Club Sports’ 11th Hall of Fame class to be inducted Jan. 31

Liberty University's Club Sports department recently announced its 11th Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted during a Jan. 31 ceremony at the Hancock Welcome Center.

The three new members, who only became eligible in the past year — Chantal (Lischynski) Kerr ('15, '18, Division I women's hockey), Brett Bernardo ('16, '19, men's lacrosse), and Ian Rigney ('19, archery) — each helped elevate their respective teams to new heights, with Kerr starting in goal for the Lady Flames' first two ACHA Division I national championships and Bernardo and Rigney excelling as both athletes and coaches.

Lischynski, who is married to Club Sports Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Performance Chris Kerr, was selected as the Club Sports Female Athlete of the Year in 2015 after posting five shutouts, a 0.99 goals-against average, and 95.4 save percentage that season, capped by a 4-1 triumph over defending national champion Miami (Ohio) University. That was Liberty's first of six national championships, and only one under Club Sports Hall of Fame Coach Paul Bloomfield, who was inducted last February. Then, after returning to the roster near the end of current Head Coach Chris Lowes' first season at the helm in 2018, she started in a 2-1 triumph over Adrian College in the final, the first of Liberty's ACHA-record five consecutive national crowns.

Chantal Lischynski Liberty captains — Chantal Kerr (right) poses with Liberty's three captains after winning a second national title in net in 2018. (Photo by Joel Coleman)

Bernardo was a two-year captain at midfielder for the Flames' men's lacrosse team, scoring 82 goals and distributing 57 assists in 44 games over three seasons. He was a two-time MCLA Division I All-American and three-time All-SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference team member, earning SELC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2015.

After completing his B.S. in Business Marketing in 2016, Bernardo joined Liberty's men's lacrosse staff as a graduate assistant coach for the next three seasons, serving as offensive coordinator in 2019 when the Flames (17-2) advanced to the MCLA Division I National Championships for the second season in a row and second time in program history. Following assistant coaching stints at Grove City (Pa.) College in 2020-21 and Messiah (Pa.) University in 2021-22, Bernardo moved to Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.) University where he served as an assistant coach for two seasons before being promoted to head coach in July.

Brett Bernardo 2015lacrosse — MCLA Division I All-America midfielder Brett Bernardo, led LU to its first two DI nationals as assistant coach. (Photo by Jessie Rogers)

A three-time U.S. Collegiate Archery 3D outdoor national champion, Rigney was part of Liberty's first archery trio to capture an outdoor national title — in men's compound at the USCA 3D National Championships in 2012. He also earned an individual crown in that discipline that year before later adding three more national trophies to his quiver. As a junior in 2015, Rigney was recognized for the Outstanding Performance of the Year at the Club Sports Choice Awards after winning the men's bowhunter division at the 45th annual USCA Indoor National Championships in Lancaster, Pa. Rigney served as a graduate assistant under Head Coach Mitch Reno, who will serve as his presenter for the Jan. 31 induction ceremony, for three semesters before taking the reins as head coach from 2017-19, coaching another team and individual national champion.

Rigney earned his B.A. in Religious Studies: Theology and Apologetics in 2016 and his M.Div. in Theology in 2017 before being named senior pastor of Hitesburg Baptist Church in Virgilina, Va., near his hometown of Gretna, in 2018. He and his wife Alysha ('16, B.S. in Nursing) have two children — James (2), and Anna (five months).

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer

Ian-Rigney-Liberty-action — Rigney captured three individual and one team title in compound archery at the USCA 3D Outdoor National Championships.

Club Sports’ 11th Hall of Fame class to be inducted Jan. 31

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