When the Vest sisters worked on the family farm near Stoutland, their dad liked to say, “My girls can outwork any boy around.”
For Jamie Vest, her hard work translated well into her passion for long-distance running. In fact, she became a four-time state champion in cross country as well as in the 3,200 meters in track before going on to Missouri State University.
Now her career is being remembered by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which will recognize Vest with a Wynn Award during its Women’s Sports Luncheon presented by the Bee Payne-Stewart Foundation. The luncheon is at 11 a.m. March 23 at University Plaza Convention Center in Springfield. For tickets, call 417-889-3100.
“My parents are both competitive, but mainly they encouraged us to give maximum effort no matter what we did,” Vest said. “I never remember them emphasizing winning, but strongly recall them demanding that we always do our best. I believe it naturally carried over to running. I wanted to be the best I could be, so I worked as hard as I could in order to be the best I could be.”
The ceremony features the induction of College of the Ozarks’ Dora Quinn Arney Meikle, Drury University’s Barbara Cowherd, University of Missouri volleyball coaches Wayne and Susan Kreklow and the Licking High School volleyball team that won the first state volleyball championship in 1975.
Vest is among seven recipients for the inaugural Wynn Awards, named in honor of Dr. Mary Jo Wynn, the pioneer of women’s athletics at Missouri State University. The awards are presented to former high school and college athletes for their contributions in athletics.
Vest was a four-time state cross country champion, becoming the first runner in state history – in boys or girls competition – to accomplish such a feat. She won Class 1 cross country state championships in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004, with her best time at 20:12.72 in her freshman year. In the 3,200 meter run at the MSHSAA championships, Vest holds the second-best time in Class 1 with a time of 11:32.87, set in 2003.
At Missouri State, Vest was an NCAA Outdoor qualifier in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 2008, setting a personal-best time of 10:35.94 in the Midwest Regional before finishing her college career in 2009.
Now a financial investment banker and farmer in Lebanon, Vest recently won the Dallas Marathon in 2 hours, 58 minutes, 31 seconds.
Her days on the farm shaped her career.
“We had to work hard to survive and we earned every penny we made. This attitude carried over into athletics,” Vest said. “God blessed me with the athletic ability to run and the love for my sport. I was fortunate to combine my God-given ability, a love for running, and mental toughness, which enabled me to successfully compete in distance running.”
The other Wynn Award recipients are Missouri State field hockey standout Marjorie (DeMarino) Bankovich; Camdenton High School soccer standout Monique (Willcut) Begley; Springfield Catholic High School hurdles champion Angie (Bullock) Homeyer; Monett High School basketball and track standout Angela (Beckett) Johnson; Springfield angler Julie Martin; and Lebanon High School/Mizzou golfer Kerry (Speaker) North.
An individual ticket is $40, and a head table ticket is $100. A table of eight is $400 and includes associate sponsor recognition in the printed program. Sponsorships also are available. Call the Hall of Fame at 417-889-3100.
