest tenured coaches in Bryant history,
Mary Burke coached the Bryant University women's basketball team for 32 seasons (1991-22) winning more than 400 games in her career. She guided Bryant to four NCAA tournament appearances including a trip to the Division II Sweet Sixteen in 2004.
Leading the program into Division I, Burke's Bulldogs found immediate success competing as members of the Northeast Conference with two conference championship game appearances and an NEC Regular Season title in 2014 with a 22-9 overall record and 14-4 mark in conference play.
A total of 12 student-athletes earned all-conference honors with two earning NEC major awards. This will be Burke's third Hall of Fame recognition having already been inducted into the Providence College Athletics Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
One of the all-time winningest coaches in school and conference history,
Ron Gendron follows two of his former student-athletes into the Bryant Athletics Hall of Fame. Volunteering as assistant coach with Bryant's women's tennis program, Gendron took over the men's program in 2007 and immediately turned the Bulldogs into a dominant force during its final seasons competing at the Division II level in the Northeast-10 Conference.
Following the university's move to Division I, Gendron led the Bulldogs to a record six-straight Northeast Conference tournament titles and six appearances in the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships. Gendron posted 170 victories at the Division I level and won more than 200 matches during his 16 seasons at Bryant.
Named NEC Coach of the Year a total of seven times, Gendron coached 61 players who earned all-conference honors by the NEC. He is currently the head women's tennis coach at Nichols College.
The Bryant University women's lacrosse team achieved great success under the direction of former coach
Jill Batcheller. During her six years at Bryant (2013-18) the Bulldogs won at least 10 games in each season and went an incredible 77-33 (.700) during that time. Batcheller led the Bulldogs to three Northeast Conference Championships and three berths in the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championships. Bryant was the only NEC team to ever win at least a share of five consecutive regular season titles and earned the league's only four-peat Coach of the Year honor.
In just her second season, she led the Bulldogs to 15 wins including an undefeated 7-0 mark in the NEC. Led by hall of famer Lauren Descalzo, Bryant boasted one of the nation's top scoring offenses that year. A four-time NEC Coach of the Year recipient, Batcheller coached 37 all-conference athletes including eight major award recipients. She is currently the women's lacrosse head coach at Villanova University.
Coaches and administrators are eligible for the Hall of Fame one year after the conclusion of their final season coaching at Bryant, while there is a five-year waiting period for former student-athletes.
