Author Archives: kbest

Truman Hosts First GLVC Track & Field Championships

On May 2-4, Stokes Stadium/Kenneth Gardner Track served as hosts for the 2019 Great Lakes Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Twelve teams and more than 450 student-athletes competed for conference gold in the first conference meet on campus since 2003.

The Bulldogs produced two GLVC champions during the meet, with senior Elle Renault repeating as javelin champion and the men’s 4×400 meter relay team winning their first conference relay championship since 1979. Members of the relay team were Eddie Barrett, Mitch Henderson, Kyle Kubernat and Elijah Farrales.

Both the men’s and women’s teams finished in the top tier of the conference, with the women scoring 70.5 points and finishing fifth and the men 78.5 points and placing fourth. The University of Indianapolis won the men’s team title with 222 points while Lewis University won their fourth-straight GLVC team title in one of the closest finishes ever over UINDY 180-179.5.

In total, 13 Stokes Stadium records were broken during the three-day championships.

To assist with running the meet, Truman student-athletes from all other sports volunteered during the championships, and several volunteers from both the Kirksville and Truman communities helped make it one of the most successful conference championship events in recent history.

Top Dogs

Baseball

Senior Mason King capped off his Truman baseball career by capturing a school record and ranking in the top 10 in other offensive categories. King was walked a record 105 times in 174 career games and ranked third in stolen bases with 47 and ninth in career at bats with 599. Freshman Holden Missey was the team’s top hitter at .326, and junior Adam Stolley had the best offensive production with six home runs and 23 RBIs.

 

Women’s Basketball

Junior Sloane Totta was one of four Bulldogs named to the all-conference team and the only first-team honoree. Totta led the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game, steals with 33 and was second in assists with 88. She was one of three to start and play in all 31 games.

 

Men’s Basketball

In year No. 1 under new head coach Jeff Horner, Truman was led by junior shooting guard Brodric Thomas. He was named first-team All-GLVC (unanimous) and a member of the all-defensive team, both of which he accomplished as a sophomore as well. The Bolingbrook, Ill., native led the Bulldogs in points per game (18.0), rebounds per game (6.5), steals per game (1.3) and blocks per game (1.2). With just one season left to play, the versatile Thomas needs just 166 points to become a member of the 1,000-point club.

 

Women’s Golf

For her senior season as a member of the women’s golf program, Brooke Kelley was the team’s most productive player. Kelley led the team in scoring average by over a stroke at 84.9 while tying for the team lead in rounds played with 18. This season, the New Bloomfield, Mo., native represented the team’s lowest score in an event for six of its nine tournaments.

 

Softball

With the end of the 2019 season came an end to arguably the most decorated career in the history of Truman softball. Senior outfielder Christa Reisinger leaves the program as its all-time leader in stolen bases, runs scored, batting average, hits, total bases and triples. Not only that, but the southpaw speedster is also second in home runs, second in at-bats, fifth in RBI and seventh in doubles. The two-time All-American – academically and athletically, soon to be three times – is the only player in GLVC history to win its Player of the Year honor three times. This season, she also became the league’s first-ever player to win Player of the Week four times in a single campaign.


Swimming

This season, Truman swimming was able to send two individuals to the NCAA swimming and diving championships in Indianapolis, Ind. On the men’s side, the Bulldogs were represented by senior Sam Heveroh. He competed in four different events including the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free and 100 breast. He leaves Truman with three school records to his name. On the women’s side, sophomore Natalie Galluzzo went for the second-straight year and, just like last season, became an All-American in the 100 breast.

 

Track & Field

Truman track and field had several notable performances this spring. Sophomore Bobby Campbell broke the school record in the weight throw. He Went 55-7 at the Northwest Bearcat Open, Feb. 9, then threw 55-9.25 the following week at the Mizzou Collegiate Challenge. At the GLVC indoor championships, senior Elijah Farrales was the 400-meter champion and junior Brandon Hackamack won the triple jump. Junior Hannah Sells set personal bests and got an NCAA provisional in the pole vault, senior Elle Renault was the champion for the second-straight year at the GLVC outdoor championships with sophomore Ally Ebert second. Senior Hannah Oberdiek was the silver medalist in the long jump at both the indoor and outdoor championships.

 

Tennis

Senior Maura Dunn led the team in singles wins during the 2018-19 season and posted a pair of wins out of five matches in conference play. Nick Thiele and Griffin Turnage played in the most singles matches with 13. Turnage and Dunn were voted the Tennis Athletes of the Year for the annual Dogspy awards, while Thiele and Finessa Rassel were the two representatives on the GLVC Sportsmanship award.

 

Wrestling

Zach Williard posted a 20-17 record as a collegiate freshman for the Bulldogs. Williard had nine wins via pinfall and five major decisions. He was named the GLVC Wrestler of the Week following a championship performance at the Central Baptist (Ark.) Invite, Jan. 13. Sam Reeves earned All-GLVC honors and was an overtime loss away from returning to the NCAA Division II national tournament. Reeves was 17-10 with two wins via pinfall.

Couple Shows Gratitude with Gifts

Alumni Terry and Faye (Attaway) Whitworth both credit the education they received at Truman for preparing them to have successful careers, and they have returned the favor with a sizeable donation to establish two new scholarships.

Through a gift earlier this year, the Whitworths have set up two scholarships for undergraduate students. One will go to a student majoring biology, the other to a pre-MAE student in social and cultural studies.

In addition to putting the Whitworths on the path to successful careers, Truman also brought them together as a couple. Terry, a northeast Missouri native, came to the University from Martinstown. Faye picked Truman because it was centrally located and she was unsure where her family would be stationed with her father in the Air Force.

The couple married during their sophomore year. After graduating in 1968, they both pursued graduate degrees from Utah State University. Faye has a Master of Science degree in history and Master of Science in Education degree with an emphasis in special education, while Terry has a Master of Science degree and Ph.D. in entomology.

Currently, the Whitworths live in Tacoma, Wash., where Terry is an adjunct professor at Washington State University and the owner of Whitworth Pest Solutions. Faye retired from teaching after 37 years. 

The Whitworths established their scholarships with a cash donation of $40,000, and they intend to continue adding support to the funds each year. Like many who turn 70 1/2, they are required to take minimum withdrawals from their IRAs each year. The Whitworths have chosen to make Qualified Charitable Distributions – a required minimum distribution that is paid directly to a charity – to fund the scholarships. They also have left a gift to Truman through their estate plan. Because they know the difficulties that face a young couple while working toward a degree, the Whitworths have asked that their scholarships give preference to married students.

Recurring Gifts Lead to Exponential Support

Regular, smaller gifts have a way of making a significant difference.

This has certainly been the case for Phil and Jenn (Bender) Christofferson. The opportunity to make recurring donations has opened the door to make the impact they desire through the ease of automation. For the past 20 years, the Christoffersons have been making gifts to the Kyle Cope Memorial Scholarship, and for the past decade, those contributions have come through scheduled quarterly gifts.

The scholarship was established in 1999 by Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brothers and friends of Kyle Cope. He was an active member and leader of Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity and also served a two-year term as the student representative to the Truman Board of Governors. Kyle passed away in an automobile accident in November 1997.

As a fraternity brother, and as friends of Kyle, Phil (’95) and his wife Jenn (’94, ’95) have been passionate about supporting this scholarship over the years. What they found, like many other alumni and friends, is that making their gifts through a recurring schedule provided ease and flexibility.

“We were looking for a way to make sure our gifts to Truman were consistent, and didn’t require us to remember to send a check every few months,” Phil said. 

The impact of the regularly scheduled gifts has added up over time. The Christoffersons’ support of the scholarship now exceeds $15,000, with most of that total coming through recurring donations.

“It provided us a way to make a more significant contribution to Truman each year,” Jenn said. “By spreading our gift out through quarterly donations, we are able to do more to honor Kyle’s memory and give back to Truman.”

For more information on recurring gifts, go to truman.edu/giving/ways-of-giving.   

SUB Plaza to Get New Look and Fountain

This summer the plaza area directly to the east of the Student Union Building is getting a major renovation. The space is being funded through a seven-figure, naming-level gift along with funds generated through the Sesquicentennial Plaza campaign and the 2019-20 Truman Parent Council fundraising project.

The area will be named the Sandra K. Giachino Reavey Sesquicentennial Plaza, in honor of Reavey, who was a Kirksville native and 1962 graduate of Truman. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business education. In addition to the plaza naming gift, she also established the Sandra K. Giachino Reavey Scholarship to support Kirksville High School graduates who are majoring in business at Truman. Reavey passed away in January 2018.

The plaza will provide a beautiful outdoor gathering space for events, house the commemorative, inscribed bricks and pavers that were donated through the Sesquicentennial Campaign and boast a renovated fountain, which is sure to be a centerpiece on campus.

Perspective of the new fountain by the Student Union Building

Bulldogs Serve Internationally

For the third year in a row, Bulldogs showed their Truman spirit by serving their local communities during TruCare.

The monthlong service initiative saw 1,059 members of the Truman community contribute 10,266 hours of service, including the Big Event, which had 1,146 hours served by Truman students. Projects took place in 36 cities across 19 states and three countries. Alumni chapters and clubs served causes like pet adoption events, Habitat for Humanity and local food pantries.

TruCare was also recognized as a Grand Gold award recipient at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District VI conference for alumni programming.

Learn more about the impact Bulldogs had around the world during the month of March at truman.edu/alumni-donors/events/trucare.

Greetings Bulldogs

Hope HarmsIt’s no secret, Truman shines through its people, and its alumni are no exception. We have a national alumni board as well as chapters and clubs, all powered by alumni volunteers who organize opportunities for fellow Bulldogs to cultivate meaningful relationships that support each other and our alma mater. Take a look at the exciting programs for alumni and friends: the annual alumni and friends travel trip, the opportunity to serve our local communities through TruCare, events all over the country and so much more. By Bulldogs, for Bulldogs — and there’s a place for you! To get started, connect with the Office of Advancement at bulldogforever@truman.edu or (660) 785-4133.

Bulldog Forever,

Hope (Slaby) Harms (’07)

Alumni Board President