When she looks back at her volleyball success – first at Clever High School, then at Missouri-State West Plains and Evangel University – Bri Walsh thinks of all those who made it possible and why she is giving back to the sport.
“My parents are absolutely at the top of my list of mentors,” said Walsh, now the MSU-West Plains assistant. “I attribute my work ethic and pure drive to succeed to them. They never allowed us (my brother and me) to make excuses or take shortcuts. I knew how to work which led to not wanting to get outworked. Ever.”
Now her career is being remembered by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Walsh will be among nine who will receive a Wynn Award during the Women’s Sports Luncheon sponsored by the Bee Payne-Stewart Foundation and presented by Central Bank/Central Trust. The event is set for 11 a.m. March 28 at the University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield. For tickets or to support Walsh in some way, call 417-889-3100.
Her award will be presented on a day featuring the inductions of the Diamond High School Volleyball Program, swimmer Michelle Langsford Dickemann, longtime volleyball coach Ann Luetkemeyer Gulshen, college basketball assistant Lynnette Robinson, track & field and cross country coach Patty Vavra and the MSSU Women’s Track & Field and Cross Country Programs. Jacquie Dowdy will receive the President’s Award.
The Wynn Awards are 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.
An All-State volleyball player, Walsh helped Clever High School win four district championships (2005-2008) and was named conference MVP her senior year as the team finished 33-3. Her parents and Clever coach Teresa Hanifan made a difference, as did the seniors when she was a freshman.
“(Her parents) worked incredibly hard to provide me with the opportunity to play this game and, for that I cannot thank them enough,” Walsh said. “Teresa Hanafin was my high school coach at Clever and is a huge reason why I grew to love this game. I enjoyed every minute of playing for her. I remember hanging onto every word she said. I am thank now to confide in her, coach to coach.”
Walsh’s success led to Missouri State-West Plains, where she found another great mentor in coach Paula Wiedemann. As an outside attacker, Walsh powered 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, respectively. The 2009 team upset Western Nebraska to get there, and Walsh earned All-Region 16 honors both years.
“The biggest influence in my career has been my former coach and current boss, Paula Wiedemann,” Walsh said. “I bought into this program as a player and even more so now as a coach. She took a chance on me right out of college because she saw something in me as a young coach. I am humbled daily to learn and grow under her leadership and example.”
Other Wynn Award recipients will be 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 & field’s Trudi Garret Spain (Barbados/Missouri State University) and Dana Ozbun Stillwagon (Doniphan High School/Southwest Baptist University).
For Walsh, her journey continues, and some of her coaching ideas have come from coach Leon Neal, a 2017 inductee of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. She played basketball for Neal as a fifth-year senior at Evangel. She had played two volleyball seasons at Evangel, earning All-American honors her senior year as she helped Evangel win its first conference title. She also was a two-time All-Heart of America Athletic Conference selection.
“I have never met someone more dedicated to their craft than that man,” Walsh said. “Even though I was a player, most of our conversations outside of practice revolved around coaching. It was an honor to play for him, and I hope to one day be half the coach that he is.”
