Northwest Missouri State’s top wide receiver, top 1,500-meter runner and two of its Elite men’s basketball players join two championship teams in comprising the 2011 “M” Club Hall of Fame Class.

Jamaica Rector ’04 (football), Jim Ryan ’84 (cross country/track and field), Scott Fleming ’03 (basketball) and Kelvin Parker ’07 (basketball) along with the 1975 softball team and the 1997 women’s tennis team have been selected for enshrinement during a ceremony to be held Oct. 21.

A limited number of tickets remain for the “M” Club Hall of Fame ceremony. Tickets are $20 per person and reservations can be made through Oct. 14 by calling Michele Steinmeyer in the athletic department at 660.562.1977. Dinner will start at 6:30 p.m. and the program will begin at 7:15 p.m.

With the 2011 class, the “M” Club Hall of Fame includes 104 individuals and 40 teams. The first year of individual inductions was 1980 and teams were inducted beginning in 1989.

A brief description of each inductee follows:

Jamaica Rector – Rector was a two-time national player of the year finalist and four-year All-American wide receiver for the Bearcats from 2001-04. He ranks fourth in Division II history in both catches (289) and receiving yards (4,497) and ranks 25th all-time with 38 touchdown receptions.

Since graduating from Northwest, Rector has played professional football for the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals of the NFL and Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL.

Jim Ryan – Ryan’s career-best finishes in both the 1,500-meter run (3:46.77) and 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:42.84) have stood as Northwest records for 28 years and counting. Ryan is a three-time All-American and six-time MIAA champion who competed for the Bearcats from 1980-84. On the cross country course, he continues to boast the second-best 10-kilometer time (31:03) and seventh-best 8-kilometer mark (24:42) in program history.

Scott Fleming – Northwest men’s basketball’s all-time leader in steals (305) and made free throws (628), Fleming led the Bearcats to a 98-26 record from 2000-03. He was his team’s leading scorer in three consecutive seasons including 2002 when he led the Bearcats to their first-ever Elite Eight appearance and a 29-3 finish. Fleming is a three-time All-MIAA honoree. His 1,727 points and 435 assists rank third and fourth in program history, respectively.

Kelvin Parker – Parker guided Northwest men’s basketball to the Elite Eight in both 2002 and 2004. He was named the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player, its Defensive Player of the Year and was one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award in 2004 when he averaged 18 points and five assists per game.

Parker has played in more games than any player in MIAA history (128). He is Northwest’s all-time leader in assists (492), ranks second in steals (209) and is the program’s best free-throw shooter at 84 percent. Parker’s 1,692 career points make him the fourth-leading scorer in Bearcat history.

1975 Softball Team – In the infancy of Northwest softball, this team boasted a 22-7 record, beat Missouri to win the MAIAW state tournament and advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. First-year head coach Debbie Jones turned in a lineup card that produced nearly nine runs per game and featured the “W” pitching staff of (Arlene) Weldon, (Cindy) Williams and (Sheryl) Wurster.

1997 Women’s Tennis Team – A 24-match win streak, five MIAA individual champions and the program’s first national quarterfinal appearance highlight this Mark Rosewell-coached squad. The Bearcats finished 28-2, beat three Division I programs and captured the program’s sixth MIAA title. The squad was led by Iva Kutlova and 2006 Hall of Fame inductee Yasmine Osborne who combined for a 51-5 singles record and partnered to go 28-4 at the top doubles position.

This marks the third Rosewell-coached tennis team to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame joining both the 1987 men’s and women’s tennis squads.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

The 15 mph south breeze put Northwest Missouri State women’s soccer team at a slight disadvantage against Emporia State.

Northwest started Tuesday’s afternoon game at the Bearcat Pitch going into the wind.

The Bearcats made the wind a moot point as they scored two first-half goals that carried them to a 2-1 victory that counts in the MIAA standings. Northwest improved to 5-2-2 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA.

“It’s a great start for us,” said Northwest senior defender Jacque Dedovesh said. “It’s a great start to the week.”

The star of the first 45 minutes was sophomore Tori Von Mende. She scored two goals, and her second one came from 15 yards out when she whistled her kick past Nikki Schmitz with 12 minutes left.

Both of her goals came in a span of 3 minutes. The Bearcats’ relentless attack took some of the starch out of Emporia State defense.

“We work well together,” Von Mende said. “We were just in the flow of things. We had good passing and good talking.”

Just as impressive was the way Northwest defense responded to the desperation by Emporia State.

The Hornets were trying to take advantage of playing with a stiff south wind at their backs. It worked for them early in the game when they put the pressure on Northwest’s back three and sophomore goal keeper Kelsey Adams.

With 1:40 left in the first half, Adams faced a blistering shot from way out. The ball was headed for the upper half of the goal. Adams timed her jump perfectly and tipped the ball over the goal, preserving the first-half shutout.

“I expected it,” Dedovesh said of Adams’ save. “I saw the ball and said ‘Kelsey jump.’ And she jumped and made the save.”

Northwest, though, needed a few minutes at the start of the game to adjust to the wind. Much of the action was near Adams.

Slowly, the Bearcats took control, and 15 minutes into the contest, they nearly scored on a shot by sophomore midfielder Anna Calgaard.

Northwest kept the pressure on and finally Emporia State buckled with 15:22 left in the first half. Assists from junior midfielder Amanda Bundrant and senior forward Tammie Eiberger led to the first goal byVon Mende.

The Bearcats weren’t satisfied with just that one goal. They kept attacking and scored again.

Von Mende nearly had a hat trick in a 5-minute span, but her third attempt at scoring was stopped by the Hornets defense.

“The heat was a big factor,” Von Mende said. “I could tell they were getting tired. We took advantage of that.”

With a 2-goal lead, Northwest only needed to play smart in the second half to secure the victory. The Bearcats had a couple of opportunities to score that just missed. More importantly, they prevented Emporia State from getting good scoring chances.

The Hornets finally broke through with a goal by Morgan Wheeler with 5 minutes left, and that built a bit of drama.

Emporia State pushed forward with 4 minutes left. Northwest defense was organized enough to prevent a shot.

The Hornets kept attacking. Northwest was up for the challenge.

“We just had to keep our head in situations like that,” Dedovesh said. “It makes us work. We are going to get scored on.

“The rest of the game was awesome. Kelsey played great. She’s the best goalie in conference.”

Northwest has won two straight and is looking to keep its momentum going for Thursday’s game against Truman at the Bearcat Pitch at 4 p.m.

The Bearcats finish the week with a 6 p.m. game at Washburn on Saturday.

“I think everybody will be ready for these games,” Von Mende said. “They are big games. They count for conference. We are not really used to it. But I’m excited to get all three games in and see how it goes.”

— David Boyce, NWMSU Sports Information —

Due to high demand for tickets for No. 7 Northwest Missouri State’s upcoming game with No. 19 Central Missouri in addition to Homecoming activities for the home team fans are asked to read for information about tickets and tailgating on the UCM campus.

Fans wanting to buy tickets before Saturday’s game may do so by calling the UCM Ticket Office at 660.543.4063 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. All remaining tickets are general admission starting at $10 for adults and $3 for ages 6-18 and Northwest Students with a valid ID.

The main Ticket Office on the southwest side of Walton Stadium will be open on Saturday as well as a ticket window on the east side of the stadium facing the visiting tailgating lots. Gates to Walton Stadium will open at 11:30 a.m.

All fans wishing to tailgate may do so in lots S26 and FS1. In addition to the two visiting lots UCM will also open lots FS 27 and FS 3 which are located just to the east of lost S 26 and FS 1 on South Street (they are not shown on the attached map). This is due to the normal visiting parking lots being used during the homecoming parade at 9 am. Visiting fans will be able to get directly into lot FS 3 from Hwy 13 if they arrive earlier in the morning while the parade is still going on. Lots S 26 and FS 1 should be cleared out after the parade and will re-open at 11:30.

— NWMSU Sports Information —