Her family lineage includes numerous swimmers, so naturally Brianne McGuirk Madura found her way to the pool – and she didn’t care if she trained with or competed against guys. It’s what led to a tremendous career at Missouri State University.
“They pushed me to not just be good for a girl, but just good,” Madura said. “They taught me to be strong both mentally and physically.”
Now Madura’s career is being remembered by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. She will be among nine receiving 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 Madura 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.
Madura swam for Missouri State University from 1999 to 2003, becoming MSU’s first women’s swimmer to win individual conference titles as she won both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke races as a freshman. Overall, she was a four-time conference champion in the 200 and a top five finisher in the 100 every year.
“My college coach, Jack Steck, never let me give up and always pushed me. Assistant coach Randy Horner always could get in my head and never let me get away with anything. Both could recite times and splits from every race and helped me reach my goals.”
As a senior in 2003, Madura was the co-captain of MSU women’s first ever conference championship team. She also held the Hammons Student Center pool record in the 200 until 2011.
“Although a lot of the events are individual, we still won as a team and lost as team,” Madura said. “Getting everyone cheering for everyone else and the excitement when races were close was important. My senior year of college, winning the MVC championship was the best feeling. All of the hard work we had put in for the previous four years was finally paying off and we were all so proud of our accomplishments as a team.”
For Madura, her career began back in El Paso, Texas, where family played a significant role.
“Swimming runs in my family,” Madura said. “My father and all of his brothers were swimmers and my grandfather on my father’s side was a swim coach. My parents put in a swimming pool when I born, but they could not keep me out. They had gates and locks but somehow I was always in the pool.”
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), Dana Ozbun Stillwagon (Doniphan High School/Southwest Baptist University) and Bri Walsh (Clever High School/Missouri State-West Plains/Evangel University).
For Madura, the Wynn Award punctuates what was a long, great journey. You see, she was the first girl from Eastwood High School in El Paso, Texas to advance to the state swim meet. She also won regionals all four years in the 100. The team’s coach, Steve Flato, was a big mentor.
“I did not start swimming competitively until my freshman year of high school, but he found scholarships and helped me start swimming in USA swimming year-round,” said Madura, who now works in IT at Prime, Inc., in Springfield. “He really pushed me to be the best and keep trying. Even to this day I can still hear his very distinctive whistle in my mind when I think about how much me inspired me to continue.”
