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Wynn Award: Teresa Baird Beshore of Springfield Catholic High School

Teresa Baird Beshore-headshot

Her mom doubled as her tennis coach, her dad helped fine-tune her basketball skills and her sister became a great teammate, too. In other words, sports wasn’t simply an avenue to a college scholarship for Teresa Baird Beshore, an early 1990s standout for Springfield Catholic High School.

“Athletics brought our family closer together,” said Baird, daughter of Ron and Paula Baird and sister to Kristen Baird Roubal and Patrick Baird. “With my mother as my high school tennis coach, my father as my behind-the-scenes basketball coach, my sister as my teammate, and my brother and grandmother (Teresa Hoberock) always in the stands or on the sidelines cheering for us, we have a lot of memories we all can share and remember forever.”

Now her career is being remembered by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which will recognize Baird 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 30 at the University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield. A sponsorship table of eight is $400 while an individual ticket is $40 and a head table ticket is $100. For tickets, or congratulatory ads in the printed program, call the Hall of Fame at 417-889-3100.

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The luncheon features the induction of the All American Red Heads Basketball Program, former Missouri Southern State University Athletic Director Sallie Beard, two basketball coaches – Evangel University’s Leon Neal and the University of Missouri’s Dr. Joann Rutherford – as well as former Lockwood High School volleyball coach Cheryl Shores. The Hall of Fame also will bestow the President’s Award on Jodie Adams, the longtime leader of the Springfield-Greene County Park Board.

Baird is among the eight recipients for the Wynn Awards, named in honor of Dr. Mary Jo Wynn, the pioneer of women’s athletics at Missouri State University, a 1999 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inductee and 2014 Missouri Sports Legend. The awards are presented to former high school, college and pro athletes for their contributions in athletics.

Baird played at Springfield Catholic from 1991 to 1995 before going on to the University of Tulsa. At Catholic, she competed in the state tennis tournament all four years, placing second in No. 1 singles as a junior and senior after finishing sixth as a sophomore and third in doubles as a freshman. She also was a semifinalist for the Wendy’s High School National Heisman award.

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In basketball, Baird played as a freshman and sophomore on back-to-back state championship teams and, as a junior and senior, helped the team to a third-place finish and quarterfinal berth, respectively. Baird was First Team All-State her final three seasons and was a two-time All-Ozarks selection by the News-Leader, plus First Team All-District and all-conference all four years. USA Today named her one of the top 10 women’s basketball players her senior year, when she was the class valedictorian.

“My mother, who recently retired as the principal of Immaculate Conception School after 35 years in the Catholic school system, was the coach of my high school tennis team at Springfield Catholic,” Baird said. “She taught me the importance of working hard both on and off the court and was always a calm, steady voice on the sideline during tough matches.

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“As a former collegiate basketball player at Washington University, my dad helped me with every aspect of my game,” Baird added. “I could always count on his support as he attended every basketball game and tennis match despite his successful legal career. Having such supportive parents helped me achieve my athletic and academic accomplishments and shaped me into the person I am today.”

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At the University of Tulsa, Baird was a member of the basketball team one season and tennis team all four years. She co-captained the tennis team her junior year and was captain her senior year. In both years, she was an NCAA Division I All-American Scholar Athlete and Western Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference. As a senior, she was one of seven athletes to receive the University of Tulsa Ultimate Team Award, given for achievements in academics, community service and athletics. She graduated magna cum laude in 1999 in biochemistry and in 2003 graduated magna cum laude from the St. Louis University School of Law. She currently lives in Springfield, where Baird is a Missouri licensed attorney specializing in the field of trust and estates.

Her sister was a tennis and basketball teammate her first year at Catholic and the two had the opportunity to compete on the same tennis court in college, while Teresa was at Tulsa and her sister played for Creighton.

“I will never forget playing at the state tennis tournament with my sister and winning the state championship basketball game together,” Baird said. “We are not only sisters but also great friends, so it is wonderful to share those memories together.”

The Wynn Award recipients will be Tara Bailes (Springfield Catholic High School/Missouri State soccer), Teresa Baird Beshore (Springfield Catholic High School/University of Tulsa tennis & basketball), Chelsea Taylor Corp (Sarcoxie High School/Missouri State-West Plains volleyball), Aleah Hayes (Ozark High School/Texas Tech University/Columbia College volleyball), Tonya Choate McCall (Mount Vernon High School/Drury University/Cactus Tour golf), Amanda Newton Plotner (Republic High School/Drury University basketball), Melissa Hoffmeister Sanders (Joplin High School/University of Arkansas tennis) and Sophie Cox Stagner (Rolla High School/University of Tennessee-Martin soccer).