Class of 2026: Mariners Wall of Fame Adds Two

NANAIMO, BC - The VIU Mariners have welcomed two accomplished alumni to the Mariners Wall of Fame, Class of 2026: Jamie (Broder) Hatch and Marilou Leonin.

Hatch, from Victoria, BC, and Leonin, from Prince Rupert, BC, were celebrated at the start of the 2025-26 VIU Mariners Awards Night on April 10 at the Malaspina Theatre. VIU Athletic Director Danielle Hyde detailed Leonin's trailblazing accomplishments with the Mariners women's basketball program and shared memories of the year when the two of them were Mariner student-athletes at the same time.

Afterwards, VIU women's volleyball head coach Shane Hyde, who originally recruited Hatch to VIU (then Malaspina University-College), spoke of Hatch's excellence and versatility as a student-athlete and noted that her career accomplishments after varsity volleyball should be an inspiration for today's and future collegiate athletes at VIU.

Following the induction speeches, Broder and Leonin's Wall of Fame banners were revealed to applause from the current Mariners and special guests.

Jamie (Broder) Hatch: Women's Volleyball (2003-06)

Jamie Hatch (#15, front row, left) in her rookie season with the Mariners in 2003-04.

Jamie Hatch was told multiple times she was "too short" to play as an outside hitter at the varsity level or to compete in beach volleyball at the national level. However, her determination led her to succeed at every stop, all the way to qualifying for the Olympic Summer Games.

In her first year with the Mariners, she was named Mariners Rookie of the Year and finished third in team kills. In her second and third seasons, she averaged more than three kills per set to lead the Mariners through both campaigns. In her second season, she topped 20 kills in a match four times, highlighted by 24 kills in a five-set win over the University-College of the Cariboo. 

Jamie Hatch (front row, third from right) and the 2005-06 Malaspina Mariners celebrate their BCCAA conference championship.

Her three seasons with the Malaspina Mariners saw her win two conference gold and a bronze along with CCAA national silver and bronze medals. In 2005, Hatch was named Mariners Female Athlete of the Year. In 2006, she was a CCAA Academic All-Canadian and a CCAA National Championship Second All-Tournament team member. Hatch transfered to UBC and won a CIS (now U Sports) national championship and was named a tournament all-star in her senior year.

She took that experience to springboard into a phenomenal career representing Canada internationally in beach volleyball. 

On the beach, Hatch competed around the world and was internationally ranked. She won multiple NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation) events and won Canada's first-ever medal at an FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) event, a gold at the Fuzhou Open in China. She also earned bronze at the Lucerne Open to go with 4th and 5th places finishes on FIVB tour stops in 2015. Hatch then competed for Canada at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games. She and her partner Kristina Valjas defeated teams from Italy and Egypt to qualify for the round of 16 before finishing in a tie for 9^th place. 


Jamie Hatch during the match against Italy at Rio 2016, Aug. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek - Olympic.ca)

Marilou Leonin: Women's Basketball (1994-98)

Marilou Leonin (#4) in her rookie season with the 1994-95 Malaspina Mariners.

Marilou Leonin was the Mariners first superstar in women's basketball program history. A hard-working 5'3" point guard who came to Vancouver Island after starring at Charles Hayes Secondary in Prince Rupert, Leonin played four seasons at VIU (then Malaspina University-College) and was a conference all-star in three of those seasons. She showed incredible promise from her rookie season when she put up over 10 points per game. However, it was her final season in 1997-98 that really cemented her legacy. 

That season, Leonin exploded out of the gate, scoring 18, 18, and 23 points in the first three games of the season. She scored 17 points in both conference playoff games, including a 58-56 overtime win over UCFV to claim the Mariners' first conference title in women's basketball. Her team qualified for the CCAA women's basketball national championship and defeated Seneca, Grant MacEwan, and Mount Royal to win the school's first CCAA national championship in women's basketball. The postseason run proved to be the tail end of a 16-game winning streak. 

Leonin (fourth from left) and her teammates celebrate the 1998 BCCAA provincial championship: the first conference title in Mariners women's basketball history. 

Leonin's season was recognized with provincial and national accolades. She was named a CCAA athlete of the month and earned a spot on the national championship First All-Tournament Team, but her other major awards set the standard of excellence for Mariners women's basketball for decades to come.

She was the first Mariner to be named women's basketball PACWEST conference (then BCCAA) player of the year, CCAA women's basketball All-Canadian, and the CCAA women's basketball national player of the year. To this point, she is the only Mariner to earn the CCAA women's basketball national player of the year award and only one of four players from the PACWEST to ever be named CCAA women's basketball player of the year.

The Mariners Athletics Wall of Fame recognizes athletes, teams, and builders who have made significant contributions to the Mariners program. To date, the Wall of Fame includes nine inductees.

To advance a nomination for the Mariners Athletics Wall of Fame, please download, fill out, and submit a nomination form to the VIU Department of Athletics & Recreation from our Wall of Fame page.

For more information, please contact VIU Communications and Sports Information Coordinator Matt Carter.