Longtime amateur golfer Stephany Jackson Powell along with Jefferson City tennis coach David Steinmeyer, club volleyball director Sue Daugherty, horseshoe champion Vicki Chapelle Winston and two programs – Logan-Rogersville High School Girls Cross Country and Missouri State University Women’s Handball – will soon be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
CEO & Executive Director Jerald Andrews on Thursday announced the Women’s Sports Luncheon presented by the Bee Payne-Stewart Foundation, set for 11 a.m. April 7 at the Ozark Empire Faigrounds in Springfield. The Hall of Fame also will bestow its President’s Award on Tara Jenkins of Missouri Equipment Leasing, Inc.
Additionally, the Hall of Fame will recognize the Wynn Awards, named for the late Dr. Mary Jo Wynn, the pioneer of women’s athletics at Missouri State University. She was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and honored as a Missouri Sports Legend in 2014. The awards recognize former high school and college standouts who made positive impacts in their respective sports.
This year’s Wynn Award honorees are: Denise Buchanan (Glendale High School/University of Kansas), Val Sauer Crawford (Rolla High School/University of Missouri), Lindsey Bourne-Green (Joplin High School/University of Oklahoma), Lynne Miller (Grand Island, Nebraska High School/Missouri State University), Chealsey Russell (Kickapoo High School/Rice University/Tulsa University), Amy Lodes Witte (Lindbergh High School/Columbia College) and Callie Newton-Woods (Republic High School/Drury University).
A sponsorship table of eight is $400 and includes an autographed poster, plus recognition in the printed program and at the table. A head table ticket is $100 and includes the same perks. An individual ticket is $50, or $60 at the door. Numerous sponsorships also are available, including congratulatory ads. Call 417-889-3100. The Hall of Fame will follow pandemic guidelines of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department and City of Springfield. Temperatures checks will be taken upon entry to the grounds, and guests are required to wear face masks. Tables will be spaced 10 feet apart, and hand sanitizer also will be available at each table.
Tara Jenkins – President’s Award
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will bestow its President’s Award on Tara Jenkins, of Springfield-based Missouri Equipment Leasing, Inc. and founder of Springfield Women Ambassadors of Golf, or S.W.A.G. The award is presented to individuals who champion the Hall of Fame and sports across the state. Her company is a corporate sponsor of the Hall of Fame and a lead sponsor of the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. That covers the Hall of Fame’s Celebrity Golf Classics, Sports Enthusiasts Luncheons, Sporting Clays Classic and auctions. In the PCCC, she has sponsored pro-am teams, including in the Betty Allison’s Women’s Pro-Am and the Betty and Bobby Allison Junior Pro-Am, plus the Michele Kiser Women’s Golf Clinic and Fashion Show presented by Advertising Plus and the Platinum Clubs & Clays Classic presented by USA Mortgage. S.W.A.G., launched in 2018, is arguably the most successful women’s golf organization in the Ozarks, with more than 100 members and growing. With a simple goal of encouraging women to participate in golf, S.W.A.G. events are fun and supportive environments where skills improve, confidence grows and relationships are built.
Stephany Jackson Powell – Golf
Powell, who grew up playing golf at Hickory Hills Country Club with Payne Stewart, graduated in 1979 from Glendale High School after helping the Lady Falcons win the first two of their three consecutive state championships (1977, 1978). She then played at Stephens College before going on to memorable finishes in the Missouri Women’s Amateur and winning a Missouri Senior Championship. At Glendale, Powell placed fourth in the 1976 state meet, and then tied for fourth in 1977 and placed third in 1978. She went on to become a four-time runner-up at the Missouri Women’s Amateur and a three-time runner-up at the Missouri Girls Junior. She also qualified for a pair of U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateurs in the late 1980s. She won the Missouri Women’s Senior Amateur in 2012. Additionally, Powell coached the Missouri State University women’s golf team from 1993 to 2002, with the 2001 team winning the Missouri Valley Conference a year after placing second. She also has been an honorary life member of the Missouri Women’s Golf Association, in which she has served in a variety of roles, including vice president. Powell, an inductee of the Ozarks Golf Hall of Fame, is on the Board of Directors for the Missouri Golf Association.
David Steinmeyer – Tennis Coach
Steinmeyer is considered “Mr. Tennis” in Mid-Missouri following a remarkable high school coaching career that began in 1956. He primarily coached at Jefferson City High School from 1976 to 1998, with his teams earning a 447-107-2 record – a nearly 81 percent win percentage. Two of his Jefferson City girls teams won state championships (1987, 1993), and five others earned top three finishes (state runner-up in 1990 & 1992; third place in 1986, 1991, 1994). Additionally, he coached Kristen Jordan as she won three singles state titles (1992, 1994, 1995), and two doubles state championship teams: Debbie Massengale and Laura Steinmeyer in 1987 and Massengale and Julie Pemberton in 1988. He also guided the Jefferson City boys tennis program to five top four finishes, including a state runner-up in 1991. Steinmeyer, who coached at Webster Groves High School (1956-1966) and Westminster College (1967-1976), has been active in coaching youth tennis at the Jefferson City YMCA. Steinmeyer is a graduate of Webster Groves High School and Westminster College. He also earned master’s degree from Emporia State University in 1958.
Sue Daugherty – APEX Volleyball, Executive Director
Daugherty has been the executive director of APEX Volleyball, formerly Club Bear Volleyball, for 20 years. In her time, she has helped the program grow from 10 teams in its inaugural year to nearly 30 teams annually. That has led to roughly 300 girls competing in the program. She originally got involved with volleyball when her daughter, Caira Dortch, played at Hillcrest High School. Dortch went on to play four seasons at the University of Arkansas and later was the head coach at Southwest Baptist University for six seasons. Daugherty’s work has not gone unnoticed. In 2019, USA Volleyball recognized her with the Robert L. Lindsay Meritorious Service Award.
Vicki Chapelle Winston – Horseshoe Champion
Winston is one of the country’s best horseshoe competitors in history. She won 10 world championships in the Women’s Division of the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association, with the titles covering 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1975 and 1981. The 10 titles are a record in the Women’s division, and seven of those came after Winston moved to Missouri in 1960, after marrying her husband, Earl. Additionally, she held major roles with the Missouri Horseshoe Pitchers Association for years and assisted her husband in leading the Hall of Fame committee of the NHPA before chairing the organization. Overall, she has competed in events in at least 27 states and Washington, D.C. She also helped grow the women’s division in Missouri to more than 200 competitors annually after Winston and her husband helped launch the first Women’s Missouri state tournament in 1976. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush invited her to the White House to participate in the inauguration of his personal horseshoe court.
Logan-Rogersville High School Girls Cross Country Program
Although the Wildcats’ program didn’t begin until 1995, Logan-Rogersville has had 12 Top 10 finishes at the state meet, including three consecutive state championships in 1998, 1999 and 2000. They also finished in the top four three other times – third (1997, 2003) and fourth (2001). Carrie Sell won the Class 3 state championship in 1997, while Casey Dewitt, Anne Carter and Courtney Waltbiling were four-time All-State performers. The program has won the same number (eight) of district championships and conference championships, and 12 runners earned college scholarships. Coaches have been Kevin Boyer (1995-1999, 2001-2004, 2011-2019), Mark Vert (2000), Jessie Thompson, Natalie Blinzler Precise, Ed. D., as well as Brad Lotz and Josh Hart (2020). Boyer coached the first two state championships teams, and his teams helped him earn Midwest-section Coach of the Year from the National Federation of High Schools, making him one of eight finalists for National Coach of the Year. In 1999, he was the Missouri High School Coach of the Year and was a five-time Southwestern Missouri Coach of the Year.
Missouri State University Women’s Handball Program
The Missouri State University Women’s Handball Program has been one of the most dominant in the country since launching in 1987 under the direction of Tommy Burnett (MSHOF 2009). It has won 16 national championships. The years cover 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. It’s a remarkable feat considering the program is among 32 teams at the national tournament annually and competes as a non-scholarship entity. It relies on donations from national handball clubs, as well as sponsorships to help cover travel costs. The program has seen 18 players earn 32 All-American honors: Paige Applegate, Cara Arsenault, Jeni Burnett Hopkins, Baily Chandler Nett, Robin Collins, Alyssa Donaldson, Maggie Grelle, Beth Heim, Beth Korsi Blackstone, Heather O’Bryan, Amber Rounesville, Mandy Rounesville, Mikaila Mitchell, Suz Koeller Entzroth, Laura Blankenship, Christina Pecaut and Taylor Rumping.
WYNN AWARDS
Denise Buchanan – Glendale High School/University of Kansas
Buchanan was a four-time state track and field champion and all-state basketball player at Glendale. In track and field, she was a two-time Class 4 state champion in the shot put (1982, 1983) with throws of 44-0 and 44-11.5, respectively, which was the state record until 1992 and remains the third-best throw in state history. She also was a back-to-back state champion in Class 4 in the discus with throws of 148-3 and 153-4, which was a state record in Class 4 until 2001. In basketball, she was part of the first Springfield Public Schools team to play in a state championship game. She still holds Glendale’s single-season rebound record of 371. Additionally, Buchanan was First Team All-State as a senior and First Team All-Ozarks all four years. She scored 1,055 career points, which is still fifth-best in school history and among only 14 players who have scored at least 1,000 points in program history. At KU, Buchanan was an All-American in the shot put during both the indoor and outdoor season in 1987. She finished fifth at the NCAA Indoor with a toss of 53-4.25, a school record. Buchanan, who also broke both the school’s indoor and outdoor shot put records at the NCAA finals, is retired in Kansas City.
Val Sauer Crawford – Rolla High School/University of Missouri
Val won state championships in both track and cross country at Rolla. In track, she won the Class 4 800 meters in 1986 and 1987. Her 1987 time of 2:10.89 stood as the second-best in state history until 1992, and it’s even more impressive considering eight of the current Top 10 times – hers now ranks 11th – have been accomplished only since 2003. She also won the 1985 Class 4 state championship in cross country, earned track All-American honors both seasons and was the Gatorade Missouri Female Athlete of the Year in 1987. In all, she earned 10 all-state honors in the two sports. She was also a starter for two seasons on the Lady Bulldog basketball squad. At Mizzou, Val ran a leg on Mizzou’s 1989 4×400-meter relay team that ranks third in the indoor in school history, with the 4×400 outdoor relay ranking in the top 10 until just a few years ago. Additionally, her best 800-meter time of 2:08.66 in 1990 set the school record and still ranks eighth all-time. These days, she works for IBM in Kansas City.
Lindsey Bourne-Green – Joplin High School/University of Oklahoma
Green won the first pole vault state championship in state history in 1999 and repeated as the Class 4 champion a year later (12-foot vault) as a junior for Joplin High School. The 2001 season was a big year for her. She won the Reno Vault Summit (11-9.5 inches), held the high school national girls record, competed in the Golden West Track Meet that recognized the top nine athletes in the nation in each event and was invited to the USA Track & Field Camp. She also set the KU Relays record (11-11.75) and completed her fourth year in AAU Track & Field, where she her age divisions each year and set or tied pole vault records. At the University of Oklahoma, Green was a four-time All-Big 12 Conference performer and qualified for the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional twice. She ended her career tied for fourth in the Indoor and No. 2 all-time in the Outdoor of OU’s record books. Green, named OU’s Outstanding Newcomer in 2002 and a team co-captain, lives in Joplin.
Lynne Miller – Grand Island (Neb.) High School/Missouri State University
In only three basketball seasons for the MSU Lady Bears (1982-1984), Miller grabbed 571 rebounds, scored 891 points and made 215 assists. In order, those marks rank 20th, 33rd and 27th in program history. She grabbed 250 rebounds in 1982 (13th most in MSU single-season history) and still owns the 10th-best career rebounding average with 6.5 rebounds a game (based on 88 games). Miller then spent 36 years working for Springfield Public Schools, with 14 as a teacher and coach and 22 years in administration – 13 as principal of Disney Elementary. Miller, who also works part-time at Millwood Golf & Racquet Club, has given back to the game, helping at basketball camps for 20 years, and is in her 14th season on Lady Bears radio broadcasts. In Grand Island, Nebraska, she was a four-sport athlete (volleyball, basketball, track & field, softball), played on 10 state tournament teams and was a two-time First Team All-State selection in both volleyball and basketball before playing a year at the University of Nebraska.
Chealsey Russell – Kickapoo High School/Rice University/University of Tulsa
Russell was a three-time All-State soccer selection and earned All-District and All-Ozark Conference all four seasons at Kickapoo. Along the way, she led Kickapoo to two state quarterfinal appearances. The 2008 graduate was the Regional Player of the Year, the Ozark Conference and District MVP and captained the team three seasons. During her high school years, she also helped Busch Soccer Club, now St. Louis Soccer Club, become the first Missouri women’s team to win a national title in 2005. A year later, she was part of the Region II Olympic Development Team, which had a weeklong tryout for the U.S. Women’s National Team, and became a Top 50 national recruit by Top Drawer Soccer. Russell played two seasons at Rice University, before playing an injury-shortened season for the University of Tulsa. Russell later played professionally for FC St. Louis for two seasons, works for Orange Theory Fitness in Springfield.
Amy Lodes Witte – Lindbergh High School/Columbia College
Witte played volleyball and basketball at Lindbergh High School in the mid-1980s before going on to Columbia College, where she made a tremendous impact. In fact, her jersey was the first retired in Columbia College volleyball history. She played there from 1988 to 1992 and was named Conference Player of the Year during each of her four seasons and, in 1991, earned District 16 Player of the Year and NAIA Second Team All-America accolades. She went on to a successful corporate career, mostly in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where for the past 22 years Witte has been working in animal agriculture as a senior account manager. Amy has been married to Michael Witte since 1997 and they have two children, Sullivan 19 and Graham 16.
Callie Newton-Woods – Republic High School/Drury University
Woods played volleyball, basketball and competed in track and field at Republic. She starred in field events, becoming a four-time All-State performer. In 1997, she won the discus state championship and placed third in the shot put. In 1999, her senior year, she was a state runner-up in both as she set school records in the shot put (40 feet) and discus (144 feet, 7 inches). In basketball, she was First Team All-State in basketball in 1998 and 1999 and finished with more than 1,500 career points, averaging 17 points and eight rebounds a game. Woods also set the school rebounding record (18 in a game), earned MVP of the Pink & White Tournament her sophomore season and was a two-time All-Ozarks selection. After playing a season as a starter for the University of Central Missouri, she played at Drury from 2001 to 2003 – she was a co-captain in 2001 – as the Lady Panthers compiled a 65-20 record. She later was a graduate assistant for Drury, including on its 2004 NCAA D-II national runner-up team.
