RRAC recognizes student-athletes, coaches and administrator as 2024 Hall of Fame inductees
WACO, Texas – Wrapping up the 2024 calendar year, the RRAC welcomes eight new inductees in the RRAC Hall of Fame. This year's list includes four student-athletes, three coaches and one administrator who are being recognized for their careers and contributions to the conference.
"With the utmost appreciation for the individuals that have elevated the RRAC, we are proud to honor our 2024 Hall of Fame selections for their achievements at their institutions and their contributions to our conference," says RRAC Commissioner Tony Stigliano. "We are now in our 27th season as a conference and our success is due to those who have excelled as student-athletes, coaches and administrators."
Each of the following inductees will be recognized during the coming year by their school.
Alysha Blanco, Our Lady of the Lake University
Blanco started her collegiate career with the Saints' volleyball team in 2012 and played four seasons at OLLU. Her career stats include 405 games played, 945 kills, 2,586 total attacks, 71 assists, 37 service aces, 273 receptions, 327 digs, 23 block solos and 121 block assists. Blanco was the first OLLU volleyball player to earn NAIA All-American Honors in 2015. She received her degree from OLLU in May 2016. Blanco now lives in Dallas as an Occupational Therapist in Home Health/Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Unit at the Advanced Dallas Hospital & Clinics.
Brandon Davis, LSU Shreveport
Davis made an impact on the LSUS men's basketball program during his two years as a Pilot from 2012-14. He helped lead the team to its first NAIA Fab Four appearance following the 2012-13 season while earning second team NAIA All-American honors. Only a last-second buzzer-beater kept LSUS from the national championship game. Davis was named first-team All-American in the season that followed. He finished his career with a 20.5 points per game scoring average and a school record 12.6 rebounds per game. He averaged 22.3 points per game during the 2012-13 season and reached the 1,000-point club during his time at LSUS. He was a first-team all-conference selection in both of his seasons and was named the RRAC Player of the Year in 2014. Davis contributed much of his time to community service as a member of the Pilots and he continues to stay involved in youth sports now that he's back in his home state of California. Davis was inducted in the LSUS Hall of Fame last year.
Tomas Flores, Our Lady of the Lake University
Flores joined the inaugural OLLU men's soccer team in 2007 and played four seasons for the Saints. His career stats include 64 games played, 31 goals, 64 points, 122 shots and 72 shots on goal. When Flores began his tenure at OLLU, the university was not yet a member of the RRAC, but he earned scholar-athlete recognition all four years and graduated with a 3.45 GPA in 2011. Flores is currently the Supervising Physical Therapist at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Brownsville, Texas.
Mary-Ellen Hall, Houston Baptist University
Hall is the head softball coach at her alma mater, Houston Baptist (now Christian) University, and she is entering her 34th season in 2025 after claiming her 900th career victory last year. Hall led the Huskies during their nine years in the RRAC from 1999-2007. Under Hall's guidance, the Huskies were 387-106 overall and posted a phenomenal 140-9 mark in RRAC action. The Huskies won nine straight regular season RRAC titles and nine consecutive conference tournament titles and advanced to seven straight NAIA National Tournaments from 2001-07. The Huskies were ranked nationally all nine years – five times sixth or better – including a No. 3 ranking in 2004 and a No. 2 ranking after posting a school-record 51 wins in 2005. Hall coached 51 All-Conference players, including 23 who went on to earn NAIA All-America honors. In nine seasons, she had the RRAC Pitcher of the Year eight times, as well as having four players named Player of the Year. Hall was named RRAC Coach of the Year all nine years the Huskies were in the conference. The Huskies under Hall always did their work academically as well. She produced 61 Academic All-Conference/All-Region VI players during the school's time in the league, including 39 who went on to earn NAIA Academic All-America honors.
Dr. Terry Harris, LSU Shreveport
Dr. Harris served as a Faculty Athletic Representative for more than 30 years including the last 14 years as an RRAC member before his retirement last summer. He served as the RRAC Eligibility Chair from 2016-24. His service went beyond LSUS and the RRAC to the national level where he was the Chair of the NAIA FAR Association (2021-22), a member of the Council of FAR's, a member of the ECP Focus Group, a member of the NAIA Evaluation Team, and a member of the NAIA Competitive Experience Committee. Harris was the FAR for LSUS from 1993-2024, and he was the Chair of the school's Department of English and Foreign Languages from 2005-24. Harris was always a resource for other RRAC members on eligibility matters and he has always been committed to the success of students at LSUS.
Todd Lowery, University of Texas-Brownsville
During the six years that Lowery was head coach for University of Texas-Brownsville volleyball, his teams won two national championships and never lost a conference match. UTB compiled a 205-14 overall record during that stint while going 65-0 against RRAC competition. Lowery led the Jaguars to the 2011 and 2013 NAIA national titles along with a runner-up finish in 2014, two trips to the semifinals and a quarterfinal appearance. UTB claimed six consecutive RRAC championships in the process. In 2015, UTB merged with UT-Pan American to become UT-Rio Grande Valley. Lowery stayed on as the head coach and currently leads the Vaqueros against NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Southland Conference.
Kaddie Platt, Houston Baptist University
Platt was the head volleyball coach of her alma mater, Houston Baptist (now Christian) University from 1995-2011, where she won 499 matches over 17 seasons including an incredible run as RRAC members from 1998-2006. She formed HBU into a national powerhouse, running up an overall record of 322-62, including a 131-2 mark in conference play. The Huskies won 113 straight regular season matches from the beginning of the RRAC in 1998 to 2005. She led her teams to seven regular season titles and six conference tournament titles and was named RRAC Coach of the Year on six occasions. Her teams advanced to five NAIA National Tournaments. That run included a national runner-up finish in 2002 when the Huskies finished the season ranked No. 2 in the NAIA after posting a school-record 47-3 mark. Platt earned NAIA Coach of the Year honors that season. In nine seasons in the RRAC, Platt produced 47 All-Conference players. She coached eight Players of the Year, five Setters of the Year, two Defensive Specialists of the Year and three Front Row Players of the Year. Her teams featured 75 players with RRAC Scholar-Athlete honors. Nationally, Platt mentored 17 total NAIA All-Americans.
Stephen Sherman, Our Lady of the Lake University
Sherman was the architect of OLLU's cross country and track and field teams from 2009-20. During his tenure, his teams combined to win 11 RRAC championships in men's and women's cross country and men's and women's track and field. Sherman was selected RRAC Coach of the Year on 10 different occasions, and he coached a total of 167 all-conference honorees. When he left OLLU, his teams owned every school record in those sports. Sherman's troops also earned 66 individual RRAC Scholar-Athlete awards, eight NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards and six NAIA Scholar-Athlete Team awards. Upon leaving OLLU in 2020, Sherman became the assistant athletic director at RRAC member Texas A&M-San Antonio, where he has helped shape the creation of TAMUSA's athletic program.