Login
Login

Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears

{{Short description|Collegiate sports club in the United States}}

{{More citations needed|date=May 2015}}

{{Infobox college athletics

| name = Missouri State Bears

| name2 = Lady Bears

| logo = Missouri State Athletics logo.svg

| logo_width = 170

| university = Missouri State University

| association = NCAA

| conference = Missouri Valley (primary)
MVFC (football)
CUSA (beach volleyball;
primary on July 1, 2025)
The American (men's soccer, from 2025)

| division = Division I (FCS)

| director = Patrick Ransdell

| location = Springfield, Missouri

| teams = 19

| stadium = Robert W. Plaster Stadium

| basketballarena = Great Southern Bank Arena

| baseballfield = Hammons Field

| soccerstadium = Allison South Stadium

| mascot = Boomer the Bear and Growl the Bear

| nickname = Bears and Lady Bears
Beach Bears (beach volleyball)

| fightsong = The Scotsman

| pageurl = https://missouristatebears.com/

| altlogo = 250px

}}

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",See, e.g., {{cite press release|url=https://missouristatebears.com/news/2023/5/11/beach-volleyball-program-will-join-c-usa-in-2024.aspx |title=Beach Volleyball Program Will Join C-USA in 2024 |publisher=Missouri State Athletics |date=May 11, 2023 |access-date=May 18, 2023 |quote=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.}} competes in Conference USA (CUSA), having moved from the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association after the spring 2023 season.{{cite press release|url=https://conferenceusa.com/news/2023/5/11/womens-beach-volleyball-bvb-c-usa-adds-tcu-tarleton-state-and-missouri-state-as-affiliate-members-for-beach-volleyball.aspx |title=BVB: C-USA Adds TCU, Tarleton State and Missouri State as Affiliate Members for Beach Volleyball |publisher=Conference USA |date=May 11, 2023 |access-date=May 18, 2023}}

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.{{cite press release|url=https://mvc-sports.com/news/2024/4/11/swimming-and-diving-mvc-to-sponsor-mens-swimming-diving-in-2024-25.aspx|title=MVC To Sponsor Men's Swimming & Diving in 2024-25|publisher=Missouri Valley Conference|date=April 11, 2024|access-date=April 19, 2024}} Missouri State will become a full member of CUSA on July 1, 2025.{{cite press release |url=https://conferenceusa.com/news/2024/5/9/general-cusa-adds-missouri-state.aspx |title=CUSA Adds Missouri State |publisher=Conference USA |date=May 10, 2024 |access-date=May 10, 2024}} With CUSA sponsoring soccer only for women, the men's soccer team will join the American Athletic Conference.{{cite press release |url=https://theamerican.org/news/2024/10/25/american-athletic-conference-adds-missouri-state-university-as-affiliate-member-in-mens-soccer.aspx |title=American Athletic Conference Adds Missouri State University as Affiliate Member in Men's Soccer |publisher=American Athletic Conference |date=October 25, 2024 |access-date=January 6, 2025}}

Missouri State athletics are frequently abbreviated as "MOST" when televised.

Sports sponsored

class="wikitable"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Missouri State Bears|Men's sports|Women's sports}}
BaseballAcrobatics & tumbling
BasketballBasketball
FootballBeach volleyball
GolfCross country
SoccerGolf
Swimming & divingSoccer
|Softball
Stunt
Swimming & diving
Tennis
Track & field†
Volleyball
colspan="2" style="{{NCAA secondary color cell|Missouri State Bears}}" | {{small|† – 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.{{cite press release |url=https://missouristatebears.com/news/2023/12/11/general-missouri-state-will-add-two-womens-varsity-sports.aspx |title=Missouri State Will Add Two Women's Varsity Sports |publisher=Missouri State Athletics |date=December 11, 2023 |access-date=June 6, 2024}}

National championships

=Team=

class="wikitable"; style= "text-align: "

! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears |border=1|color= white }}"| Assoc.

! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears |border=1|color= white }}"| Div.

! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears |border=1|color= white }}"| Tournament

! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears |border=1|color= white }}"| Sport / team

! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears |border=1|color= white }}"| Year

! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears |border=1|color= white }}"| Runner-up

! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears |border=1|color= white }}"| Score

NAIA

| n/a

| NAIA Basketball championship

Men's basketball

| 1952

| Murray State

| 73–64

---
NAIA

| n/a

| NAIA Basketball championship

Men's basketball

| 1953

| Hamline

| 79–71

---
NCAA

| Division II

| NCAA Golf championship{{cite web |title=NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship Results |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/golf_champs_records/2015/DIIMChamps.pdf |publisher=NCAA |access-date=January 14, 2016}}

Men's golf

| 1963

| Aquinas

| 1,188–1,199

---
AIAW

| n/a

| AIAW Softball championship {{refn|Women's College World Series|group=n|name=wcws}}

Softball

| 1974

| Northern Colorado

| 14–7

---
AIAW

| Division II

| AIAW Field hockey championship

Field hockey

| 1979

| Colgate

| 2–0

;Notes

{{reflist|group=n}}

Women's basketball NCAA tournament results

{{see also|Missouri State Lady Bears basketball}}

=NCAA Tournament appearances=

class="wikitable"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Missouri State Lady Bears|Year|Seed|Round|Opponent|Result}}

align="center"

|1991

#8First Round
Second Round		#9 Tennessee Tech
#1 Tennessee		W 94–64
L 47–55
align="center"

|1992

#8First 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
align="center"

|1993

#7First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#10 Oklahoma State
#2 Maryland
#6 Louisiana Tech		W 86–71
W 86–82
L 43–59
align="center"

|1994

#6First Round
Second Round		#11 Northern Illinois
#3 Virginia		W 75–56
L 63–67
align="center"

|1995

#9First Round
Second Round		#8 Utah
#1 Colorado		W 49–47
L 34–78
align="center"

|1996

#12First Round#5 TexasL 55–73
align="center"

|1998

#8First Round#9 Notre DameL 64–78
align="center"

|1999

#7First Round
Second Round		#10 UC Santa Barbara
#2 Colorado State		W 72–70
L 70–86
align="center"

|2000

#10First Round#7 AuburnL 74–78
align="center"

|2001

#5First 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
align="center"

|2003

#15First Round#2 Texas TechL 59–67
align="center"

|2004

#12First Round#5 Notre DameL 65–69 (OT)
align="center"

|2006

#13First Round#4 PurdueL 52–73
align="center"

|2016

#13First Round#4 Texas A&ML 65–74
align="center"

|2019

#11First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#6 DePaul
#3 Iowa State
#2 Stanford		W 89–77
W 69–60
L 46–55
align="center"

|2021

#5First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#12 UC Davis
#13 Wright State
#1 Stanford		W 70–51
W 64–39
L 62–89
align="center"

|2022

#11First Four
First Round		#11 Florida State
#6 Ohio State		W 61-50
L 63-56

=WBIT appearances=

2024, 2025

=WNIT appearances=

2002, 2005 (Champions), 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2023

=AIAW tournament appearances=

Missouri 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=

File:Missouri Valley Conference in Missouri State Bears colors.svg

Gateway 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=

  • 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
  • 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
  • Beth Cunningham (3 seasons, 68-30) 2022–present
  • 2 WBIT appearances
  • 1 WNIT appearance

=Retired numbers=

  • 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

{{multiple image

|total_width = 400

|perrow = 2

|image1 = JQHArenaExterior.08.2010.jpg

|caption1 = GSB Arena (exterior)

|image2 = JQH Arena Whiteout.jpg

|caption2 = GSB Arena (interior)

|image3 = Football Stadium.jpg

|caption3 = Plaster Sports Complex

|image4 = Hammons field springfield.jpg

|caption4 = Hammons Field

}}

class="wikitable"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Missouri State Bears|Facility|Opened|Sport|Capacity}}
Robert W. Plaster Stadium1941Football17,500
Great Southern Bank Arena2008Basketball11,000
Hammons Student Center1976Volleyball
Swimming		8,846 {{refn|For swimming, capacity decreases to 300.|group=n|name=swimlow}}
Hammons Field2004Baseball7,986
Killian Sports Complex2009Softball1,200
Betty and Bobby Allison Stadium2014Soccer
Track & field
Field hockey
Lacrosse		1,500 {{refn|For field hockey and lacrosse, the capacity is 250.|group=n|name=lower}}
Betty and Bobby Allison Courts2014Beach volleyball150
Cooper Tennis Complex1994Tennis2,500
Twin Oaks Country Club
+ 4 Other local courses		n/aGolfN/A

;Notes

{{reflist|group=n}}

Club sports

The university also sponsors several club sports teams, including ice hockey (ACHA), lacrosse (MCLA), and roller hockey (NCRHA).

=Men's ice hockey=

{{main|Missouri State Ice Bears}}

File:MSUIcebearscele.jpg in 2010]]

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).[http://media.www.the-standard.org/media/storage/paper1059/news/2008/11/20/Sports/Silent.Leader.Paves.The.Way-3554426.shtml]{{dead link|date=May 2012}} The teams play off-campus at the 2,000-seat Mediacom Ice Park.{{cite web|url=http://www.cfpmidweek.com/weeks/IssuePDFs/vo5i19web.pdf |access-date=June 10, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724171155/http://www.cfpmidweek.com/weeks/IssuePDFs/vo5i19web.pdf |archive-date=July 24, 2008 }}{{cite web |url=http://springfieldmo.org/ttd_listing_page.asp?ID=723&Company=Mediacom%20Ice%20Park |title=Experience Fall in the Ozarks - Springfield Missouri Travel & Tourism - Ozarks/Midwest Vacations |website=springfieldmo.org |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613114526/http://springfieldmo.org/ttd_listing_page.asp?ID=723&Company=Mediacom%20Ice%20Park |archive-date=13 June 2010 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://alumni.missouristate.edu/46496.htm |access-date=June 10, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601181255/http://alumni.missouristate.edu/46496.htm |archive-date=June 1, 2010 |title=Alumni News - Missouri State University Alumni Association - Missouri State University }}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.machahockey.com/index.htm |title=Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association Home Page |publisher=Machahockey.com |date=2012-03-08 |access-date=2012-05-30}} The team won the MACHA DIII championship with a 5–3 win over Robert Morris University- Peoria.[http://www.springfieldmo.org/sportscommission/1208_SC.pdf]{{dead link|date=May 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cfpmidweek.com/weeks/IssuePDFs/vo5i21web.pdf |access-date=June 10, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724170815/http://www.cfpmidweek.com/weeks/IssuePDFs/vo5i21web.pdf |archive-date=July 24, 2008 }}[http://www.the-standard.org/home/index.cfm?q=ice+hockey&event=displaySearchResults&buttonPushed=1&client=testing-testing&forid=1&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&cof=GALT%3A%23008000%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23666666%3BVLC%3A663399%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BALC%3A0000FF%3BLC%3A0000FF%3BT%3A000000%3BGFNT%3A0000FF%3BGIMP%3A0000FF%3BLH%3A37%3BLW%3A310%3BFORID%3A1%3B&hl=en]{{dead link|date=May 2015}}

=Men's lacrosse=

Missouri 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.

class="wikitable"; style= "text-align: "

! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears|border=1|color= white }}"| Head coach

! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears|border=1|color= white }}"| Year

! width= px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears|border=1|color= white }}"| Record

Daren Turner2002–200824–21
Austin Holman2009–201023–9
Pat Callaham2011–201212-13
Dustin Rich

|2013–2018

|32-30

Donnie Curran

|2019–present

|0-0

References

{{reflist|30em}}

External links

{{commons cat}}

  • {{Official website}}

{{Missouri State University}}

{{Navboxes

|titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri State Bears|color=white}}

|list =

{{Missouri Valley Conference navbox}}

{{Missouri Valley Football Conference navbox}}

{{Conference USA navbox}}

{{Missouri Sports}}

}}