To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of Title IX into law on June 23, 1972, Missouri State will be honoring some of its greatest pioneers in women's athletics over the span of 50 weeks. Although certainly not inclusive of every individual who has contributed to the success of women's athletics at Missouri State, the list of coaches, student-athletes, teams and contributors below represent some of our most memorable over the last 50+ years.
No Title IX retrospective or list of women's athletics pioneers anywhere in the country would be complete without Dr. Mary Jo Wynn. From 1957 until her retirement in 1988, Wynn was the face of women's athletics on our campus. She worked as a teacher and coach and helped make MSU a dominant program in the fledgling years of women's athletics, then into the AIAW era, and later as Division I members of the Gateway and Missouri Valley Conference. Wynn organized women's athletics competition in 1958 with the founding of the volleyball and tennis teams, which she coached until 1972 (volleyball) and 1975 (tennis). She also coached swimming and track. She was named the first MSU director of women's athletics in 1975, concluding her tenure as senior associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator. With her vision and leadership, Missouri State became an AIAW power, winning 18 state championships, 14 regional crowns and two national titles with six All-Americans and 14 Academic All-Americans. After being honored with numerous lifetime achievement honors and hall of fame inductions, Wynn was named as a Missouri Sports Legend in 2014 and passed away in 2019 at the age of 87.
| Week 2: Jackie Stiles, Women's Basketball |
When people mention the name of Lady Bears’ legend Jackie Stiles, their eyes light up. In addition to
leading Missouri State to the NCAA Tournament as the team's top scorer all four years of her Missouri State career (1997-01), her senior campaign was highlighted by leading the Lady Bears to the Final Four in St. Louis and becoming the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history (3,393 points). She was a four-year All-MVC first team selection, was named the MVC Player of the Year her last three seasons and was further honored by the league when the Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year Award was renamed in her honor in 2006. A recipient of numerous national honors, Stiles was a consensus All-America selection, earned WNBA Rookie of the Year laurels in 2001, had her Missouri State jersey (#10) retired in 2004 and was honored by Missouri State with a statue outside Great Southern Bank Arena in 2017. Stiles was also inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
After 24 seasons heading the Missouri State volleyball program, Linda Dollar retired from coach
ing in 1995 with a career record of 758-266-21, ranking her second on the sport’s all-time wins list at the time. After hanging up her coaching whistle, the St. Louis native became the first full-time compliance officer for Bears Athletics after already having served as assistant director of women’s athletics since 1982. A 1970 MSU graduate, Dollar was a three-time league Coach of the Year, led the Bears to three NCAA appearances and guided her squad to 10 AIAW national tournament berths, with a top AIAW national finish of fifth in 1981.
| Week 4: Kolleen Casey, Gymnastics |
Kolleen Casey came to MSU in 1977 as a top international gymnast from St. Paul, Minn., and concl
uded her career as the university’s first individual national champion. Casey was a member of the winning U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City, finishing first in vault, second on the balance beam and third in all-around competition. The following year, she was a member of the U.S. team in the Montreal Summer Olympics. Upon arrival in Springfield, she won the AIAW national championship in vault, finished third in floor exercise and took second in all-around. The next year, she was the AIAW Regional and National all-around champion, Broderick Cup Award Winner for gymnastics and Gym-Kim Gymnast of the Year for the most outstanding woman collegiate gymnast. She was also a 4.0 student at Missouri State.
| Week 5: Barb Gaines, Softball |
Barb Gaines became the first player in MVC history to win all-league honors four years in a row, closing out her career w
ith five MSU single-season records and eight career marks. The St. Louis native still holds the school career records for hits (252) and is the only All-American in program history. Gaines led the 1991 MSU squad with a .388 batting average, paced the team in at bats, runs, hits, stolen bases and fielding average, and was selected to the all-Midwest Region second team. During her junior year, she batted .419 and finishing 19th nationally in hitting. She became the first MSU softball All-America as a senior in 1993 when she was named to the NFCA All-America third team. She enjoyed a brilliant senior year, ranking among the national top 10 in hitting most of the year on her way to a school record .442 mark. Following the season, she was named to the Academic All-MVC first team and voted Missouri Valley Co-MVP after hitting .507 in 18 league games.
| Week 6: Casey Owens, Track and Cross Country |
Casey Owens was one of the most accomplished distance runners in Missouri State history. A native of Des Moines, Iow
a, she captured the Missouri Valley Conference individual cross country title as a sophomore in 2002 and as a senior in 2004 with a runner-up finish in 2003, while leading MSU to four straight Valley team championships. She ran in the NCAA national cross country meet her last two seasons, and she was a three-time all-region and four-time all-MVC honoree in cross country. Owens also ran twice at the NCAA outdoor track meet, earning All-America honors by finishing 11th in the 10,000-meter run in 2004 and 10th in that event in 2005. Owens also ran in the NCAA indoor 5,000-meter run, was a four-time all-MVC selection in indoor and outdoor track, and was an 11-time MVC champion. She was named to the MVC All-Centennial team in 2007 for both track and cross country.
| Week 7: Jodie Adams, Tennis |
Springfield native Jodie Adams played No. 1 singles for Missouri State on three teams that advanced to the AIAW Division I 
National Tournament in 1976, 1977 and 1978. While playing for three different coaches in her career, she was one of the top players in the region throughout her time in the program. In addition, she has served as a high school and college official for over 30 years and is a member of the United States Tennis Association Missouri Valley Section Hall of Fame and the Springfield Softball Hall of Fame. In 1979, Adams declined a doubles wild card entry into the tournament at Wimbledon, England, to begin working at the Springfield Park Board.
| Week 8: Dr. Rhonda Ridinger, Field Hockey |
For nearly two decades, Dr. Rhonda Ridinger was the driving force behind the Missouri State fie
ld hockey team, including 18 years as the team's head coach. Ridinger compiled a career record of 281-101-20. In 1979, she led the Bears to a perfect conference record and led the Bears to a 28-2-1 overall mark (with 23 shutouts) on the way to an AIAW national championship. The next year, MSU won a school-record 29 games and finished as national runners-up. Between 1977 and 1981, the Bears reeled off five straight 20-win seasons with three appearances in the national tournament. She was named MAIAW All-Sports Coach of the Year in 1980 and earned Missouri State's first “Teaching in Excellence Award.” Ridinger was also selected as chairperson of the National Coaching Committee of the U.S. Field Hockey Association and achieved a level one coaching certificate for the USFHA.
| Week 9: Joanie French, Volleyball, Basketball, Softball & Track |
A true multi-sport standout, Joanie French starred in four sports at Missouri State, winning the A.J. McDonald Achievement Awar
d for athletic and academic excellence upon her graduation in 1978. She took the Bears volleyball team to four consecutive state and regional championships and AIAW national tournament appearances. She also helped the basketball team win a state title and, as a senior, led the softball team to state and region championships, qualifying for the Women's College World Series, where she led the field in stolen bases. She also was a high jumper on campus, winning a state title her sophomore season. After graduation, she earned a spot on the USA national volleyball team in 1979.
| Week 10: Cheryl Burnett, Women's Basketball |
Cheryl Burnett set the standard for basketball excellence for the Lady Bears and the Missouri Valley Conference during her 
15-year career as head coach. Burnett took the coaching reins in 1987 and guided MSU to a winning record two years later, launching the program into the national spotlight. She then guided her teams to 13 straight winning seasons, including nine campaigns of 20 or more wins, and reached postseason play 11 times. MSU won conference regular season championships in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2001; and league tournament titles in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 2001. The Lady Bears advanced to the NCAA Tournament second round in 1991, Final Four in 1992, Sweet 16 in 1993, second round in 1994, second round in 1995, first round in 1996, first round in 1998, second round in 1999, first round in 2000 and Final Four in 2001. MSU also had a WNIT appearance in 2002. Burnett finished with a 319-136 won-lost record at Missouri State.
| Week 11: Reba Sims, Basketball, Softball, Field Hockey |
Reba Sims made her mark as a coach in the formative years of Missouri State women’s sports, guiding three teams in a tenure that lasted just over a
decade. Sims guided the softball Bears from 1965 to 1971, coached the basketball team from 1969 to 1979, and also worked with the field hockey team. Sims took the Bears’ softball team to three straight AIAW state titles as MSU placed third in the AIAW Women's College World Series in 1969, second in 1970 and third in 1971. Sims also took her teams to considerable success in basketball, as MSU won AIAW state titles in 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975, placing second in the AIAW regional meet in 1974 and third in the region in 1975. Her role as an advocate for Missouri State women's programs has extended well into the current era of Division I athletics as a media member, fan and supporter for many MSU programs.
| Week 12: Catherine Dolan, Golf |
Catherine Dolan (2008-12) is one of just 11 golfers in Missouri Valley Conference history to earn all-conference honors four time
s during her notable career. She was the MVC Newcomer of the Year 2009 and went on to record 15 career top-10 tournament finishes, including the championship of the 2011 Rio Verde Invitational. At the time of her graduation, Dolan was tied for the Missouri State career scoring mark with a four-year 75.76 stroke average. A gritty competitor, she was MSU team captain her junior and senior years and went on to capture championships at the Missouri Amateur in both 2011 and 2013. She advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2011 USA Women's Amateur Public Links Championship and also qualified to play the 2009 USA Women's Amateur Championship at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis.
| Week 13: Brianne McGuirk, Swimming |
Brianne McGuirk was one of the first dominant performers in a specialty event in the fledgling Bears' women's swimming and diving program as she
competed in the breaststroke from 1999 to 2003 for coach Jack Steck. A native of El Paso, Texas, McGuirk is the first Missouri State women's swimmer ever to win an individual event in conference competition as she collected a double at the Missouri Valley Conference meet her freshman season by winning both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke races. That began a string of four straight years of all-conference honors for McGuirk as she was among the league's top five in the 100-yard race every year and won the 200-yard event all four seasons. In addition, she swam the breaststroke leg on Bears' medley relay teams in both regular season and conference competition. Steck's Bears posted a 35-23 record in dual meet competition in McGuirk's four seasons at MSU, and brought the school its first conference title in just the program's fifth season, winning the MVC crown in 2003 when McGuirk was a senior co-captain. She finished with four school records and one Hammons Center pool mark.
| Week 14: 1974 Softball National Championship Team |
Coach Kay Hunter's 1974 softball team became the first women’s team in school history to win a national championship.
The Bears played their regular-season games at Fassnight and Meador Parks and posted a final season record of 19-4. MSU’s potent attack in the campaign included some big offensive totals in the World Series wrapped around a 1-0 win over Luther College where the only run in the contest came in on a squeeze play. The sweep to the World Series championship included victories over UMass (11-1), Luther (1-0), Eastern Illinois (9-8), Wayne State (8-5) and Northern Colorado (14-7).
Team members included leftfielder Janet Cutbirth, outfielder/catcher Susan Alley, outfielder Diane Gaehle, outfielder Dee Bratcher, outfielder Janis Morgan, pitcher Debbie Dace, pitcher/first baseman Cindy Henderson, first baseman Pam Mangrum, third baseman Irene Barnes, second baseman Robbie Johnson, catcher Becky Goad, catcher Karen Bethurem, outfielder Mary Doyen, shortstop Glenda Bond and pitcher Brenda Gunier. Robbie Johnson and assistant coach J. Carol Myers are deceased.
| Week 15: Nia Williams, Soccer |
Nia Williams was a four-time All-MVC defender for coach Rob Brewer's Missouri State soccer team and the program's first-ever 
professional signee when she was selected during the fourth round of the 2013 NWSL Draft. During her career, she was also named to the MVC All-Freshman Team, MVC All-Tournament Team. MVC Scholar-Athlete Team and was named as MVC Defensive Player of the Week three times. The 2012 MVC Defensive Player of the Year was a major part of the Bears' defense that allowed just two goals in nine home matches in her senior season (2012). She made her professional debut for FC Kansas City on May 18, 2013.
| Week 16: Melody Howard, Basketball |
Melody Howard starred for the Missouri State Lady Bears in a career which coincided with team’s first four NCAA Tournament ap
pearances. Howard also helped MSU to four straight regular season conference championships, four straight conference tournament titles, and to NCAA second-round spots in 1991 and 1994, a Sweet 16 berth in 1993 and a trip to the Final Four in Los Angeles in 1992. The 31-3 season compiled by the Lady Bears of coach Cheryl Burnett in 1991-92 brought the four-year MSU record in Howard's career to 104-23 and the Lady Bears were a gaudy 62-2 in Hammons Student Center over those four seasons. She ended her playing days in 1994 with MSU career records for games played (127), points (1,944) and three-point field goals made (258) and attempted (588). She also held MSU single-game scoring (41) and 3-pointers (11) in a game. Howard won numerous honors, including three first team all-conference selections. She was MVC Player of the Year as a senior, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America and also a two-time Kodak All-America honorable mention. She was picked as the Sports Illustrated National Player of the Week once during her career, and was selected to receive an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship at the time she earned her undergraduate degree in 1995. She played for the United States in the 1993 World University Games and her Lady Bears' jersey number 35 was retired by MSU at the conclusion of her playing days. Howard played professional basketball for two seasons and was the first woman inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame.
| Week 17: Jennifer Seveland Box, Volleyball |
Jennifer Seveland was a four-year volleyball standout (1979-82) for coach Linda Dollar's Bears on teams that rolled to win totals of 
36, 41, 47 and 35 in her four seasons. That tenure include three consecutive AIAW state championships, three regional crowns, and places in three AIAW Division I national meets, including a fifth-place finish in 1981 when Seveland was a junior. Seveland served as the team captain for Dollar's club in 1982 as a senior. She set school career records for hitting percentage, blocks per game, matches, block assists, total blocks and solo blocks, and she had a number of single season marks as well. Seveland was an AIAW All-American in 1981, a three-time all-region selection, and a CoSIDA first team Academic All-American in 1982, the first MSU volleyballer to be so honored.
| Week 18: Holly Hesse, Softball |
Now in her 35th season as Missouri State's head softball coach, Holly Hesse continues to be a national leader in education and ad
vocacy. Hesse has compiled 872 career wins with the Bears and has led Missouri State to six NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2022 Columbia Regional that featured a win over Illinois. Her tenure has also included a pair of Gateway/MVC regular-season titles and 20 seasons with 25 or more victories. Off the field, she is a published author and has been a presenter and featured speaker for the NCAA and NFCA. Likewise, Hesse was named as one of the Springfield Business Journal’s 2022 Most Influential Women, and is the former president of the Springfield chapter of the Women’s Intersport Network (WIN).
| Week 19: 1979 Field Hockey Team |
One of just two Missouri State women’s teams to win a national championship, the 1979 field
hockey squad coached by Dr. Rhonda Ridinger rolled to a 28-2-1 season record. Along the way, the Bears won state and regional championships while setting the standard during an eight-year stretch that featured 182 wins, 26 losses and 9 ties (.859). Led by standout goal scorer Chris Dufner, the Bears topped Colgate 2-0 in the championship game to claim the 1979 AIAW Division II title at the national tournament, held in Princeton, N.J.
| Week 20: Dr. Mildred Evans, Cross Country |
Dr. Mildred Evans joined the Missouri State staff in 1966 and was the first women’s cross country coach for the Bears. She also
helped coach field hockey, tennis and track during her tenure in Springfield. Her cross country teams won the Missouri AIAW state meet in both 1971 and 1972, while guiding the Bears to a second-place placing in the Missouri State track championship in 1970 and to the championship in 1971. Six of her athletes from the 1971 squad qualified for the AIAW national track and field championships.
| Week 21: Renata Sander, Swimming |
A three-time MVC Swimmer of the Year and four-time All-MVC standout, Sander reached leg
endary status around the league during her highly-touted career. She was a three-time MVC champion in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events and a two-time champ in the 200-IM. Likewise, the Brazilian earned a spot alongside teammates Dora Kiss and Lauren Pavel on the MVC 25th Anniversary Team and earned MVC Scholar-Athlete distinction on two occasions.
| Week 22: Sofie Bjorling, Tennis |
Sofie Bjorling was a four-year tennis standout from 1982-85 who compiled a career singles record of 75-29, playing primarily in the
No. 1 and No. 2 positions. In the spring of 1982, she was 25-2 and was an NCAA Division II qualifier in singles and doubles as a freshman, advancing to the quarterfinals in singles and leading MSU to a 15th-place national finish. MSU moved to Division I the next season, and Bjorling advanced to the Gateway singles finals as a sophomore, junior and senior, helping the Bears to a 10-3 dual record and a third place finish at the conference championship in 1985. She graduated in 1985 and subsequently earned a doctorate.
| Week 23: Mary Phyl Dwight, Softball, Volleyball, Track, Cross Country, Basketball |
Mary Phyl Dwight was one of the most versatile and accomplished athletes in Missouri State history, turning in standout performances
in no fewer than five sports during her four years from 1970 to 1974. Playing for the Bears in basketball, volleyball, softball, track and cross country, her performances helped MSU to championships in virtually every sport in which she competed. She followed her college career with play on the U.S. Olympic team handball squad in 1984 and returned to Missouri State as the Bears softball coach in 1985, taking the team to a 27-23 record in her lone season at the helm. She also had coaching stints at Iowa and Kansas State.
| Week 24: Michelle Baptiste, Track & Field |
Michelle Baptiste was a four-year track and field sensation for the Bears from 1996 to 1999 as a sprinter and jumper who earned All-
American honors and represented her native St. Lucia at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. As a freshman, she earned all-conference honors in six events and competed in both the NCAA indoor and outdoor meets, placing 16th in the indoor long jump event and 11th outdoors. She followed her collegiate season by being the only female athlete on St. Lucia’s first-ever Olympic team at the summer games in Atlanta, qualifying in the 100-meter dash and long jump. She moved on to the World Junior Championships in Australia where she reached the semifinals in the 100. She earned NCAA All-American honors indoors in 1997 when she finished seventh in the long jump. She was voted Missouri State’s Outstanding Female Athlete for 1996-97 and repeated her MVC all-conference honors in 1997, 1998 and 1999, finishing with a total of 17 individual MVC championships in four years.
| Week 25: Kari Koch, Basketball |
Kari Koch was a four-year starter and played on four straight postseason teams for the Lady Bears of coach Katie Abrahamson-He
nderson. She was a four-time All-MVC first-team selection and was honored as MVC Freshman of the Year in 2003 and MVC Player of the Year in 2004. She was also the first freshman in MVC history to be selected MVP of the conference tournament as well as a two-time member of the MVC All-Defensive Team (2004 and 2006) and three-time member of the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team (2004, 05 and 06), Koch was honored on the MVC All-Centennial Team in 2007 and earned Kodak All-America honorable mention distinction her senior year. She played on MSU NCAA Tournament teams that played at Lubbock (2003), South Bend (2004) and West Lafayette (2006) in addition to an unforgettable run to the WNIT title in 2005 with wins over SMU, Gonzaga, Texas A&M, Iowa and West Virginia. A native of Elsberry, Mo., Koch played professional basketball in Athens, Greece for five years, where her honors included All-Greek League first team selection in 2011.
| Week 26: Cindy Henderson, Basketball, Softball |
Cindy Henderson Snead played softball and basketball at Missouri State from 1972-75. She played on two state championship 
and regional runner-up teams in basketball, averaging 17.5 points a game as a junior and 19.1 points and 11.4 rebounds a game as a senior. She held the single-game MSU scoring record of 37 points and the career records of 1104 points and 791 rebounds before they were later broken. As a pitcher in softball, Henderson turned in a 10-2 record for MSU as the team captured the AIAW national championship in 1974. She was also 8-2 in 1973 as MSU won the state title and placed third in the AIAW World Series. After her graduation, she was drafted by both the Milwaukee Does of the Women’s Professional Basketball League and the Michigan Travelers of the Women’s Professional Softball League.
| Week 27: Lily Johnson, Volleyball |
As a senior in 2017, Johnson earned AVCA All-American honors for the fourth consecutive season as a Third Team pick, and was
the CoSIDA Academic All-America® of the Year. She finished her career ranked second in NCAA history in career attacks (6,610), third in consecutive sets played (519), and 19th in kills (2,293), all MSU and MVC records. At the time of her graduation, she was also one of 10 players in NCAA history with at least 2,200 kills and 1,500 digs.
| Week 28: Sarah Guenther, Soccer |
Guenther is one of the Missouri Valley Conference's top defenders of all-time, earning The Valley’s Defensive Player of the Year in 
2003 and 2004. She was a two-time NSCAA All-Region selection, earning first-team laurels in 2004. Guenther was a three-time All-MVC honoree, with first-team laurels her junior and senior campaigns. She was one of two Bears on both the MVC 25-Year Silver Anniversary Team and MVC All-Centennial Team. She also was a two-time NSCAA Scholar All-American and member of the 2004 MVC Scholar-Athlete Team.
| Week 29: Kay Hunter, Softball |
In the decade she was at the helm of the Missouri State softball team, Mary Kay Hunter maintained one of the most respected progra
ms in the country. She compiled six national top-10 finishes to her credit, including a national championship in 1974. A native of nearby Mt. Vernon, Mo., Hunter was a physical education major at Missouri State and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1955. She returned to Missouri State as an instructor and served as assistant basketball coach while working on her master’s degree from Missouri. She began coaching softball in 1972 and had national finishes of ninth place in 1972, third place in 1973, first in 1974, seventh in 1977 and 1978, and ninth in 1980. During that period, her teams claimed six state and two regional titles as well, while she collected a 227-111 career record.
| Week 30: Anna Miller, Swimming |
Freestyle and butterfly specialist Anna Miller became Missouri State's first women's swimming NCAA qualifier in 2022 when s
he represented the Bears at the Division I Championships in Atlanta. A St. Louis native, Miller was a five-time All-MVC selection and concluded her career as the school record holder in the 50 freestyle (22.08), 100 freestyle (48.45) and 100 butterfly (52.96). She was the 2021 Valley Swimmer of the Year and finished her career with 27 individual and relay gold medals at the MVC Championships. Miller also earned MVC Swimmer of the Week laurels five times en route to becoming one of the most decorated swimmers in program and league history.
| Week 31: JoBelle Hopper, Academic Achievement Center |
The founder and former director of what is now known as the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Academic Achievement Center for Intercollegia
te Athletics, JoBelle Hopper spent 21 years mentoring and advising student-athletes, first as counselor working with men’s athletics and ultimately advancing into the director’s role of the achievement center from its formation. She engineered the department’s initial coordination of academic support and study resources for student-athletes from 1987 until her retirement in 2008.
| Week 32: Libby Howell, Swimming & Diving |
With 29 career gold medals at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships, Libby Howell is the most decorated swimmer in MVC history. The 2022
MVC Swimmer of the Year was a five-time ?All-MVC first-team selection and a five-time MVC Swimmer of the Week during her career. She was also named MVC Freshman Swimmer of the Year in her debut season in 2018. She held Missouri State records in the 200-, 1000- and 1650-yard freestyle events at the end of her career, while holding the Valley 200-yard record and a share of three Valley relay records.
| Week 33: Cheasa Gibson, Track & Field |
Cheasa Gibson was an All-Missouri Valley Conference track selection eight times as the league’s premier sprinter and jumper during her time at Missou
ri State from 2001-04. She won the MVC 400-meter dash and finished first or second in the 200-meter dash eight times in Valley indoor and outdoor championships and earned 12 gold medals in her career at the MVC Championships. She also placed in the league’s top five twice in the long jump. She was the MVC indoor and outdoor Most Valuable Track Athlete in 2001, and also earned Valley Outdoor MVP honors in 2002 and 2004. Gibson finished in 15th place in the 400-meter run in both the NCAA indoor and outdoor championship meets her senior campaign to earn All-America laurels, while helping the Bears win indoor conference titles in both 2003 and 2004 in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
| Week 34: Women's Basketball 1991-92 Team |
Ranked 10th in the nation and taking a 17-game win streak into the NCAA Tournament, it was little surprise to Lady Bears head coach Cheryl Burnett that 
Missouri State would make a deep postseason run in 1992. The Lady Bears opened the Big Dance with a 75-59 home win over Kansas, then knocked off No. 7 Iowa with a buzzer beater in the second round. The team then reeled off regional wins over UCLA (83-57) and Ole Miss (94-71) to advance to become the first Missouri team to ever play in a Final Four. Despite a semifinal-round loss to Western Kentucky, Burnett's bunch finished 31-3 with Melody Howard (14.4 ppg) headlining a deep lineup that included four double-figure scorers.
| Week 35: Sally Hinton, Golf |
Sally Hinton is one of just eight players in Missouri Valley Conference women's golf history to earn all-conference honors four years in a row. A native of
Bridgnorth Shropshire, England, she was the Valley Player of the Year as a senior in 2007 and also a three-time MVC scholar-athlete selection. She owned the MSU women's golf single-season (75.65) and career (76.75) records for low stroke average. In her senior year, Hinton recorded an astounding nine top-10 finishes in the 11 tournaments and never finished worse than 16th in any event. She also recorded nine of 11 top-10's as a sophomore and, for her career, notched 29 top-10's in 43 tournaments. Hinton was named MVC Player of the Week honors seven times during her four seasons at Missouri State and was also selected to the MVC all-Centennial team in 2007. She led the Valley in scoring average as a sophomore and finished third in the league shooting her junior season and second in MVC scoring as a senior.
| Week 36: Melinda Sallins, Track & Field |
As one of the top track and field athletes in Missouri State history Melinda Sallins finished fifth in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1995 NCAA Outdoor Cha
mpionships and eighth in the same event in 1996 to earn all-America honors both years. She earned all-conference honors in indoor track four times each and broke MVC and MSU indoor records in the 55-meter hurdles (7.92), 100-meter hurdles (13.50) and the 400-meter hurdles (56.64). She won five individual conference titles during her career and was a two-time MVC Outdoor Championship Most Valuable Athlete. Sallins was also selected the MSU Outstanding Female Athlete twice (1995 and 1996) and participated in the U. S. Olympic Trials in 1996 and 2000.
| Week 37: Kathy Crotty, Volleyball |
The 1986 Gateway Conference Player of the Year, Kathy Crotty was one of the driving forces behind the Bears’ rise to prominence in the 1980’s. A nativ
e of Belleville, Ill., Crotty graduated as the school’s career leader in kill average, digs and serve reception average. She also set the MSU marks for single-season kills, kill average and kill attempts in 1985. Crotty was a two-time first team all-conference standout and amassed over 1,000 kills, digs and assists in her career.
| Week 38: 2001 Final Four Team |
Sparked by the firepower of the NCAA's all-time leading scorer and AP National Player of the Year Jackie Stiles, Missouri State rode a late-season hot st
reak all the way to the Final Four in 2001. The Lady Bears earned the No. 5 seed in their 10th NCAA appearance in 11 years and knocked off Toledo (89-71) behind a 40-point outburst from Tara Mitchem before dispatching Rutgers, 60-53. The Lady Bears then knocked off No. 1 seed Duke, 81-71, in the regional semifinals with Stiles scoring 41 points. MSU then took down Washington, 104-87, in the regional finals to advance to the Final Four in St. Louis. Despite an 81-64 loss to Purdue in the national semifinals, coach Cheryl Burnett's team finished 29-6 overall and was clearly an underdog story for the ages and one of the most remarkable teams in Missouri State history.
| Week 39: Marta Rubina, Tennis |
Marta Rubina was the top player for the Missouri State women's tennis team for coach Jim Giachino's MVC championship teams in 2002 and 2003 and
the Valley runner-up squad in 2004. The native of Riga, Latvia, is the all-time MSU singles career record holder with a 91-41 record for her time with the Bears in addition to 53 doubles victories. She logged 30 singles wins her freshman year for the school’s second-best single season win total. She was selected to the All-MVC team for the 2002-03 season after she posted a 23-11 log in her singles competition and went 12-4 in doubles.
| Week 40: Augustina Charles, Track & Field |
Charles received NCAA All-America selections during both indoor and outdoor track seasons in her time running for coach Ron Boyce from 1999 to 200
3. She put together seven all-conference selections indoors with wins in the MVC 400 and 800 meters and two relays; eight all-league picks outdoors with two wins in the MVC 800 and three relay titles. She ran on the winning MVC 4x400-meter relay team four times, including setting the all-time league and Missouri State records, and helped the Bears to a pair of conference indoor team championships in 1999 and 2000. Outdoors, she repeated her part in MSU's four league wins in the 4x400 with conference and school records in the event and played a key role on three Missouri State teams which won outdoor MVC championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003. She was also honored with spots on the MVC All-Centennial Team and MVC 25-Year Team.
| Week 41: Jessica Polus, Golf |
Jessica Polus was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference individual champion in 2000 and 2001, while helping the Bears to a team title in 2001 and run
ner-up showing in 2000. She is one of just six players to have captured multiple MVC titles in her career and was named to the MVC All-Centennial Team. Originally from Farmington, Mo., Polus was also a two-time All-MVC performer.
| Week 42: Dora Kiss, Swimming |
A four-time All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection, Dora Kiss was a two-time MVC Swimmer of the Year (2013 and 2016) while holding several
records. Kiss still holds two MVC records and two MSU team in the 500 freestyle and the 200 butterfly. She was a 10-time MVC individual champion with four wins in the 500 free, four in the 200 fly and one win apiece in the 200 freestyle and 400 IM. The native of Budapest, Hungary was also a three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete Team honoree in addition to being named as one of three Bears on the MVC 25-Year Team. Kiss earned MVC Swimmer of the Week honors five times in her career and was the 2013 MVC Freshman Swimmer of the Year.
| Week 43: Terri Whitmarsh, Softball |
Terri Whitmarsh is one of the top hurlers in Missouri State softball history, pitching for three coaches from 1983 to 1986, while helping the Bears to the 
NCAA tourney in her first season. She hurled 73 wins for MSU to establish a school career mark and also added records for appearances (133), innings (837), ERA (0.54), starts (109), complete games (99), strikeouts (545) and shutouts (37). She was an NFCA All-Region selection as a senior, was a two-time All-Gateway Conference selection and was named to the school's all-decade team in 1992. She also earned Missouri State's prestigious Outstanding Female Athlete as a senior in 1986.
| Week 44: Tracy Partain, Track & Field |
Tracy Partain was a multi-event standout for the track Bears from 2003 to 2006, competing in a variety of individual events and the grueling indoor 
pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon competitions. She set Missouri State school records in five events and MVC outdoor records for the 100-meter hurdles and the heptathlon. Partain was an NCAA indoor All-America in 2005, earned a similar honor at the outdoor national meet in 2006, and ran on three MVC team championship squads. She was the MVC women’s indoor meet MVP in 2005, the outdoor field MVP in 2005 and the outdoor track MVP in 2006. She earned All-MVC honors five times (three indoors, two outdoors). During her tenure, MSU captured two Valley indoor championships 2003 and 2004) and finishing third twice, while claiming one outdoor title, two seconds and a third. As a junior in 2005, she finished ninth at the NCAA indoor pentathlon (4,015 points) to claim her first All-America selection and then finished 13th at the NCAA outdoor meet that same year in the heptathlon (5,399 points). As a senior, she finished 10th in the NCAA indoor pentathlon (4,017 points) and was the national runner-up in the outdoor heptathlon (5,827 points).
| Week 45: Jeanette Tendai, Basketball |
Jeanette Tendai was the Missouri State Lady Bears’ first All-Gateway Conference pick, winning first-team all-league honors her sophomore and junior 
years, and making second team as a senior in 1986 when she led the league in free throw shooting. Her sophomore year, she averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game. At the time she finished her career, she was the Lady Bears’ all-time scoring leader, with 1,769 points, and the club's third leading rebounder with 910 boards. She was the first MSU women’s player in any sport to have her jersey retired.
| Week 46: Chris Dufner, Field Hockey |
If there was a comprehensive list of the greatest collegiate field hockey players of all-time, Chris Dufner would undoubtedly be at the top. A four-year 
starter, Dufner led the Bears to a record of 95-11-2 in her career and helped lead coach Rhonda Ridinger's squad to an AIAW national championship in 1979 and three straight regional finals from 1977-79. She tallied 69 goals as a senior, the highest total by any college player in history, while her 61 goals as a junior still ranks third. Dufner finished her career with 199 career goals (108 games), which is also an intercollegiate record, and her 398 career points ranks No. 2 all-time only because assists were not kept in the 1970's. She was a second-team All-American her senior year and remains one of the greatest athletes in school history.
| Week 47: Michelle Witzke, Volleyball |
Michelle Witzke had a stellar four-year career for the volleyball Bears from 1994 to 1997, playing her first two seasons for coach Linda Dollar and her 
final two for Melissa Stokes. A powerful outside hitter, Witzke was on the all-conference second team her sophomore and junior seasons before winning All-MVC first-team honors her senior year. She easily led the Valley in kills (667) and kills per game (5.70) as a senior and was fifth in the league in digs. She led the Bears in kills in 20 of the 1997 season's matches and had double figures in kills in 29 of 32 matches for the Bears. Witzke was also on the MVC All-Tournament Team in 1996 and 1997 and on the MVC All-Freshman Team in 1994. She was selected to the MVC scholar-athlete team each of her last three years. Leading the Bears in kills three years in a row, she was a CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team selection as a senior. Witzke racked up a four-year total of 1,919 kills and 4,944 attempts, which were MVC career records at the time, while her 1,343 career digs ranked No. 2 on Missouri State's career list.
| Week 48: Florence Baker Bugg, Physical Education Instructor |
Florence Baker Bugg competed in basketball and track at Simpson College from 1913 to 1917 and later earned her master’s degree from Vanderbilt 
University. She came to Springfield in 1930 to teach physical education at Missouri State and Greenwood. She helped organized the College Play Days for women, the Girl’s Athletic Association, the Physical Education Majors (PEM) Club, the Orchesis Dance Club, Delta Psi Kappa, and was also involved in the formation of the first sorority at MSU.
| Week 49: Lauren Pavel, Swimming |
A four-time All-Missouri Valley Conference swimmer, Pavel broke the conference record in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:12.43) during her remarkable 
career for the Bears. She was named MVC Swimmer of the Year in 2015 and 2017 and was a three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete Team selection. The Omaha native also was named to the MVC 25-Year Anniversary Team in 2018 as one of three all-time conference greats from MSU. Pavel was a two-time league champion in four events -- the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 200 individual medley, and 400-yard medley relay. She also participated in the 2016 Olympic Trials in her hometown and was named MVC Swimmer of the Week four times in her standout career.
| Week 50: Steffany Dickerson, Softball |
Dickerson made 137 appearances in the circle with 93 starts during her five seasons with coach Holly Hesse from 2018 to 2022. She earned 2022 
MVC Pitcher of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP honors in her final season to lead the Bears to an MVC championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, dazzling crowds at the Columbia Regional with her postseason prowess. She led the Bears to an NCAA regional win over Illinois and left to a standing ovation from a partisan Columbia crowd in her final career appearance against Missouri at that same regional. Her 62-40 overall record ranks third all-time in program history for victories, while she also ranks fifth all-time in appearances, starts, strikeouts (532), innings pitched (629.0) and saves (9). In addition to being one of just three Bears to own multiple 20-win seasons, she became just the second Bear in program history to earn MVC Pitcher of the Year laurels. She was a two-time NFCA All-Region selection, a two-time All-MVC pick (2019 and 2022) and earned numerous academic laurels, including the MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award in 2020.
