The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame honored one of the pioneers of women’s athletics at Drury University along with four other individuals, a high school girls basketball team, a volleyball program and a golf era.
They were all part of the Hall of Fame’s annual Women’s Sports Luncheon presented by the Bee Payne-Stewart Foundation, which drew a crowd of 500 to the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield. Sharon Alexander of Legal Services of Southern Missouri was honored with the Summit Award, while the Hall of Fame also recognized the Wynn Awards.
The ceremony marked the 11th anniversary of its inaugural event. That’s when Dr. Mary Jo Wynn – the pioneer of athletics at Missouri State University – was honored as a Missouri Sports Legend, complete with the unveiling of a bronze bust that now stands on the Hall of Fame’s Legends Walkway. She passed away in 2019. Her red Legends blazer was on display throughout the ceremony.
“We have a tremendous amount of respect for our Class of 2025. Every one of them made positive impacts and continue to do so,” CEO & Executive Director Rob Marsh said. “We thank all businesses and individuals who supported their day, as well.”
The Class of 2025 is as follows:
- Central High School Girls Basketball State Championship Team of 1984
- Leah Clark – Mount Vernon High School girls golf coach
- Eminence High School Volleyball Program
- Marian House – Nixa Middle School coach and administrator
- Mount Vernon High School Girls Golf Era of 1999 to 2015
- Yvette Buhlig Pearce – Santa Fe High School & Mizzou volleyball standout
- Sue Rollins – Drury University pioneer of women’s athletics
- Betsy Taylor – Missouri Southern athlete & Carthage High School tennis coach
- Marty Waller – College of the Ozarks Athletics
The Wynn Awards are named in honor of Wynn and recognize All-State athletes from Missouri high schools, successful athletes from Missouri colleges, or those who have made positive contributions to women’s sports.
This year’s Wynn Award recipients are: volleyball’s Jenny Easter Cofield (Purdy High School/Houston High School/Missouri Southern State University), the late track & field standout Sherri Dunn-Drain (Republic High School), volleyball’s Ashlee Johns Johnson (Nixa High School/University of Missouri/Auburn University), volleyball and track’s Lisa Boyd Messick (Farmington High School/University of Missouri), soccer’s Mackenzie Serrano (Springfield Catholic High School/Drury University), swimming’s Carol Mace Toedtmann (Glendale High School/University of Missouri/Missouri State University), and basketball’s Dr. Sheila Wynn (Nevada High School/University of Missouri-Kansas City).
Sharon Alexander – Summit Award
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will bestow its Summit Award on Alexander, the Chief Operating Officer of Springfield-based Legal Services of Southern Missouri. The award is presented to individuals who have given their time to the Hall of Fame and the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Hiland Dairy Foods. Alexander has been a great friend of the Hall of Fame. For the Price Cutter tournament, she has been the Volunteer Chair since 2020, six years after initially parking cars during the tournament as a member of Freedom’s Rest Family Violence Center. She also worked the Golf Ball & Charity Auction, the merchandise tent and the Golfing for Justice Pro-Am. Her greatest impact has been in leading the tournament’s army of volunteers, which numbers in the hundreds. LSSM also is a charity of the PCCC and covers a 43-county area. A graduate of Jefferson City Helias High School, the University of Missouri and Lincoln University, Alexander has served on the Christian County Family Crisis Center Board of Directors, CPO Violence Free Families, CPO Housing Collaborative, CPO Homeless Veterans Task Force and the Continuum of Care. Among other efforts, she also has been involved in the Missouri Coalition of Domestic and Sexual Violence Public Policy Committee and Membership Committee.
Central High School Girls Basketball State Championship Team of 1984
Coached by Susan Alley, the 1984 Central Lady Bulldogs made history as the first girls basketball team from Springfield Public Schools to win a state championship, winning it all in Class 4. The team finished 30-2 after beating St. Louis Lindbergh 56-43 in the state championship game. That came a day after Central upset No. 1-ranked Hazelwood Central 50-45 in the semifinals, rallying from a 19-point deficit, 25-6 with 5:41 remaining in the second quarter. The season started with a 61-58 victory against Glendale and later featured a 51-40 victory against Kickapoo in The Pit, the Bulldogs’ home gym before it became Jim Ball Gymnasium. That atoned for an early season loss. The varsity’s six-person rotation featured Trina Osborne, Janice Johnson, Kim Johnson, Regina Johnson, Kim White and Angie Marshall. Previously, the only girls team to win a state title was Parkview golf, in 1982. In fact, only nine girls teams in SPS have ever won state titles. Each coach and player on the team that season, including on JV, will receive a personalized plaque with their name engraved as a member now of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and will be recognized on stage.
Leah Clark – Mount Vernon High School Girls Golf Coach
Mount Vernon High School didn’t have a girls golf team until the fall of 1999, and the school soon hired Leah Clark once the school board OK’d the creation of the team earlier that year. It turned out to be one of the most important hires in the athletic department’s history, as Clark coached until the 2015 fall season. The team went on to secure 10 top 10 finishes in her 17 seasons as coach. That included a state championship in 2002, and fourth-place finishes in 2011 and 2012. She also coached two state champions in Tonya Choate McCall, in 2003, and Ashley Childers, in 2014. Additionally, the team produced 13 individual district champions. Clark is a 1985 graduate of Pierce City High School who earned a bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University in 1989, and then additional degrees from Evangel University and William Woods University.
Eminence High School Volleyball Program
In the Mark Twain National Forest, about 90 minutes east of Springfield, is one of the state’s most consistent volleyball programs. In fact, Eminence High School has been tough for opponents to deal with for years, and that is reflected in its postseason success. The Redwings have 10 top four finishes in their history. That includes Class 1 state championships in 1981 and 2011, as well as four state runner-up finishes in 1982, 1984, 1985 and 2008. They placed third in 2002, 2003 and 2010, and fourth in 2016. Additionally, four other teams advanced to the state quarterfinals (1979, 1983, 1986, 2008). The Redwings also have won 22 district titles. Jim Keeling coached the 1981 team, which finished 24-2 after beating Sarcoxie in the finals. The 2011 team, coached by Shari Tune, finished an incredible 33-4-1 after beating Valle Catholic for the title. All this for a program that began in 1934 and has had 30 coaches since 1940. Eminence has won 30 Big Springs Conference championships, including 14 consecutive from 1960 to 1973 and 10 consecutive from 1981 to 1990.
Marian House – Nixa Middle School Administrator
House worked 24 years for the Nixa school district, retiring in 2023 as the assistant director of activities and athletics. She served 20 years in the activities director position, part of 31 years in education – seven at Ava High School. She served as a physical education and health teacher, assistant principal and coached volleyball and track & field. Throughout her time, House was instrumental in the development and implementation of additional programs and teams at the junior high level and worked with the then-Central Ozark Conference to expand their offerings to include Nixa teams. House also led the effort to implement Nixa Youth Football and the Nixa Youth Sports Program. While previous youth sports programs had been in place, House’s leadership led to the program gaining a foothold in the district and expanded from football to other sports, including basketball, baseball and wrestling. House also coached the junior high COC championship volleyball teams in 2000 and 2004 and the junior high COC championship girls track team. House was the Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) Outstanding Middle School Athletic Director of the Year in 2022. She is a 1987 graduate of Eldon High School, where she played volleyball, basketball and ran track – earning All-State honors in volleyball and basketball. She played volleyball at Missouri Southern State University from 1987-1991. These days, she is a physical education and health instructor for the Missouri Digital Academy and still serves as the Youth Sports Director for Nixa Schools.
Mount Vernon High School Girls Golf Era of 1999-2015
The Mount Vernon High School girls golf program began in 1999, and its first 17 seasons were quite something. Coached by Leah Clark (MSHOF 2025), the Mountaineers have earned a dozen Top 10 team finishes. That includes winning the state championship in 2002 and fourth-place finishes in 2011 and 2012. The state 2002 team beat Richmond by six strokes (708 to 714). That team included Tonya Choate McCall (MSHOF Wynn Award 2017), who went on to win an individual state title the next season. The Mountaineers’ other Top 10 finishes were: fourth in 2000, fifth in 2001, sixth in 2005, tied for fourth in 2008, sixth in 2009, fifth in 2013 and seventh in 2014. Ashley Childers Barnes won it all in 2014. The program launched thanks to the efforts of Steve and Shelly Owens successfully asking the school board to field a girls team, with Daley Owens Alsip qualifying for the state tournament in the inaugural year.
Yvette Buhlig Pearce – Santa Fe High School/University of Missouri/Volleyball Director
At Santa Fe High School in rural Alma, located north of I-70 between Kansas City and Columbia, Pearce was a three-sport athlete who earned 10 All-State honors. She led the volleyball team to four state championships (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987). In basketball, she was a three-time All-State selection and scored 1,907 points. In track in 1988, she was the state champion in the 110 hurdles and the triple jump, and was selected to the USA Today High School All-American team for the state of Missouri. At Mizzou from 1988 to 1993, she initially took a one-year medical redshirt and also earned a track letter. In volleyball, she ranks first all-time in kills, fourth in hitting percentage and second in service aces. Pearce is one of a few Mizzou players in program history with 600-plus single-season points (626 in 1992). That year, she was an All-Big 8 Conference selection, an NCAA All-American, a member of the USA Olympic Festival team, Mizzou’s Female Athlete of the Year, the Strength and Conditioning All-American and MVP in all tournaments. Since then, Pearce has been coaching young players for more than 25 years in the Springfield area. For more than 10 years, she has been co-director of the Missouri Youth Sports League for volleyball, which focuses on development of third- through eighth-graders. She also serves as director of the SW MO Static Volleyball Club.
Dr. Sue Rollins – Drury University Athletics
Rollins played a major role in Drury University women’s athletics for more than 30 years. In 1978, two years after joining the department, she became the Coordinator of Women’s Athletics. At the time, Drury offered only two women’s sports, tennis and volleyball. However, she secured funding for full-time coaches, increased operating budgets and some limited scholarships. She helped stabilize a program that was little more than an intramural program when she arrived and transformed it into a legitimate college women’s athletic program. In the 1970s, she steered its growth from the AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) to the NAIA. In 1980, the NAIA was the first collegiate athletics association to sponsor both men’s and women’s championships, and Rollins became the original NAIA District 16 committee. In 1985, she became Drury’s Dean of Continuing Studies and Graduate programs. In the early 2000s, she served as interim athletic director as athletic director Bruce Harger fill ill, and then led the program for a couple of years after his passing. Along the way, she helped move Drury into a more challenging NCAA Division II conference, the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Rollins is a 1961 graduate of Poplar Bluff High School and 1965 graduate of Missouri State University. She also holds master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Missouri.
Betsy Taylor – Carthage High School/Missouri Southern State University
Taylor was a key part of the southwest Missouri sports scene for 33 years, going back to her freshman year at Carthage High School, and then on to Missouri Southern State University in Joplin before returning to Carthage as a coach who guided teams for 25 seasons. She started playing tennis the summer before her freshman year at Carthage and went on to play the No. 2 spot as a sophomore and the No. 1 spot her junior and senior years. In non-school tournaments, she won the Joplin Open at age 16 and then won nine consecutive individual titles while also partnering with Susie Sharp. They won the Carthage Open and played mixed doubles with Ron Edwards. At Missouri Southern, Taylor was a member of the first women’s basketball team (1974-75) and the first women’s tennis team (1975) in school history. When she returned to Carthage, she coached the first girls volleyball team in 1975 and continued to coach the volleyball Tigers until 1990. During those 15 years, the Lady Tigers won 10 Southwest Conference titles and two district titles. She then coached the girls tennis team from 1990-2000, with a doubles team reaching the state semifinals. Taylor also coached the boys tennis team for three years during that span and, along the way, founded the wellness program for teachers and staff members.
Martha “Marty” Waller – College of the Ozarks Athletics
Waller will be inducted posthumously, as she passed away on Feb. 22. She retired from College of the Ozarks in 2014 after serving as director of the Child Development Center for 21 years. She also coached the cheer team for 27 years and was an ardent supporter of C of O Athletics, as her husband, Al, was the longtime athletic director. Her cheer teams developed into one of the top small college programs in the nation. She also played a significant role in the success of the NAIA Division II men’s basketball tournament when it was held in Point Lookout for 18 seasons. Marty served as chair of the opening ceremonies, halftime entertainment and east pass gate for 16 years. She and Al mentored hundreds of students over the years, and continued to serve the athletics department the past 15 years after the passing of their son, Chris, a former basketball player who graduated in 2001. They established the Chris Waller Memorial Scholarship Fund and blessed the lives of numerous graduates. Marty was inducted into the C of O Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 and was involved with the Branson Booster Club, the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society and the Branson Believers.
WYNN AWARDS
Jenny Easter Cofield – Houston High School/ Missouri Southern State University
In the early-1990s, one of the top volleyball teams in the state could be found in the south-central Missouri community of Houston in Texas County. A standout volleyball player, Cofield helped Purdy High School place third in state in 1990 and then helped Houston High School place third in Class 3 in 1991 and finish as the state runner-up in 1992, with her mom, Nancy Easter, the coach of her teams. Cofield earned First Team All-State honors after her junior and senior seasons. At Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Cofield is in the top 10 of 11 statistical categories, either single-season or career. She twice set the single-season assists record, including 1,513 in 1996. Career-wise, she is third all-time in assists (3,020), eighth in both games played (454) and digs (1,198), and ninth in service aces (120). Cofield gave back to the game at Parkview. She assisted her mom beginning in 1998, before taking over as head coach in 2003 and 2004, with the 2004 team winning a district title. These days, Cofield is the A-Plus Coordinator at Glendale High School. She thanks all of her staff and players in the past 26 years, and shares this honor with the late Michael Randle, Kaden Morton, Kenny DeForrest and Amare Witham.
Sherri Dunn-Drain – Republic High School
Dunn-Drain is being honored posthumously, as she passed away in 2022. Many remember her as the valedictorian of Republic High School’s Class of 1983, as well as one of the early standouts in its girls sports program. From 1981 to 1983, she became a six-time All-State medalist in track & field and earned All-State in cross country, too. Dunn-Drain earned a state championship in 1983 in the 3200-meter run. She also was fourth in the 1600 meters that spring, and it all started with a third-place finish in the 1600 meters in 1981, when she also placed third in the 3200. In 1982, she came close to winning it all, finishing as a runner-up in both events and, that fall, placed seventh at the state cross country meet. For years, she held the school record in the two-mile until 2023 and also placed third nationally in the Junior Olympics in cross country.
Ashlee Johns Johnson – Nixa High School/University of Missouri/Auburn University
At Nixa, Johnson helped the Lady Eagles reach the volleyball Final Four during her sophomore and senior seasons (1997 & 1999), with both teams placing fourth in Class 3. Along the way, she earned All-State honors in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. She also was a rare four-year letterwinner who also was All-Central Ozark Conference, All-District and All-Ozarks by the News-Leader each of her four seasons. Johnson also competed in track and basketball. In basketball, she helped Nixa win the 2000 state championship, was a two-year varsity letterwinner, and All-District. In track, she was a 1999 state runner-up in the high jump. Johnson then evenly split her college years at Mizzou and Auburn. She earned Athlete of the Week at Auburn with a career-high of 31 kills against Arkansas and later played on the USA travel volleyball team. Johnson has since been inducted into the Nixa Athletics Hall of Fame and, after 14 years as an elementary school teacher, is a real estate agent in Springfield. She also has given back by coaching 417 Juniors Volleyball and a year for Republic High School’s junior varsity. Her mentors were club coach Dee Porter Pottenger and high school coach Sheila Midgett, and she had the support of parents Ray and Paula, and aunts and uncles. Ashlee and her husband, JJ, have a son, Liam.
Lisa Boyd Messick – Farmington High School/University of Missouri
It’s sometimes difficult for athletes from Farmington High School to gain statewide recognition, considering it’s about 90 minutes southwest of St. Louis and tucked in nicely within the Mark Twain National Forest. However, Messick gained a lot of attention as a three-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and track & field. She was a three-time all-conference and all-district selection in all three sports. She also was a member of the KREI Dream Team and was MVP of the team for two years in volleyball. She also earned a spot on the B-104 All-Star basketball team. Additionally, she earned All-State in the 100 meters her final two seasons. She then played at Mizzou from 2002 to 2005 and still ranks tied for 10th in single-match solo blocks, and career-wise is seventh in hitting percentage (.317), ninth in total blocks (321), eighth in block assists (285) and eighth in blocks per set (0.88). Messick also earned All-American and Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year by the NSCA in 2005. The support of her parents, Charlie and Rita Boyd, as well as Mizzou coaches Wayne and Susan Kreklow (MSHOF 2016), strength coach Shannon Turley and high school track coach Willis Gunder made all the difference. These days, she is coaching volleyball and track & Field for Marshfield Junior High School. She and her husband, Mark, are parents to Boyd, Price, Keet and Hayes.
Mackenzie Serrano – Springfield Catholic High School/Drury University
The soccer community in Springfield has produced a number of talented players, and Serrano was certainly among them. At Springfield Catholic High School, helped the Irish to a state runner-up finish in 2017, two years after the Lady Irish earned a fourth-place finish in the state in 2015. A midfielder, Serrano then went on to letter three seasons at Drury University, helping the Lady Panthers to the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship in 2021. Fortunately, the game is benefitting from her knowledge, as Serrano is the head coach of the Springfield Catholic girls varsity soccer team and an assistant coach at Drury University. She helped lead the Lady Irish to two state quarterfinal appearances and, in 2024, won the Assistant Coach of the Year from the Missouri State High School Soccer Coaches Association. While serving as an assistant at Drury, the 2024 team reached the Sweet 16 of the national tournament.
Carol Mace Toedtmann – Glendale High School/University of Missouri
A 1983 graduate of Glendale High School, Toedtmann swam four years for coach Jim Whytlaw (MSHOF 2022) and was a two-time state medalist. She won the 100-meter butterfly in 1:01.46 just a year after placing fourth in the event. That made her only the second girl from Springfield to win an individual state swim championship, with the first being Michelle Langsford Dickemann (MSHOF 2018). At Mizzou, Toedtmann swam for two years, earning letters and competing in the Big 8 Championships. She completed her degree at Missouri State University in 1989. Additionally, she swam in U.S. Master’s swimming at Drury University on occasion, as well as in open water swims at Bull Shoals and Table Rock lakes. All this for a swimmer who began in the sport at age 8 at Southern Hills Swim Club in Springfield and then competed in multiple Missouri Valley AAU Division I championships. She has lived in Springfield the past decade after teaching in the Francis Howell School District for 10 years. She and her husband, Jeff, are parents to Clint and Collins.
Dr. Sheila Wynn – Nevada High School/University of Missouri-Kansas City
Before graduating from Nevada High School in 1981, Wynn scored, 1,492 points in basketball and was a two-time Class 3 All-State selection. She also was a four-time all-conference selection, too, and a three-time all-district honoree. Years later, she was inducted into the Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002. She then went on to play at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, which began its program in 1980. Wynn played from 1981 to 1985 and was among the career leaders in games played and assists. Her team placed third in the NAIA Tournament in 1983 and fifth in 1985. The 1983 team was 30-5, and the 1985 team was 29-6. UMKC has since honored the 1983 team with induction into its Athletics Hall of Fame. Wynn comes from a great sports family. Her dad, William, was a longtime coach at Nevada, which has since named the basketball court in his name. Her older sister, Sherri, led the conference in scoring in her junior and senior years in the late 1970s. Her brother, Billy, was a state champion golfer and was at one point No. 5 all-time in scoring in boys basketball. Sheila went on to coach at Purdy and Hillcrest High Schools before going into administration. These days, Wynn is the executive director of high schools for Springfield Public Schools.