All-Americans Jacob Morris (track and field) and Ellie Weltha (women’s basketball/track and field) were named the Outstanding Senior Student-Athletes at the “Dogspy” Awards.

Morris owns three school records, the indoor weight throw, and outdoor discus and hammer throws. He is a four-time NCAA All-American, five-time conference event champion and a 10-time conference athlete of the week during his four years at Truman. A GLVC champion in the shot put this past February and repeated for the third time as GLVC discus champion in May. Morris has been a top three performer 12 times in either the indoor or outdoor conference meets. In 2023, he won the prestigious discus throw at the Drake Relays.

In May 2024, in his last event as a collegiate athlete, he won the national championship in the men’s discus throw at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships.

Weltha was one of the most versatile athletes in recent years at Truman. She lettered in three different sports: softball, women’s basketball and outdoor track and field. She is only the fifth Bulldog basketball player to earn all-league honors for four seasons, and is only the second player to garner first-team accolades for three-straight seasons.

Having played the most games of any women’s basketball player, Weltha finished her hoops career fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,686 points and second in all-time rebounds with 1,100.

Weltha stepped into the throws during the 2023 outdoor track and field season and found immediate success. She was the GLVC champion in the discus throw and finished second in the shot put. After qualifying for the 2023 NCAA Division II championship meet, she was an honorable mention All-American in the shot put with a ninth-place finish.

Both the Truman men’s and women’s basketball teams had players earn the league’s Freshman of the Year award. Molly Joyce, women’s basketball, and Kobi Williams, men’s basketball, were voted by league coaches as the top newcomers of the past season.

Joyce led all GLVC freshmen in points per game at 11.9 and in field goals made at 93. She finished second in steals (25) and rebounds per game (3.8). After being inserted into the starting lineup Jan. 18 she scored in double figures in nine games, with four games of 20 or more points during the final 14 games of the season. Her single-game high was 24 points, scored twice against Southwest Baptist.

Williams was an impact player from the start of the season for Jeff Horner and the Bulldogs. He started all 29 games and was second on the team in scoring at 12.1 points per game. He also finished second in rebounds, first in steals and tied for first in blocked shots. Williams led all freshmen in the GLVC with a 12.3 points per game mark in conference games. He scored a season-high 29 points against Quincy, Jan. 11.

After 14 seasons at the helm of Truman football, and more than 40 years of coaching, mentoring and leading countless players, Gregg Nesbitt stepped down in February.

Nesbitt began his collegiate football journey at Stokes Stadium, as he was the leading rusher for the team in 1979. After rebuilding his hometown Hannibal Pirates from 1984-89, he returned to Kirksville and joined Eric Holm’s staff, helping lead the Bulldogs to two NCAA Division II playoff appearances and a 23-9 overall record.

Upon returning to the high school ranks, Nesbitt guided Columbia’s Hickman High School for 13 seasons cumulating in the 2004 Class Six state championship.

In 2010 Nesbitt was named the 22nd head coach at Truman and helped navigate the Bulldogs’ transition from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association to the Great Lakes Valley Conference. In 2016, the Bulldogs claimed a share of the GLVC football championship, the first league title for the school since 1988 and 27th overall. The team won a school-record 10 games in the 2019 season and were the inaugural America’s Crossroads Bowl champions. In 2021, Cody Schrader led all three NCAA divisions in rushing yards and earned first-team All-America honors as the Bulldogs won nine games. The team has since posted consecutive 9-2 seasons and was consistently ranked in the top 25 by the American Football Coaches Association.

Longtime defensive coordinator and assistant coach Kellen Nesbitt was named interim head coach for the 2024 season. Under his guidance the Truman defense has been one of the top units in all of NCAA Division II. They have been first or second in the GLVC in both rushing yards and points allowed in nine of the 11 seasons and ranked in the top 25 of Division II schools in rushing yards allowed in eight of the past nine campaigns.

Kellen has coached 82 Bulldog players to all-conference defensive honors since 2010, including 34 first-team selections and four players – Austin Zoda, Isaiah Estes, Sam Reeves and Tremaine Millender – that were four-time all-conference honorees. He coordinated the special teams for the Bulldogs, which have been known for exceptional play in all three phases of the kicking game. Lawrence Woods was named an All-American and a GLVC Special Teams Player of the Year following the 2018 season.

Prior to joining his father’s staff at Truman in 2010, Kellen coached three seasons at his alma mater, the University of Central Missouri, as defensive backs coach. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Mules with more than 120 career tackles. He was the Special Teams Player of the Year in 2004 and earned the school’s Markey Football Scholarship in 2006.

This spring marked the 25th anniversary of the men’s basketball team’s historic run to the NCAA Division II national semifinals, and the players of that team came back to Pershing Arena for a celebration, Feb. 3.

After suffering their worst loss of the season of 24 points and trailing by 20 two nights later to Washburn (Kan.) at halftime, the Bulldogs found lightning in a bottle following a three-pointer by Mike Peterson to win 67-65. That victory sparked a 15-game winning streak running all the way to the Final Four in Louisville, Kentucky. Along the way, the Bulldogs produced memorable games that were featured in a highlight video showed online and on the Pershing Arena video board. 

The team was inducted into the Truman Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.

BASEBALL

Freshman Dakota Joggerst led the Bulldogs in hitting this season with a .356 batting average, while fellow freshman Colin Mueth set a freshman record for stolen bases in a season with 22.

SOFTBALL

Sophomore Cassie Smith earned first-team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference honors, while fellow sophomore Emily Wood was a second-team choice for the all-league team and was voted an all-region player by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. The duo led the team in hitting and combined for 53 of the team’s 94 stolen bases.

MEN’S SOCCER

Seniors Luke Payne and Jack Knust along with freshman Corbin Clay all tied for the team lead with four goals as the men’s soccer team returned to the GLVC postseason tournament for the second-straight season. The Bulldogs led top-seed Indianapolis
for 77 minutes before two late goals by the Greyhounds ended their season in a 2-1 loss.

Women’s Soccer

Junior Emma Thompson led the Bulldogs with three goals and three assists in 17 games played during the season. Fellow junior Tatumn Damron played all 17 games in goal and posted seven shutouts with 101 saves made.

Volleyball

Senior Allison Beaton was the squad’s top offensive player with 323 points scored and 253 kills for the Bulldog volleyball team. Sophomore Jessica Proszenyak was the top server on the team with 45 aces during the season.

Men’s Cross Country

Freshman Aiden Wahrenbrock was the top runner for the men at the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship. Wahrenbrock finished 39th overall and was the sixth-fastest freshman in the race.

Women’s Cross Country

Seniors Lexy Henrikson and Addie Mathis earned all-conference honors as the Truman women placed fourth as a team at the GLVC championships in November. Henrikson was 16th in the race with Mathis right on her heels in 17th position.

Football

A total of 15 Bulldogs, including six on the first team, represented the squad on the All-GLVC football team this year. First-team picks were offensive linemen Dane Eggert and Justin Watson, along with linebackers Isaiah Estes and Ulysses Ross and cornerbacks Ben Thomas and Ryan Olivas. Watson was also named an Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators.

Men’s Swimming

Senior AJ Kohler was the top finisher for the Bulldogs in both the 200 free and 200 butterfly events at the GLVC championships. Kohler swam NCAA-qualifying times in three events during the season, the 100 and 200 butterfly swims and the 200 free.

Women’s Swimming

Junior Emily Traube was the GLVC champion in the 100 free. It was the first conference championship for a Bulldog swimmer in an individual event since 2018. Fellow junior Meg Heveroh joined Traube at the Division II national championships and each earned All-America honors. Traube was an All-American in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle swims, while Heveroh was an All-American in the 1,000 and 1,650 freestyles.

Men’s Basketball

Sophomore Xavier Hall and senior Trey Shearer were both named second-team all-conference, and head coach Jeff Horner was selected as the GLVC Coach of the Year after the Bulldogs were picked last, but finished fourth in the conference race this past year. Hall was second in the conference in assists at 4.8 per game, and Shearer led the team in scoring at 13 points per night. It was the second Coach of the Year Award for Horner.

Women’s Basketball

Senior Ellie Weltha and freshman Molly Joyce earned all-conference honors for the Bulldogs. Weltha was a first-team choice after leading the Bulldogs in scoring at 17.7 points per game. Joyce was selected the GLVC Freshman of the Year and to the all-freshman team after scoring 10.9 points per game and leading the team in steals with 39.

Men’s Track & Field

In addition to the success of Jacob Morris, sophomore Tyler Davis earned a bronze medal at the GLVC indoor championships in the shot put. Sophomore Hayden Long set a new personal record in the heptathlon and finished eighth, and senior Kelly Hoskins set a personal best in the long jump.

Women’s Track & Field

The women’s distance medley relay team of Lexy Henrikson, Kendall Dascher, Raina Baker and Addie Mathis broke the school record and won the silver medal at the GLVC indoor championships. Mathis brought home a second medal with a bronze in the mile run.

Women’s Golf

Sophomore Reese Stovall posted the lowest 18-hole score for the Bulldogs this season with a 74 on day two of the KC Cup in Liberty, Missouri. She finished fourth at the State Fair Roadrunner Invitational. For the season, Stovall has a scoring average of 82.2.

Women’s Tennis

Sophomore Sydney Dial led the team in singles wins with 13 this season and is 27-12 in her two seasons on the courts. Dial was 10-6 in the number three spot and 3-1 at the number two singles slot.