The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame ushered in quite a Class of 2022 for the Women’s Sports Luncheon presented by the Bee Payne-Stewart Foundation on Wednesday at the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center.
A crowd of more than 600 turned out for a class featuring golf’s Judy Rankin, who at age 14 won the Missouri Amateur and later spent 61 years in professional golf – 23 on the LPGA Tour, and 38 as a well-known and well-respected analyst on PGA Tour broadcasts.
The Class of 2022 certainly had its star power and inspiring stories. It also featured Missouri State University all-around athlete Joanie French, Branson Parks & Recreation Director Cindy Shook, the Kansas City Royals’ Linda Smith, volleyball coach Stephanie Bates, and Neosho High School cross country and track & field coach Harry Lineberry. Lineberry’s two most memorable state squads, Neosho Girls Cross Country’s 1983 and 1984 State Championship Teams, also were enshrined along with the Glendale High School Girls Tennis’ 1975 State Championship Team and the 1980-1996 Era of Eldon High School Volleyball. The director of Champion Athletes of the Ozarks, Susan Miles, was bestowed the President’s Award.
Additionally, the Hall of Fame honored seven individuals with Wynn Awards, which are named in honor of the late Dr. Mary Jo Wynn, the pioneer of women’s athletics at Missouri State University. Wynn 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, college and Olympic athletes who made positive impacts on women’s sports, or those who contributed to the advancement of women’s sports in the Show-Me State.
The Wynn Award recipients were: volleyball’s Neely Burkhart (Joplin High School/Missouri Southern State University), Olympic shot putter and former University of Missouri track & field assistant coach Teri Steer Cantwell, volleyball’s Julie O’Dell Griffith (Logan-Rogersville High School/Evangel University), swimming’s Chelsea Dirks-Ham (Missouri State University), paddler Amanda Hoenes (Branson High School/United States Marines Corps/Colorado State University), volleyball’s Kim Flieg Peters (Festus High School/Missouri State University) and golf’s Brianna Broderick Portmann (Richmond High School/University of Michigan).
Judy Rankin – Golf
A St. Louis native, Judy Rankin is synonymous with golf, both as a player and longtime TV analyst. She won the 1959 Missouri Amateur at age 14 and was the low amateur scorer at the U.S. Women’s Open the next year. At age 16, she appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Eventually, her career led to membership in the World Golf Hall of Fame, as Rankin joined the LPGA Tour in 1962 at age 17 and won 26 tour events. She finished in the top 10 on the money list 11 times between 1965 and 1979, and was the first to win more than $100,000 in a season on the LPGA Tour, accomplishing that feat in 1976 ($150,000). Among her notable finishes were the 1972 U.S. Women’s Open (tied for second) and the 1976 and 1977 Women’s PGA Championship (tied for second, solo second). Rankin then worked as an analyst on the PGA TOUR for ESPN/ABC from 1984 to 2018, and has been the lead analyst for LPGA Tour telecasts on the Golf Channel since 2010.
Joanie French – Parkview High School/Missouri State University
Joanie French was a Parkview High School standout in tennis, track, volleyball and basketball, leading the Lady Vikings to city titles in all four sports her senior year. She led all city high school basketball players in scoring that year and was an amateur softball standout. At Missouri State, she also was a four-sport star, winning the A.J. McDonald Achievement Award for athletic and academic excellence upon her graduation in 1978. She took Missouri State to four consecutive state, regional and national tournament appearances in volleyball. She helped the basketball team win a state title and, as a senior, helped the softball team win state and region titles, qualifying for the College World Series. She led the CWS in stolen bases. In track, she won a state high jump championship her sophomore season. French was on the 1979 USA national volleyball team, played professional basketball with the Dallas Diamonds and participated with the English national championship basketball team and European Cup. In 1981, she was voted Outstanding Young Woman of Missouri and has been inducted into the Parkview, MSU Athletics, Springfield Amateur Softball and Springfield Area Sports Halls of Fame.
Cindy Shook – Director of Branson Parks & Recreation Department
As the Director of Branson Parks & Recreation since 2001, Cindy Shook has made a lasting impact by developing Branson into a youth sports tournament destination. She was promoted to the executive’s role after a decade of rising through the ranks with the City of Branson. In 2005, she headed the planning and development of the Branson RecPlex, a 40-acre sports complex which includes a recreation center, aquatic center, soccer fields, baseball/softball complex, walking paths and playground areas. Since then, the RecPlex has hosted 565 tournaments, including 58 national or World Series events. Nearly 730,000 participants have been brought in, with an economic impact to the City of Branson of nearly $167 million. Her work led to the 2016 Community Spirit Award from the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the 2021 Missouri Municipal League Innovation Award. Shook is a graduate of Parkview High School, where she played on three state golf teams, including the 1982 state championship team. She also competed for Missouri State University golf (1984-1987), earning recognition on the All-Decade Team (1982-1992) of the Gateway Conference.
Stephanie Bates – Volleyball Coach
Stephanie Bates was a combined 625-199-73 coaching volleyball at Salem, Glendale and Springfield Catholic high schools. In 11 seasons at Salem, three teams reached the Final Four. The 1996 team won the Class 3 state championship, finishing 37-2. She was an assistant on the 1993 team that placed third. and her 1995 team was a state runner-up. Salem also won seven South Central Association championships, and Bates was the conference Coach of the Year five times. She then coached Glendale for 15 seasons, with her 2008 team reaching the Final Four and placing fourth in Class 4. The Lady Falcons also won five Ozark Conference championships. She was 27-6-2 in her lone season at Springfield Catholic. Overall, she coached 28 All-State players, 48 collegiate players and three All-Americans. A Salem High School All-State player, she starred at Drury University, earning Honorable Mention NAIA All-American honors in 1990.
Linda Smith – Kansas City Royals
A graduate of Washington High School and Missouri State University, Linda Smith served three big-league organizations over the course of a 46-year career. She spent the bulk of her time in Kansas City, logging 37 seasons with the Royals, including each of the organization’s two World Series championship campaigns in 1985 and 2015. She wore a number of different hats during her time at Kauffman Stadium, filling roles in the Royals’ public relations, group sales and marketing departments over her initial 20-year term (1972-1992) before transitioning to the scouting and player development realm. Smith spent the next nine years assisting the scouting departments of the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. She returned to Kansas City in 2001, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Royals’ scouting department and assisting with the preparation and execution of the club’s amateur draft efforts each June until her retirement in 2017. Smith received the Special Recognition Award from the Greater Midwest Scouts Association in 2007 for her dedication and commitment to professional baseball.
Harry Lineberry – Neosho High School Cross Country and Track & Field Coach
Harry Lineberry coached track & field as well as cross country for 33 years (1979-2011) at Neosho High School. His 1983 and 1984 girls cross country teams won Class 4 state championships. Additionally, the boys and girls track and field teams combined for nearly 30 conference championships. His girls and boys cross country squads won 18 conference championships, 10 district titles and six sectional championships. Lineberry is a 1966 graduate of Slater High School, where he was a five-time state medalist in track and field. He graduated from Missouri Valley College in 1970 after earning four letters in track and cross country. Lineberry initially worked for the Miami school district and then for Marshall High School, where in his final two years as head coach of the track and cross country programs he won two cross country conference championships and, in track, a conference and district title. Lineberry is a 2008 inductee of the Missouri Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Neosho High School Girls Cross Country’s 1983 &1984 State Championship Teams
The girls cross country runners of 1983 and 1984 for Neosho High School won Class 4 state team championships, becoming the first in southwest Missouri to do so. Coached by Harry Lineberry, the 1983 Lady Wildcats featured Deanna Cole, Teresa Morehead, Tammy Townsend, Dawn Davies, Debbie Groh and Becky Freund. That team scored 64 points, 10 less than state runner-up Hazelwood Central. Townsend won the first of her two state titles (19:33), and Morehead placed sixth and Freund was seventh. The 1984 team beat Lindbergh by 20 points (87-107), with everybody back from the year before – and added freshmen Amber Townsend and Tracy Morehead. Tammy Townsend won state, improving on her 1983 time by five seconds and beating a field of 146 other runners. Amber Townsend was 12th. That team had placed third in districts as Lineberry withheld an injured Teresa Morehead, whose return helped fuel sectional and state team victories.
Eldon High School Volleyball’s 1980-1996 Era
One of the best eras in Missouri high school volleyball history could be found in mid-Missouri at Eldon High School. Between 1986 and 1993, the Lady Mustangs advanced to eight consecutive Final Fours. Only five other programs have enjoyed that kind of run, with two stringing nine consecutive together: Santa Fe (9, 1979-1987), Ozark (9, 2009-2017), Incarnate Word Academy (8, 1993-2000), Winona (8, 2000-2007) and St. Pius X of Festus (8, 2010-2017). Eldon’s 1991 team won it all in Class 3, finishing 30-3. Its 1988 and 1993 teams finished as state runners-up, while Eldon had four teams place third (1986, 1989, 1990, 1992). The 1987 Mustangs placed fourth. The program also won district all but three times between 1980 and 1996, with the early 1980s teams winning more than 100 matches to set up success.
Glendale High School Girls Tennis’ 1975 State Championship Team
The Missouri State High School Activities Association first hosted a state tennis tournament for girls in 1975, and Glendale High School brought home the top hardware. Coached by Linda Sisco, the Lady Falcons’ roster consisted of Kelly Ragan Anerud, Tammy Chalendar Corbin, Claire Dwyer Nelson, Cheryl Graham, Melinda Kastner, Jennifer Lorenc, Carol Penninger Minton, Kim Morris Wood, Kathy Banks Robertson, Cathleen Dwyer Scholl, Elizabeth Chaney Strickland, Pam Thompson, Meg Owens Townsend, Jeanne Warren Stanchik and Mary Palcheff Wiemer. The team formed after passage of the 1972 federal Title IX legislation that required public schools and universities to field girls athletic teams. Glendale was 16-0 overall, winning the SMSU Relays, before placing second in the district tournament. That enabled two doubles teams to advance to the state tournament. The team of Claire Dwyer and Meg Owens won doubles, while Mary Palcheff and Cathleen Dwyer placed fourth.
Susan Miles – President’s Award
Susan Miles received the President’s Award, which is bestowed on individuals who champion the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and sports in the state in general. Miles has worked with individuals with disabilities for 48 years. That includes the past 20 years in leading Champion Athletes of the Ozarks since its inception in 2002. The Springfield-based non-profit assists folks with developmental disabilities, serving 450 individuals in eight counties at no charge. It provides education, life skills and sports programs in addition to teaching basic life skills, creating job experiences and reinforcing good social skills. It’s all in an effort to help individuals reach their full potential and become productive citizens in the community. Champion Athletes has been a longtime charity of the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, which is managed by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Champion Athletes mans the Volunteer Tent all four days of the tournament and volunteers in numerous other ways. In 2012, its volunteers were named Volunteers of the Week for the PCCC and, in 2021, Alex Gillis was the Volunteer of the Year. In 2007, Miles was selected as the Korn Ferry Tour’s Volunteer of the Week and the PCCC’s Judy Weekley Volunteer of the Year. Previously, Miles worked for the Cerebral Palsy Center, now the Developmental Center of the Ozarks. She graduated from Crane High School after attending Red Bank Catholic High School in New Jersey.
WYNN AWARDS
Front row, from left: Brianna Broderick Portmann, Amanda Hoenes, Kim Flieg Peters, Neely Burkhart. Back row, from left: Julie O’Dell-Griffith, Chelsea Dirks-Ham and Teri Steer Cantwell.
Neely Burkhart – Joplin High School/Missouri Southern State University
One of the top volleyball players in the Joplin area in the early 1990s was Neely Burkhart. She was an all-conference, all-district and all-area selection in her junior and senior seasons at Joplin High School, plus earned all-region as a senior. Burkhart also received all-conference recognition in basketball. She then went on to star at Missouri Southern State University. There, Burkhart was a four-year starter at outside hitter for the Lions and served as a two-year captain. She ranks in the top 10 in six different career categories at Southern, including first in digs (1,776), second in aces (211), third in attack attempts (3,957), fourth in kills (1,421), fourth in hitting percentage (.268) and 10th in games played (445). Burkhart was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection in 1994 and a second team selection in both 1995 and 1996. She has since been inducted into the Missouri Southern Athletics Hall of Fame. These days, she is a physical therapist with Freeman Health Systems in Joplin.
Teri Steer Cantwell – Olympian/University of Missouri Track & Field Assistant Coach
Teri Steer Cantwell was a coach for the Mizzou track & field program from August 2005 to July 2011, at first starting as a volunteer and then rising to assistant coach for the team’s throwers, as well as heptathletes and decathletes. She assisted in coaching four All-Americans, eight All-Big 12 athletes, four All-Southeastern Conference performers and, overall, six competed in the Olympic Trials. She now is in her seventh season as a volunteer coach for the Nixa High School track and field program. Previously, Cantwell was a standout at Crete High School in Nebraska and then at Southern Methodist University. At Crete, she earned 12 varsity letters combined in volleyball, basketball and track & field. She earned three golds in the shot put (best of all classes) and swept the Class B shot put and discus titles in her four seasons. At SMU, she set the Western Athletic Conference record in the discus and was a two-time national champion in the shot put, setting the collegiate record. She also competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics a year after earning a bronze in the shot put at the 1999 World Track & Field Championships. Cantwell, an inductee of the Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame who is married to Christian Cantwell (MSHOF 2018), is Vice President of Human Resources for Central Bank/Central Trust.
Julie O’Dell-Griffith – Logan-Rogersville High School/Evangel University
Julie O’Dell-Griffith was a true crusader for the Evangel volleyball program, achieving standards reached by only a select few who have ever worn the Maroon and White. A product of Logan-Rogersville High School, O’Dell-Griffith was a Missouri Class 3 All-State selection in 2004 before beginning her record-breaking collegiate career at Evangel. Playing for coach Mary Whitehead, she became only the third NAIA All-American in program history, earning the distinction in back-to-back seasons (2007, 2008). O’Dell-Griffith also led Evangel to its second ever NAIA Regional appearance in 2007, earning the first of her two Team MVP honors in the process. A two-time AVCA All-Region selection, she is one of only two Evangel players to record 600 kills in a season, and ranks among the Valor’s all-time leaders in kills, kill percentage, kills per set, blocks and blocks per set. Now a vocal director at Aurora High School, O’Dell-Griffith calls Republic home.
Chelsea Dirks-Ham – Missouri State University
Chelsea Dirks-Ham has enjoyed a poolside view of many memorable moments of Missouri State Swimming’s run of dominance over the past two decades. First, as a student-athlete, she helped the Bears capture four consecutive Missouri Valley Conference swimming and diving team titles. More recently, she has been a member of Missouri State’s coaching staff for the past 11 years, during which the Bears have racked up 10 team titles on the women’s side, as well as three Mid-America Conference titles on the men’s ledger. One of the most decorated swimmers in program history, Dirks-Ham was a four-time All-MVC First Team performer for the Bears under coach Jack Steck (MSHOF 2014) from 2008-2011. The Lawrence, Kan., native registered 14 victories, including six individual titles, at MVC Swimming and Diving Championships in her career. Dirks-Ham earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise and movement science from MSU and currently holds the title of associate head coach for the Bears.
Amanda Hoenes – Branson High School/U.S. Marine Corps/Colorado State University
A Marine who served three tours in the Iraq War, 1999 Branson High School graduate Amanda Hoenes solo paddled 3,300 miles on a “start to sea” expedition on the Missouri River to the Gulf of Mexico in 2021. She began at the river’s headwaters near Three Forks, Mont., in July and reached the Gulf of Mexico in January 2022. With her rescue dog, Hank, along for the trip, Hoenes paddled through Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Missouri and traveled by all the other states the rivers touch. Hoenes reached Pierre, S.D., on Sept. 15 and, on Oct. 3, exited Lewis & Clark Lake on the South Dakota and Nebraska stateline after battling strong winds for three days on the lake. She reached Kansas City two weeks later, crossed under the Missouri River bridge at Jefferson City a few days afterward and reached the end of the Missouri River on Oct. 31. A softball player and track athlete at Branson, Hoenes joined the United States Marine Corps in January 2001 and was a helicopter crew chief and aerial gunner. She earned a 2003 Bronze Star with a V, for valor, and was the 2004 Junior Enlisted Woman of the Year (West Coast).
Kim Flieg Peters – Festus High School/Missouri State University
Kim Flieg Peters was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for Missouri State’s volleyball teams from 1989 to 1992, finishing second in both career and single-season assists in Bears history. Overall, she had 2,432 career assists, which is now 10th-most. Peters was a middle blocker her first two seasons and was a setter her final two years, when she became the first Bears’ volleyball player to record 1,000 or more assists in consecutive seasons. Her 1,095 assists in 1991 were the second-best in single-season history, and she was second that season in blocks, digs and aces. As a senior, she had 1,305 assists. Along the way, Peters earned first team all-conference recognition in her final two seasons. Peters’ work helped the Bears win the 1990 conference tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament, and the 1992 team played in the National Invitational Championship. These days, she works for Phenix Marble.
Brianna Broderick Portmann – Richmond High School/University of Michigan
Brianna Broderick Portmann made her mark with a standout career that included three individual state titles (2000-2002) for Richmond High School. She helped the Spartans to the Class 1-2 state championship in 2001 and, a year later, became the state’s second ever three-time state girls golf champion. She was honored as the Kansas City Star’s Female Metro Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002 and received the 2000 Harry Devine Award for being the outstanding junior golfer in the KCGA. She also was the 2002 Kenneth Smith Award winner as the Outstanding Female Golfer in the Kansas City area. Portmann was the 2002 Midwest Section PGA Junior Player of the Year before beginning her collegiate career at the University of Michigan. There, she was a two-time All-Big Ten performer, finishing with a 77.19 career scoring average that ranked second all-time in Michigan history. She went on to compete in seven USGA Women’s Championships – and played in two LPGA Futures Women’s Tour events (2002, 2005) – before coaching 12 seasons for the University of Missouri-Kansas City women’s golf program.
