Hall of Fame
Tyler, a native of River Forest, Ill., is the most recognized softball player in Drake and Missouri Valley Conference history, and she became first MVC player selected for the U.S. Olympic Team (1996).
She helped lead United States to its first-ever gold medal in softball in 1996, hitting a home run against Australia and was also a starter on the USA team that earned a gold medal at the 1994 Pan American Qualifier. Tyler was a member of the USA Softball National Team from 1994-2000 and was also an alternate on the US Gold Medal Olympic Team during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The Women’s USA National Team won gold medal in the 1998 World Championships.
Tyler was a three-year starter for Drake and powered the Bulldogs to consecutive MVC Tournament titles (1993 and 1994) -- the first time in MVC history that had been accomplished.
She was named Missouri Valley Conference Rookie of the Year in 1993; and was a unanimous first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection in 1994 and 1995. She was a member of the 1995 MVC All-Tournament team after hitting .556 and twice earned All-Midwest Region honors (1994 , 1995).
As a sophomore in 1994, Tyler paced Drake to its second-consecutive MVC Tournament crown and the Bulldogs’ first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. That year, she set then Bulldogs and MVC single-season records for home runs (9), RBI (50), hits (73), at-bats (190) and fielding assists (169). She remains Drake’s single-season record holder for RBI, hits and at bats. She also established then Drake career marks for homers (21), batting average (.395), RBI (115) and assists (444). Tyler is Drake’s all-time leader in career batting average and assists, and she is second in RBI and sixth in HR.
She was the recipient of Drake’s Jerry Howlett Award in 1994 as Drake’s most outstanding overall athlete and is a member of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.
Tyler, who received bachelor of science degree in business administration (accounting) from Drake in 1997, also was honored by the school with the Drake Double-D Award in 2012. She currently is a Partner at the CPA firm of Bansley and Kiener, LLP in Chicago. She has won numerous athletic and humanitarian awards throughout the United States, has been a motivational speaker for several organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, and she is actively involved in several charitable and civic organizations throughout the Chicagoland area.