INDIANAPOLIS - The Great Midwest Athletic Conference announced its inaugural Great Midwest Hall of Fame class on Wednesday. The inductees will be honored at the league’s spring awards banquet on May 23 in Blue Ash, Ohio.
The 2023 class will feature former Kentucky Wesleyan football reciever Keelan Cole along with two athletic standouts from Ursuline College in Janelle (Perry) Harris and Laney Lewis.
“The Great Midwest has had a number of outstanding student-athlete, coach, and administrator contributors to the success of the Conference, and these three student-athletes helped define our league over our first decade.” said Great Midwest Commissioner Tom Daeger. “I look forward to honoring Keelan, Janelle, and Laney this spring as our inaugural Hall of Fame class. They are well-deserved inductees.”
Keelan Cole
Keelan’s dynamic play on the gridiron helped put Great Midwest football on the map in the sport’s early years. During his time as a Panther, Cole was not only a standout in the league but also nationally. The receiver finished in the top-10 of six of the NCAA’s national statistical categories during his stint with KWC including No. 2 finishes in receiving touchdowns (17) and receiving yards per game (134.5). In 2014, Keelan was the NCAA Statistical Champion for receiving yards (1,577).
The Louisville, Ky., native was named a two-time Don Hansen First-Team All-America honoree, named a D2Football.com and AP First-Team All American in 2016, and an AP Third-Team All American in 2015 as well as a Super Region 4 first team honoree in 2015 and 2016, and a second-team honoree in 2014.
Keelan still holds the Great Midwest record for all-purpose yards in a season with 2,181 and is second in a single game with 347. He holds the G-MAC record for receiving yards/game with 127.4 in 2016. Cole finished his collegiate career with 258 receptions, 4,852 yards, and 59 touchdowns. Keelan was also named Great Midwest Track Athlete of the Year in 2014.
After graduating from Kentucky Wesleyan, Keelan was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017 where he spent three seasons. Cole then spent one season with the New York Jets before signing with Las Vegas in 2022 where he is currently an active member of the Raiders’ roster.
Janelle (Perry) Harris
Janelle is one of the most decorated athletes to come through the Great Midwest. During her three years at Ursuline College, Harris was a standout in track & field capturing four NCAA DII National Championships (2018 Indoor 60-meter hurdles, 2018 Outdoor 100-meter hurdles, 2018 Outdoor Long Jump, 2017 Outdoor 100-meter hurdles).
An eight-time All-American, Harris was also named Great Midwest Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2016 and 2018 and Great Midwest Indoor Field Athlete of the Year in 2016, 2017, and 2018. She was also named Great Midwest Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year in 2016. Harris was also a two-time Great Midwest Academic All-Conference honoree.
Janelle still holds the Great Midwest all-time records for 60-Meter Hurdles (Indoor), Long Jump (Indoor & Outdoor), Pentathlon (Indoor), 100-Meter Hurdles (Outdoor), Heptathlon (Outdoor).
In addition to her successes athletically, Janelle epitomized the character of Great Midwest student-athletes by being named the 2018-19 NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award recipient.
Laney Lewis
Lewis was one of the first women’s basketball standouts in the league. During her career at Ursuline, she was named Great Midwest Player of the Year three years in a row. She was also awarded First Team All-Conference three years in a row. In her senior year campaign, Lewis was named a WBCA All-American and D2CCCA 2nd Team All-American.
Laney led the Arrows to the 2015-2016 G-MAC title and two NCAA tournament appearances. The NCAA title berth in 2015-16 was the first-ever for a program at Ursuline. Lewis still holds the Great Midwest record for career rebounds (1,538), blocks (267), rebounds per game, and blocks per game. She is second in the G-MAC record books for career points, assists, and field goals made.
Laney finished her career with 1,959 points, 1,538 rebounds, 535 assists, 53.38 FG%, 225 steals and 267 blocks.