The Marist Hall of Fame recognizes graduates who made a profound impact on Marist athletics. He or she must be at least seven years removed from high school graduation and during his or her time as a Marist athlete would have displayed exceptional talent and ability, incredible work ethic, dedication to the team, and exemplary leadership and sportsmanship.

Save the date: September 19th – Ceremony during half-time of varsity football game vs. JCA

Baseball/Football

Matt Gainer ‘91

Matt Gainer’s success as a two-sport student-athlete is truly remarkable. It is a difficult feat to be a high-level athlete for all four years of high school, but Gainer made it look easy while playing two sports.

Between both baseball and football, Gainer was a starter all four years earning team captain status his senior seasons.

In football, Gainer was a two-year varsity starter, who played both sides of the ball. He finished his career with over 100 tackles, 8 interceptions, 500+ all-purpose yards, and five touchdowns. Gainer earned back-to-back All-Conference selections, and was named to the All-Area and All-State teams alongside future NFL Hall of Famers Mike Alstott and Rodney Harrison in the 1990 season.

As impressive as his football accomplishments were, Gainer’s baseball career cannot be overlooked. He earned the starting varsity position at first base for his junior and senior seasons, hitting .408 as a senior.

Following both the 1990 and 1991 baseball seasons, Gainer earned All-Area honors, as well as being named to the 1991 ESCC All-Conference team his senior year. And to cap off an outstanding senior year, Marist were regional champions that year. 

After graduating from Marist, Gainer went on to play baseball at Illinois State University where he became a star, helping lead the team to a historic playoff run in 1994. 

That junior season at ISU, Gainer was named the Redbirds Athlete of the Year. After leading his team to Missouri Valley Conference champions, ISU competed in the College World Series Regional round, their first appearance in over 20 years.

Gainer’s success and leadership qualities on the fields flowed into his professional career following college graduation. A highly respected member of the communities he lives in and serves as a retired Illinois State Police Lieutenant Colonel, Gainer has never stopped representing Marist’s core values no matter where life has brought him.

Cross Country/Track

Scott Farley ‘96

Scott Farley was one of the top high school runners in Illinois throughout his career at Marist. In addition to being a top runner in the state, his reputation and the impression he left on his teammates led them to greatness, as well.

Farley dominated the ESCC in his time as a four-year varsity athlete for Cross Country and Track. He won numerous ESCC track meets, was a three-time ESCC Cross Country champion, and was a four-time All Regional runner.

In his remarkable XC career, Farley was named an All Sectional athlete three times from his sophomore to senior year, and was named to the All State teams his sophomore and senior seasons. 

While running track, he was a four-time state qualifier in the 4x800m relay, and a three-time state qualifier in the 1600m race.

His success as a runner wasn’t individual, Farley’s leadership and mentorship undoubtedly made every single teammate better runners; making Marist a force to be reckoned with at every meet. He led his teams to four regional championships and three top-nine finishes at the IHSA State Cross Country meet.

After high school, his success as a top-tier runner continued at Loyola University. His freshman year he earned the Newcomer of the Year Award for the Horizon League’s indoor season.

Scott Farley’s dedication alone to simply being a better runner made those around him better. But what set him apart was not the accolades from individual or team success, it is the lasting influence of his character. Farley’s leadership qualities led to other runners being inducted into the Marist Hall of Fame, and made his teammates better people.

Football

Mike Perish ‘10

Mike Perish’s incredible Marist career may go under the radar because of his humble nature and willingness to help and teach others, but his performance on the football field is one to be reckoned with. 

In his senior year, Perish had an otherworldly season with a 71.8% (248-345) pass completion percentage, 3,385 yards, and 37 touchdowns. He finished his high school career with 5,398 yards and 57 touchdowns.

Following both his junior and senior seasons, Perish was named All-Area by both the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Southtown Star. In 2009 he was a First-Team All State selection by the Sun-Times and by the college football recruiting network Rivals.com.

The accolades following his last season at Marist in 2009 did not stop there, though. In 2008 and 2009 Perish was an East Suburban Catholic Conference First Team selection. In 2009 he was named the ESCC Most Valuable Offensive Player and was also chosen to play in the Illinois Coaches Association East/West All-Star game.

This success on the field didn’t stop after high school. As Indiana State University’s quarterback he led the Sycamore’s to their first playoff appearance in 1984 and their first playoff win since 1983. He became ISU’s leading passer and still holds the record for most passing yards in a season and career.

Perish’s athletic accomplishments are impressive, but it’s his humility and drive to give back that define him. After college, he coached and mentored young athletes, and today he brings that same leadership and discipline to his career in the financial industry.

Softball

2015 Softball State Champion Team

The 2015 state champion softball team has gone down in Marist history as not only one of the best teams to cross the white lines on the softball field, but one of the best to touch a Marist athletic facility period. These women have left a lasting legacy at Marist and a deep-rooted impact on the softball program.

That season the RedHawks went 36-4-2 – the second best record in program history – and following a loss on April 14th, the team went undefeated for the next two months of the season.

The team held six ESCC All Conference players, three Southtown All Area, and three ICA All State. Team captain Zariya Gonzalez ‘15 was named ESCC and Southtown Player of the Year, Vanessa Villasenor ‘16 was named TransNational Scholar Athlete of the Year, and Brooke Wilson ‘15 was featured in the Bandits All Star Game.

Several members of the 2015 team are in the Marist record book for eight different statistical categories. On top of that, eight of these championship athletes went on to have successful careers in college including Madison Naujokas ‘16 who played at James Madison University and competed in the Women’s College World Series in 2021.

What makes this team stand out in a sea of storied Marist history is not their talent alone, but how well they gelled together on and off the field. Championship success cannot be achieved without camaraderie and the 2015 Marist state championship softball team had plenty of it.

These women have left a lasting legacy at Marist and a deep-rooted impact on the softball program. Whether it was coming back and working a summer camp or showing up to playoff games after they graduated, these teammates stay connected to each other and the Marist softball community.

Head Coach: Colleen Biebel ‘07; Assistant Coaches: Ashley Barry ‘07, Nicole Costello

Team members: Brooke Wilson ‘15, Zariya Gonzalez ‘15, Hayley Franks ‘15, Jill Kenny ‘16, Emily Reilly ‘16, Emily Luzzo ‘16, Lizzie Annerino ‘16, Paige Egan ‘16, Amanda McIlhany ‘16, Madison Naujokas ‘16, Vanessa Villasenor ‘16, Alexis Rogers ‘17, Kara Apato ‘18, Maggie Kehoe ‘18. 

Volleyball

Abby Nelson ‘07

Abby Nelson was a four-year varsity volleyball player here at Marist and always made her presence known when she stepped on the court; she undoubtedly cemented her career in honor, glory, and fame.

She finished her high school career with 849 kills and 333 blocks in 200 career games, these incredible stats leading her to be the Marist Block M winner for volleyball her senior year. 

Between 2004 and 2006, she was named an East Suburban Catholic Conference All-Conference player. In 2005 and 2006, Nelson was also named an All-State athlete by the Chicago Tribune and the News-Gazette as well as earning All-Area honors by the Sun Times in those seasons.

As only a sophomore in the 2005 season, Nelson was named the ESCC Player of the Year. But in addition to personal statistics, she was a three-time ESCC champion with the RedHawks.

Her success on the volleyball courts existed outside of Marist as well. Nelson helped lead her club volleyball teams to three-straight top-five national finishes between her sophomore and senior years.

Nelson went on to play college volleyball at the University of Illinois, leading the Fighting Illini in hitting percentage for three seasons. She also represented U of I on the International Tour during her time with the program.

After college, Nelson stayed in touch with the sport and coached for some time, including at Marist for two seasons. Now she applies the same drive and determination to her teaching and school administrative career.

Wrestling

Ryan Egan ‘97

Ryan Egan was a decorated wrestler in a wrestling program with storied history. A leader for Marist Wrestling his senior year, this continued into both his college wrestling career and his professional career.

Although Egan did not see much mat time his freshman year, he absorbed as much as possible and waited for his turn. He took advantage of his opportunity and jumped into excellence his sophomore year season, going 32-5 and qualifying for State.

Wrestling is such a physically and mentally demanding sport and coming off a breakout season, Egan was injured and couldn’t finish out the season. Despite this setback, he came back even stronger for his last season at Marist. 

His comeback senior season was one for the books. Egan, a captain of the team, finished his season with a 42-2 record, was an individual State runner-up for the 125lb division, and was also part of the State runner-up dual state team.

Egan finished his RedHawk career as an ESCC Champion, Regional Champion, Sectional Champion, State runner-up, and 1996 Jr. National All-American.

Following his time at Marist, Egan became captain of NIU’s Wrestling team, was a 3x NCAA Qualifier, and a Mid-American Conference runner-up.

The Marist community remains an integral part of Ryan Egan’s life, even with a demanding job as a Local 399 Project Manager for the Chicago Cubs Properties.

Egan has been the assistant wrestling coach at Marist for 15 seasons now where he has twice been named the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Assistant Coach of the Year and is widely recognized as one of the best coaches in the state. Egan played an integral role in the development and success of recent two-time IHSA State Champion and world gold medalist Will Denny, serving as a key mentor and technical coach throughout Denny’s rise.