SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State will induct seven former athletes, an iconic sportswriter and a national championship team as part of its 2025-26 Athletics Hall of Fame induction class. This year's Hall of Fame ceremonies will take place on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
 
Lyndal Scranton, a local journalist and long-time Bears beat writer, is the recipient of this year's Don Payton Award. He worked for the Springfield News-Leader from 1979 to 2015, enjoying a 36-year run covering a wide range of local and regional sports stories. He became Missouri State's primary beat writer in 1989 and served in that capacity until his retirement. He has since become the public relations director for Lucas Oil Speedway and a contributing sports reporter for the Springfield Daily Citizen.
 
This year's team inductee is the 1963 men's golf team under legendary head coach Andy McDonald. The Bears won the first-ever NCAA College Division (now Division II) national championship with team members Bill Lucas, Larry Gooch, John Henage, Dick Baxter, Jim Wheeler and Bruce Hollowell guiding MSU to victory. The Bears hosted the national meet at Grandview Golf Course in Springfield, and the MIAA champions made history, posting a score of 1,188 to beat out Aquinas College of Michigan by 11 strokes.
 
The rest of the 2025-26 Hall of Fame class includes the following standout athletes: basketball stars Alize Johnson (Williamsport, Pa.), Tyonna Snow (Blue Springs, Mo.), and Kyle Weems (Topeka, Kan.); volleyball setter Chenille Bayless Gaumer (Springfield, Mo.); track and field standout Curt Brand (Springfield, Mo.); swimmer Andi Rojas (Maracay, Venezuela); and baseball relief pitcher Bob Zimmermann (St. Louis, Mo.).
 
The official recognition of this year's class will take place on Saturday, Feb. 14 with a 10 a.m. induction brunch at The Old Glass Place (521 E. St. Louis St.) in Springfield. Tickets for the induction ceremony are $25 apiece and may be purchased through the Bears Fund by phone (417) 836-5427 or email to paigegrisham@missouristate.edu.
 
The 50^th Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame class will also be honored at halftime of the Bears basketball game vs. Delaware, also on Feb. 14. Tickets for the 2 p.m. game are available at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or by calling (417) 836-7678 during regular box office hours.
 
The 2025-26 induction class brings the total membership of the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame to 438 student-athletes, coaches, administrators, media, teams and support personnel.

Profiles on the 2025-26 MSU Athletics Hall of Fame induction class student-athletes (alphabetically) are as follows:
 
Chenille Bayless Gaumer (Volleyball, 2000-03)
The standout setter was a four-year All-MVC performer and remains MSU's career assists leader (5,431). At the conclusion of her career, she ranked No. 3 all-time in Missouri Valley Conference history in assists, while her 1,469 assists in 2000 is still a Bears freshman record, and her 1,333 assists in 2001 is the most ever by a Bears sophomore. Her many career accolades also include AVCA All-Region (2003), MVC All-Newcomer Team (2020), MVC All-Tournament Team (2021), MVC Player of the Week (three times) and MVC Freshman of the Week (two times). Bayless helped lead the Bears to a 27-6 record, MVC championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003. In addition to holding MSU's career assist record, she also ranks 10th all-time in attack percentage (.293), 14th in sets played (459) and 16th in digs (1,213).
 
Curt Brand (Men's Track & Field, 1985-87)
Brand is the Missouri State men's track and field record holder in the indoor (6-foot-10) and outdoor (7-foot-0) high jump. He was a two-time Mid-Continent Conference high jump champion in 1986 and 1987, both indoors. He also claimed the Mid-Continent outdoor high jump title in 1986 and finished third in the triple jump that same year. He earned the Bears Team MVP Award in 1987 from coach Richard Clark and is this year's inductee in the Legacy category.
 
Alize Johnson (Men's Basketball, 2016-18)
Before becoming MSU's second NBA Draft pick of the Division I era (Indiana Pacers 2018), Johnson was a two-time NABC All-District and All-MVC first-team selection for coach Paul Lusk. He finished second in the 2018 MVC Player of the Year voting and led the MVC in rebounding and double-doubles in both seasons. Johnson finished his two-year career with 982 points and 735 rebounds in just 66 games (14.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg) with 37 double-doubles. His 384 season rebounds in 2017-18 ranks No. 3 in school history. He also earned MVC Newcomer of the Year and MVC All-Tournament Team laurels in 2016-17.  
 
Andi Rojas (Women's Swimming & Diving, 2004-08)
A four-time All-MVC honoree for coach Jack Steck, the Venezuelan sensation was named 2005-06 Missouri Valley Conference Swimmer of the Year. She won seven individual MVC championships, including three in the 200-yard individual medley (2006-07-08), two in the 100-yard butterfly (2005-06), and two in the 200-yard butterfly (2005-06). She was part of MVC team championship runs by the Bears in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and was also a four-time MVC Scholar-Athlete Team honoree.
 
Tyonna Snow (Women's Basketball, 2012-16)
Snow became just the third player in MVC history to earn Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season (2015-16) when she did so en route to an NCAA Tournament run under coach Kellie Harper her senior season. She was a three-time All-MVC player and three-time member of the MVC All-Defensive Team. She also led the Lady Bears to a WNIT appearance in 2015 and set club records for steals in a season (109) and career (352). She was named MVC Freshman of the Year in 2013 and was a four-time MVC Player of the Week.
 
Kyle Weems (Men's Basketball, 2008-12)
Weems was an AP All-America honorable mention selection in 2012 and a two-time All-MVC first team selection under coaches Cuonzo Martin and Paul Lusk. Weems was named the 2011 MVC Larry Bird Player of the Year after leading Martin's Bears to a 28-9 record, the MVC regular-season title and an appearance in the NIT. He led the Bears in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots each of his last three seasons and is Missouri State's all-time leader in games played (134). Weems currently ranks No. 2 all-time in program history in scoring (1,868) and No. 4 in rebounds (844) and is also the Great Southern Bank all-time leader in both categories. He enjoyed a 13-year professional career after his remarkable collegiate career at MSU.
 
Bob Zimmermann (Baseball, 2001-03)
A mainstay for coach Keith Guttin's baseball Bears, Zimmermann played a significant role in the team's 2003 NCAA College World Series run. He earned Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America, ABCA All-Region and MVC Freshman of the Year honors in 2001 after going 7-3 with 6 saves and a 2.28 ERA. In his junior season, he earned NCAA All-Regional Tournament honors to go with his 90 strikeouts, a season total that ranked 7th on MSU's single-season list at the time. Likewise, his 13 career saves (2nd) and 183 strikeouts (9th) both ranked among the Bears all-time top 10 when he concluded his career. Zimmermann was selected by the Angels in the fourth round of the 2003 MLB Draft.

About the Don Payton Award
The Payton Award was established in 2017 in conjunction with the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame to honor those individuals whose accomplishments related to MSU athletics fall outside the Hall of Fame candidacy of coaches or student-athletes. The late Don Payton was the university's director of information from 1956 to 1985 and was given the inaugural award. Subsequent honorees include: long-time faculty athletics representative Dr. Bruce Johnson (inducted 2018), former director of bands Jerry Hoover (2019), special contributors Larry Atwood and Paul Mullins (2020), radio announcer Art Hains (2022), academic achievement center director JoBelle Hopper (2023), television broadcaster Ned Reynolds (2024), and supporter Tom Strong (2025).

About the Team Inductee Category
The team induction category was added in 2020 with previous inductees including: Bob Vanatta's 1952 and 1953 men's basketball NAIA national championship teams (inducted in 2020); Kay Hunter's 1974 AIAW College World Series championship softball team (2022); Chuck Hunsaker's 1973-77 men's cross country teams – including the 1974 NCAA Division II national championship squad (2023); Bill Rowe's 1969 and 1970 baseball teams (2024); and Dr. Rhonda Ridinger's 1979 AIAW national championship field hockey team (2025).