Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears
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The Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears are the athletic teams representing Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University). Missouri State's athletics programs date back to 1908. Missouri State competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, but started a transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision on July 1, 2024. The majority of sports play in the Division I Missouri Valley Conference. Missouri State football competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the women's beach volleyball team, nicknamed Beach Bears instead of "Bears" or "Lady Bears",[2] competes in Conference USA (CUSA), having moved from the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association after the spring 2023 season.[3] Men's swimming & diving had competed in the Mid-American Conference through the 2023–24 season, but sponsorship of that sport transferred from that conference to the MVC in July 2024.[4] Missouri State will become a full member of CUSA on July 1, 2025.[5]
| Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Missouri State University |
| Conference | Missouri Valley (primary) MVFC (football) CUSA (beach volleyball; primary on July 1, 2025) |
| NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
| Athletic director | Patrick Ransdell |
| Location | Springfield, Missouri |
| Varsity teams | 19 |
| Football stadium | Robert W. Plaster Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Great Southern Bank Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Hammons Field |
| Soccer stadium | Allison South Stadium |
| Mascot | Boomer the Bear and Growl the Bear |
| Nickname | Bears and Lady Bears Beach Bears (beach volleyball) |
| Fight song | The Scotsman |
| Colors | Maroon and white[1] |
| Website | missouristatebears |
 | |
Missouri State athletics are frequently abbreviated as "MOST" when televised.
Sports sponsored
edit| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Acrobatics & tumbling |
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Football | Beach volleyball |
| Golf | Cross country |
| Soccer | Golf |
| Swimming & diving | Soccer |
| Softball | |
| Stunt | |
| Swimming & diving | |
| Tennis | |
| Track & field† | |
| Volleyball | |
| † – Track & field includes both indoor and outdoor | |
A member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Missouri State University sponsors six men's and 13 women's teams in NCAA sanctioned sports. The women's sports of acrobatics & tumbling and stunt, both included in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, were added in 2024–25.[6]
National championships
editTeam
edit| Association | Division | Sport | Year | Opponent/Runner-Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAIA | n/a | Men's basketball | 1952 | Murray State | 73–64 |
| NAIA | n/a | Men's basketball | 1953 | Hamline | 79–71 |
| NCAA | Division II | Men's golf[7] | 1963 | Aquinas | 1,188–1,199 |
| AIAW | n/a | Softball (Women's College World Series) | 1974 | Northern Colorado | 14–7 |
| AIAW | Division II | Field hockey | 1979 | Colgate | 2–0 |
Women's basketball NCAA tournament results
editNCAA Tournament appearances
edit| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | #8 | First Round Second Round |
#9 Tennessee Tech #1 Tennessee |
W 94–64 L 47–55 |
| 1992 | #8 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four |
#9 Kansas #1 Iowa #5 UCLA #2 Ole Miss #4 Western Kentucky |
W 75–59 W 61–60 W 83–57 W 94–71 L 72–84 |
| 1993 | #7 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen |
#10 Oklahoma State #2 Maryland #6 Louisiana Tech |
W 86–71 W 86–82 L 43–59 |
| 1994 | #6 | First Round Second Round |
#11 Northern Illinois #3 Virginia |
W 75–56 L 63–67 |
| 1995 | #9 | First Round Second Round |
#8 Utah #1 Colorado |
W 49–47 L 34–78 |
| 1996 | #12 | First Round | #5 Texas | L 55–73 |
| 1998 | #8 | First Round | #9 Notre Dame | L 64–78 |
| 1999 | #7 | First Round Second Round |
#10 UC Santa Barbara #2 Colorado State |
W 72–70 L 70–86 |
| 2000 | #10 | First Round | #7 Auburn | L 74–78 |
| 2001 | #5 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four |
#12 Toledo #4 Rutgers #1 Duke #6 Washington #3 Purdue |
W 89–71 W 60–53 W 81–71 W 104–87 L 64–81 |
| 2003 | #15 | First Round | #2 Texas Tech | L 59–67 |
| 2004 | #12 | First Round | #5 Notre Dame | L 65–69 (OT) |
| 2006 | #13 | First Round | #4 Purdue | L 52–73 |
| 2016 | #13 | First Round | #4 Texas A&M | L 65–74 |
| 2019 | #11 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen |
#6 DePaul #3 Iowa State #2 Stanford |
W 89–77 W 69–60 L 46–55 |
| 2021 | #5 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen |
#12 UC Davis #13 Wright State #1 Stanford |
W 70–51 W 64–39 L 62–89 |
| 2022 | #11 | First Four First Round |
#11 Florida State #6 Ohio State |
W 61-50 L 63-56 |
WBIT appearances
editWNIT appearances
edit2002, 2005 (Champions), 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2023
AIAW tournament appearances
editMissouri AIAW state tournament: 1970–1982 (won 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1981 tournaments)
AIAW Region VI tournament: 1974, 1975, 1981
AIAW Division II national tournament: 1981
Conference championships
editGateway Conference (1983–1992) 2
1991, 1992
Missouri Valley Conference (1992–present) 12
1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2020, 2021
Head coaches
edit- Reba Sims (10 seasons, 129–116), 1969–1979
- Marti Gasser (4 seasons, 62–60), 1979–1983
- Valerie Goodwin-Colbert (4 seasons, 48–63), 1983–1987
- Cheryl Burnett (15 seasons, 319–136), 1987–2002
- 10 NCAA Tournament Appearances
- 2 Final Four Appearances
- 3 Sweet 16 Appearances
- 1 WNIT Appearance
- 10 NCAA Tournament Appearances
- Katie Abrahamson-Henderson (5 seasons, 95–61), 2002–2007
- 3 NCAA Tournament Appearances
- WNIT Championship
- Nyla Milleson (5 seasons, 105–87), 2007–2013
- 3 WNIT Appearances
- Kellie Harper (6 seasons, 118–79), 2013–2019
- 2 NCAA Appearances
- 3 WNIT Appearances
- Amaka Agugua-Hamilton (3 seasons, 73-15), 2019–2022
- 1 NCAA Appearance
- 1 Sweet Sixteen Appearance
- 1 NCAA Appearance
• Beth Cunningham (2 seasons, 43-20) 2022–Present
- 1 WBIT Appearance
- 1 WNIT Appearance
Retired numbers
edit- 10 Jackie Stiles, 1997–2001 (finished career as leading career scorer in NCAA Division I women's basketball with 3,393 points; now #5 on the list)
- 22 Kari Koch, 2002-2006
- 35 Melody Howard, 1990–1994
- 42 Jeanette Tendai, 1982–1986
Facilities
edit| Facility | Opened | Renovated | Sport | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert W. Plaster Stadium | 1941 | 1991, 2014 | Football | 17,500 |
| Great Southern Bank Arena | 2008 | 2013 | Basketball | 11,000 |
| Hammons Student Center | 1976 | Volleyball Swimming |
8,846 300 | |
| Hammons Field | 2004 | Baseball | 7,986 | |
| Killian Sports Complex | 2009 | Softball | 1,200 | |
| Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium | 2014 | Soccer Track & field |
1,500 | |
| Betty and Bobby Allison North Stadium | 2014 | Field hockey Lacrosse |
250 | |
| Betty and Bobby Allison Sand Volleyball Courts | 2014 | Beach volleyball | 150 | |
| Cooper Tennis Complex w/Mediacom Stadium |
1994 | Tennis | 2,500 | |
| Twin Oaks Country Club + 4 Other local courses |
n/a | MOST/TOCC Practice Facility 2016 |
Golf | N/A |
Club sports
editThe university also sponsors several club sports teams, including ice hockey (ACHA), lacrosse (MCLA), and roller hockey (NCRHA).
Men's ice hockey
edit
Missouri State men's ice hockey, known as the Ice Bears, began in 2001 and despite not being a varsity NCAA sport receives much attention on and off-campus. The Ice Bears currently compete at the Division I level of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) in the Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL).[8] The teams play off-campus at the 2,000-seat Mediacom Ice Park.[9][10][11]
Men's varsity ice hockey finished the 2009–2010 season ranked 2nd in the MACHA DII with a record of 12–4–0 in 16 league games, the team lost in the MACHA Championship 1–5 to Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville. In addition to the ACHA DII team the University also fields a JV teams playing at the ACHA DIII level.[12] The team won the MACHA DIII championship with a 5–3 win over Robert Morris University- Peoria.[13][14][15]
Men's lacrosse
editMissouri State also fields a highly successful club Lacrosse Team. Founded in 2003, it competes in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Division II and was a member of the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC) through 2017 before it moved to Division II of the Lone Star Alliance (LSA) in 2018. The Bears have been conference champions five times in their history (2004, 2009, 2010, 2017, and 2018) and have qualified for the MCLA National Championships on four occasions (2009, 2010, 2017, and 2018). The Bears finished the 2018 season with a record of 12–3, including a perfect 6–0 conference record and victories over Creighton, Baylor, and in-state rival University of Missouri. Since 2003, Missouri State has fielded 11 All-Americans, over 80 All-Conference players, 3 GRLC Tournament MVP's, and 4 GRLC Division II Coach's of the Year.
| Head coach | Year | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Daren Turner | 2002–2008 | 24–21 |
| Austin Holman | 2009–2010 | 23–9 |
| Pat Callaham | 2011–2012 | 12-13 |
| Dustin Rich | 2013–2018 | 32-30 |
| Donnie Curran | 2019–present | 0-0 |
References
edit- ^ "Colors - Identity Standards - Missouri State University". February 5, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- ^ See, e.g., "Beach Volleyball Program Will Join C-USA in 2024" (Press release). Missouri State Athletics. May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
The Beach Bears will part ways with the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) next season to join TCU and Tarleton State as affiliate members of Conference USA.
- ^ "BVB: C-USA Adds TCU, Tarleton State and Missouri State as Affiliate Members for Beach Volleyball" (Press release). Conference USA. May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ "MVC To Sponsor Men's Swimming & Diving in 2024-25" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "CUSA Adds Missouri State" (Press release). Conference USA. May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ "Missouri State Will Add Two Women's Varsity Sports" (Press release). Missouri State Athletics. December 11, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ "NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20080724171155/http://www.cfpmidweek.com/weeks/IssuePDFs/vo5i19web.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Experience Fall in the Ozarks - Springfield Missouri Travel & Tourism - Ozarks/Midwest Vacations". springfieldmo.org. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Alumni News - Missouri State University Alumni Association - Missouri State University". Archived from the original on June 1, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ "Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association Home Page". Machahockey.com. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20080724170815/http://www.cfpmidweek.com/weeks/IssuePDFs/vo5i21web.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ [3][dead link]
