Former Drury University women’s basketball head coach Nyla Milleson, former All-American swimmer Kelsey Ward, a former men’s cross country and track and field standout Jamie Villa Zapatero and three long-time supporters of Panthers sports, Sharon Barber, Jeanine Scott Campbell and Rosemary McMasters will be inducted into the Drury Athletics Hall of Fame in November. The 22nd annual Drury University Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place in the Findlay Student Center on Saturday, November 26.
Nyla Milleson
Nyla Milleson was the first coach for the Drury Lady Panthers basketball team. She was the head coach for a program that enjoyed tremendous success beginning in its first season, and the architect for a program whose success continues today at the conference, regional and national level. In her seven years at Drury, Milleson’s teams had a cumulative record of 185-36, good for an incredible .837 winning percentage. Five of her seven Lady Panthers teams qualified for the NCAA-II national championship tournament. Her 2003 and 2006 teams made the NCAA-II Sweet 16 while her 2007 team made the NCAA-II Elite Eight. Her seven-year stint as the Lady Panthers head coach was punctuated by her 2004 squad advancing to the NCAA-II National Championship game. She was named Heartland Conference Coach-of-the-Year four times and in her two years in the Great Lakes Valley Conference she was 19-0 in 2005-06 and 14-5 2006-07 in conference games. Milleson was the head women’s basketball coach at Missouri State University for six years (2007-2013) and is now in her fourth season as the head coach of the George Mason University women’s basketball team.
Kelsey Ward
Kelsey Ward graduated from Drury with a Bachelor of Arts on May 14, 2011 and was an integral part of Drury’s NCAA-II National Swimming & Diving Championships in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Kelsey earned NCAA-II All-American honors 19 times and won nine national titles. Her senior year, Kelsey was a three-time individual All-American (50, 100 and 200 freestyle), a member of three relay teams that finished second and a member of the 400 Free Relay Team that set a NCAA-II National record. A Biology and Chemistry major, Kelsey earned a minor in Global Studies minor and completed her academic studies with a 3.9769 grade point average. It was for this combination of success in the pool and in the classroom that the NCAA selected her as the 2012 recipient of the Walt Byers Scholarship. This award/grant is given to the top female and male student-athlete in the nation. NCAA student-athletes from all three divisions (I, II and II) are considered. Kelsey received her MD degree last year from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and is currently in her second year of OB-GYN residency training at the University of Colorado Hospital.
Jaime Villa Zapatero
Jaime Villa Zapatero is the most honored cross country and track athlete since Drury resurrected the two programs in 2002 and 2008, respectively. Jaime graduated on May 14, 2011 with a Bachelor of Business Administration with majors in Management, Marketing and Finance. The recipient of the 2011 Great Lakes Valley Conference’s Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award, presented annually to the top male (and female) student-athlete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, Jaime graduated with a 3.708 grade point. A four-time First Team All-GLVC selection in cross country, Jaime was the conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2007. He was the GLVC Runner-of-the-Year in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He twice earned NCAA-II Cross Country All-American honors (2008 and 2010). His junior and senior year he was awarded All-GLVC First Team honors after winning the 3,000-meter run at the GLVC Indoor Track & Field Championships. In 2010 he was also a member of the Drury distance medley relay team that won the GLVC title. That same year he won the 5,000-meter run at the GLVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Jaime now lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area and is in business development for MAPFRE Insurance.
Sharon Barber, Jeanine Scott Campbell, Rosemary McMasters
For only the second time in the 22 history of the Drury Athletics Hall of Fame, a group of individuals will be inducted as one. In 2008 the ten original members of the Men’s Basketball Booster Club were inducted as a group. This year a trio of ladies who have been associated with and have supported the Drury Athletics program since the late 1960’s will be recognized for their loyal support. Being inducted for their “Lifetime Achievement” in support of Drury athletics are Sharon Barber, Jeanine Scott Campbell and Rosemary McMasters. In total, nearly 150 years of emotional, financial and loyal service in every way has been provided by this trio. The efforts of these ladies has endeared them to countless student-athletes and coaches. They have been instrumental in helping athletic causes for decades as they have been supportive of the growth of Drury Athletics in a consistent and special way. When they became part of the Drury athletics community, the college sponsored only six intercollegiate sports. Drury now sponsors 19 intercollegiate sports and five non-NCAA sports in addition to the Cheer and Dance team, and this group of three has been at its side every step of the way.
22nd Annual Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Findlay Student Center
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Doors Open: 12 Noon/Luncheon & Induction Ceremony To Follow
Cost: $25 per person
For More Information or To Make Reservations
Contact Dan Cashel at (417) 873-7222 or via email: dcashel@drury.edu
Or
Ed Beach, Assistant Athletic Director – Media Relations / Marketing
417.873.4097
417.496.6923 (cell)
