The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will soon honor Jacquie Dowdy of John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts with the President’s Award and induct four individuals and three programs during its annual Women’s Sports Luncheon sponsored by the Bee Payne-Stewart Foundation and presented by Central Bank/Central Trust.
It is set for 11 a.m. on March 28 at the University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield. (Check out our event flyer.)
President & Executive Director Jerald Andrews announced the event Tuesday. The inductees are the Diamond High School Volleyball Program, Central High School and Drury University swimmer Michelle Langsford Dickemann, former Eldon High School and Camdenton High School volleyball coach Ann Gulshen, longtime Missouri State Lady Bears basketball assistant Lynnette Robinson, Missouri Southern State University Women’s Track & Field and Cross Country coach Patty Vavra and the MSSU Women’s Track & Field and Cross Country Programs.
The Hall of Fame also will recognize the Wynn Awards, named in honor of Missouri State University’s Dr. Mary Jo Wynn and presented to former high school, college and pro standouts who made positive impacts in their respective sports. This year’s recipients are track and field standout Shelley Seider Davis (Rich Hill High School/Pittsburg State University), swimmer Brianne McGuirk Madura (Missouri State University), The Opfer Sisters (Lorin Fiehler, Alix and Kasey) of Glendale High School Soccer, track and field’s Brenda Hayes Raynor (Branson High School/Missouri State University), track and field’s Trudi Spain (Missouri State University), three-sport athlete Dana Ozbun Stillwagon (Doniphan High School/Southwest Baptist University) and volleyball’s Bri Walsh (Clever High School/MSU-West Plains/Evangel University).
Sponsorship tables of eight are $400 and includes recognition in the printed program and an autographed print. A head table ticket is $100, while an individual ticket in advance is $40, or $50 at the door. Numerous sponsorships are available, including congratulatory ads. Please call the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame at 417-889-3100.
Jacquie Dowdy – President’s Award
Dowdy will receive the President’s Award, given to an individual who supports the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Dowdy is the CEO of John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, having worked in various capacities for the company since 1972. For years, she served as a significant liaison between Mr. Hammons and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame as well as the PGA Web.com Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. Since Mr. Hammons’ passing, Dowdy has continued to be a liaison between the Hall of Fame and Mr. Hammons’ estate, as she has continually supported the Hall of Fame’s efforts as well as contributed to the success of the PCCC.
Diamond High School Volleyball Program
The Diamond High School Volleyball Program is one of the most successful in the state, having reached the Final Four eight times between 1983 and 1996, including five consecutive seasons in the 1980s. In its state tournament history, Diamond won Class 2 state championships in 1983 under coach Bob Moore and 1985 under coach Dale Shrum and finished as state runner-up five times (1984, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1996). The team placed third in 1988. Bill Presley, who coached Diamond in the early 1980s, returned to coach from 1987 to 1999.
Michelle Langsford Dickemann – Central High School & Drury University Swimmer
A 1981 graduate of Central High School, Dickemann was the first girls’ swimmer from Springfield to win a state title, accomplishing the feat as a sophomore in 1979. She went on to lead the School of the Ozarks to a fourth-place finish at the NAIA national meet in 1982 and then transferred to Drury University, which at the time had only a men’s team. She competed in women’s competition in the postseason and was NAIA Most Valuable Swimmer in 1984 and 1985, was a 21-time NAIA All-American, plus set and won the same number (14) of NAIA national records and national championships. In 1991, Dickemann became the first Drury athlete to be inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. She is now CEO of Springfield-based MD Publications, an automotive trade publication.
Ann Gulshen – Eldon High School & Camdenton High School Volleyball Coach
Gulshen compiled 704 victories as a high school volleyball coach in 29 seasons before retiring in 2011, establishing Gulshen among the top five winningest volleyball coaches in Missouri history. Overall, she coached 16 seasons at Eldon High School and 13 years at Camdenton High School. She won 407 games at Eldon, with the Lady Mustangs reaching the state semifinals eight times, winning 16 conference titles and 15 district championships. Among her players was Eldon’s Melinda Wyre-Washington, the great volleyball coach of Columbia College. At Camdenton, she guided the program to three district championships and four conference championships.
Lynnette Robinson – Missouri State University Lady Bears Basketball Assistant Coach
Robinson was an assistant to Missouri State University women’s head basketball coach Cheryl Burnett for 15 seasons, during which time the Lady Bears won 316 games, won or tied for eight regular season conference titles, five league tournament titles and made 10 NCAA tournament appearances with trips to the NCAA Final Four in 1992 and 2001. A native of Annawan, Ill., and graduate of the University of Illinois, Robinson came to Missouri State when Burnett took over as head coach and was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.
Patty Vavra – Missouri Southern State University Coach Women’s Track and Field & Cross Country Coach
Vavra coached the women’s track and field and cross country programs for 22 seasons at her alma mater, Missouri Southern State University, guiding 43 individuals who earned 80 track and field All-Americans and 10 cross country All-Americans. She also earned 12 Coach of the Year honors from the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association). Under her guidance, the 2009 cross country team won the NCAA Regional, its third consecutive, and placed third at the NCAA Division II national championships. In 2007-2008, the MSSU women’s cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams combined to win the MIAA Triple Crown. Overall, Vavra’s cross country teams won seven MIAA championships, while indoor track won two conference titles, and the outdoor team won it all three times. Previously, Vavra coached Carthage High School, guiding two individual state champions.
Missouri Southern State University Women’s Track & Field Program
The Missouri Southern State University Women’s Track & Field Program has enjoyed numerous successes throughout its history. The Indoor team won the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) in 2004 and 2008, while the Outdoor team won the MIAA in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Since 1994, the program has produced four national champions and more than 100 All-Americans.
Missouri Southern State University Cross Country Program
The Women’s Cross Country Program at Missouri Southern State University has long produced memorable moments and athletes. Since 1994, it has produced 10 All-Americans and 35 All-Regional performers as well as four MIAA champions. The program’s 2007, 2008 and 2009 teams won an NCAA Division II Regional, with the 2009 team placing third at the NCAA D-II Championships. Additionally, the Lions won the MIAA seven times (1998, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014).
Wynn Awards
Shelley Seider Davis, Rich Hill High School & Pittsburg State: Davis was a nine-time state champion in track in Class 1 in the early 2000s. In fact, as a junior in 2003, she became the 10th girl in history to win four or more events at the Missouri High School State Track & Field Championships. Specifically, Davis was a three-time state champion in both the 300-meter low hurdles and long jump, plus a two-time champion in the 100 meters and also a champion in the 200 meters. Davis, who went on to Pittsburg State University, lives in Appleton City.
Brianne McGuirk Madura, Missouri State University: Madura was a dominate swimmer for Missouri State University from 1999 to 2003, becoming the first MSU women’s swimmer ever to win an individual event in conference competition as she won both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke races as a freshman. Overall, the El Paso, Texas native was a four-time conference champion in the 200-yard breaststroke and finished in the top five of the 100-yard breaststroke every year. As a senior in 2003, she was the co-captain of the MSU women’s program winning its first conference title. An MSU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, she works in IT for Prime, Inc.
The Opfer Sisters of Glendale High School Soccer – Lorin Fiehler, Alix & Kasey: Lorin was a two-time All-State selection (2006, 2008) for Glendale, helping the Lady Falcons win two district championships as well as a 2008 sectional. She then signed to play at Truman State University before transferring to the University of Missouri, where Fiehler was part of its club women’s soccer team’s national championship. She now lives in Colorado. Alix was a two-time All-State selection and a four-year starter and letter-winner at Glendale. As a senior, she was the State Defensive Player of the Year as well as the Regional and District Player of the Year. She went on to Missouri State University, earning recognition on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team in 2012, the Valley All-Tournament Team and All-Valley Team in 2014 and was First Team All-Valley in 2015, when she scored a team-high eight goals. She finished having played in 73 matches, making 72 starts, and scored 20 points her final year — just the sixth player in program history to achieve that mark. She is in a master’s program at St. Louis University. Kasey was three-time All-State selection for Glendale. As a senior in 2015, she was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of American All-Midwest Team and was rated as the No. 150 recruit in the nation, finishing her career with 73 goals and 31 assists. She also played for St. Louis Scott Gallagher Illinois ECNL (Elite Club National League), leading the team to the North American League ECNL final in 2012-2013 and the championship in 2013-2014. She is currently a part of the Iowa State University women’s soccer program.
Brenda Hayes Raynor, Branson High School & Missouri State University: A standout track athlete, Raynor won a Class 3 state championship in the 800 meters for Branson High School in 1989, finishing an undefeated senior season, before going on to Missouri State University. At MSU, she won three conference championships (Indoor 800 in 1991, Indoor mile in 1992, Outdoor 3,200-meter relay in 1992) and placed 14 other times at Missouri Valley Conference championship meets. She was later named to the All-Decade Team at MSU. Raynor, who runs Organizational Marketing Solutions LLC, is an inductee of the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Trudi Garrett Spain, Missouri State Track & Field: Spain won six Missouri Valley Conference championships for Missouri State University in the late 1990s and early 2000s, competing on NCAA 400-meter and 1,600-meter relay teams and, individually, won the Valley Indoor long jump as well as the Outdoor 200 meters and long jump titles. She helped the Bears win three Valley Indoor championships and, at the time she graduated, Spain held all-time top five times in the Indoor 60 meters and the Outdoor 200 meters. A native of Barbados who was a member of the Barbados National Track and Field Team, she now works for Wil Fisher Companies and is a member of the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Dana Ozbun Stillwagon, Doniphan High School & Southwest Baptist University: Stillwagon was a three-sport athlete at Southwest Baptist University, competing in volleyball, basketball and softball from 1983 to 1987. In volleyball, she was an NAIA All-American as a sophomore in addition to being a multiple all-conference and All-District 16 selection. In basketball, her 682 rebounds are fifth in SBU history but were second-most at the time of her graduation. She scored 971 points and had 682 rebounds in 100 career games and was All-MIAA. She also played one season of softball. These days, the SBU Athletics Hall of Fame honoree works for Duck Creek Technologies in Bolivar.
Bri Walsh, Clever High School/Missouri State-West Plains/Evangel University: An All-State volleyball player, Walsh helped lead Clever to four district championships and was named conference MVP her senior year as the team finished 33-3. She went on to Missouri State-West Plains as an outside attacker, guiding the Grizzlies to two Region 16 Championships in 2008 and 2009 as well a seventh-place and runner-up finish at the Juco national tournament. She earned All-Region 16 honors both years. She then completed her collegiate career with two seasons at Evangel, earning All-American her senior year and helping Evangel win its first conference title. She is now coaching at Missouri State-West Plains.
