ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Six individuals and two trailblazing teams will become the newest members of the Missouri Western Athletics Hall of Fame, as announced by MWSU and the Hall of Fame committee.
The Class of 2024 will take its rightful place in history during Hall of Fame Weekend on November 1-2, with the festivities presented by Rogers Pharmacy.
Hall of Fame Weekend begins Friday night, November 1 at 5:30pm with a private reception for the inductees followed by dinner and the induction ceremony at 7pm.
The weekend continues on Saturday, November 2 with Griffon football hosting the University of Central Oklahoma in the Rogers Pharmacy Hall of Fame Game at 2pm. Inductees will receive their rings during a halftime ceremony.
Macon Allan
Football (2008-12)
Macon Allan was a standout offensive lineman who made 50 consecutive starts for Missouri Western. He was recognized as a two-time All-MIAA First Team offensive lineman and captured honors on multiple All-Region and All-American Teams, including All-American Second Team in 2012. After his time at MWSU, Allan participated in a mini-camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Dr. Natalie Bird
Women's Golf (2009-13)
Natalie Bird etched her name in history books after becoming the first women's golfer to punch her ticket to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament. She collected All-MIAA recognition all four years with the Griffons, including first team status on three occasions. Bird was named the 2009-10 MIAA Freshman of the Year following a runner-up finish at the MIAA Tournament and was also named to the MIAA All-Tournament Team the following year. Her hard work on the course and dedication to the sport led to her being named the MWSU Female Athlete of the Year in 2012-13 and the MWSU Women's Golf Student-Athlete of the Year on multiple occasions.
Brett Esely
Administrator (2000-21)
Known forever as the "Heart of Griffon Athletics", Brett Esely dedicated 21 years of service to the department in various roles. He began his time at MWSU as a student assistant and later served as a graduate assistant for the men's basketball program. Upon graduation, Esely moved into his first administrative position, initially serving as the Compliance and Ticketing Coordinator for four years and eventually becoming the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations. In this role, he oversaw both golf and cheer squad programs, while spearheading the annual Gold Coat Victory Fund, directed the MWSU Charity Golf Classic and Auction and managed operations at the Kansas City Chiefs Summer Training Camp. Committee. A "Service to the University" award recipient, Esely was a bridge builder between MWSU Athletics and the St. Joseph community, bringing multiple NCAA national championships to the city. Additionally, he played an integral role in representing the Griffons nationally on several MIAA and NCAA Committees.
Grant Fink
Baseball (2012-13) *Class of 2022*
Grant Fink immediately impacted the Missouri Western baseball program after transferring in for his final two years of eligibility. The third baseman earned multiple accolades, including First and Second Team All-MIAA, First Team Daktronics All-Region and All-American, Second Team ABCA All-American, NCBWA First Team All-Region and Second Team All-American honors. He was also a finalist for the Tino Martinez Award, recognizing him as one of the top players in DII college baseball. He acquired a .706 slugging percentage during his senior season, the highest in MWSU single-season history. He slashed .355/.412/.637 for his career with 130 hits, 83 RBIs, 73 runs, and 33 walks. He was also an extra-base machine with 29 doubles, 22 home runs and four triples. Grant is currently a hitting coordinator for the Cleveland Guardians organization, who initially drafted him in the 2013 MLB Draft with the 681st pick in the 23rd round.
Troy Landi
Baseball (2006-09)
Troy Landi was an outstanding outfielder for Missouri Western baseball who left a lasting legacy during his four-year stint with the Griffons. Landi holds 11 school records, notably the most games started (201), most hits (253), most runs scored (193), and most stolen bases (91). He was recognized as an All-MIAA outfielder three times, earning first team honors in 2009. During his senior season, he started in all 56 games, gathering 70 hits, scoring 62 runs and driving in 29 runners. He also walked 29 times and stole 30 bases. Troy wrapped up his career with a .335 batting average over 756 plate appearances, during which he accumulated 77 extra-base hits, including 22 home runs, 14 triples and 40 doubles.
Cassidy Menke
Soccer (2016-18)
Cassidy Menke makes history by becoming soccer's first inductee into the MWSU Hall of Fame. She made significant contributions on the offensive attack during her three years on campus, holding the all-time career record for points (78), goals (35), game-winning goals (16), shots (228), shots on goal (108) and penalty kicks made (3). Menke's performance on the pitch made her the first three-time All-MIAA First Team recipient in the program's history. Additionally, she was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region and D2CCA All-Central Region Second Teams in 2017 after chipping in 14 goals and firing off 121 shots, leading the MIAA in both categories.
2013 Baseball Team
The Missouri Western baseball team accomplished a significant milestone in 2013 by winning its first MIAA Regular Season Championship in program history. Under the leadership of Buzz Verduzco, the Griffons reached as high as No. 4 in the country and made it to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second time in school history. MWSU outscored opponents 417-221, which propelled them to a 40-12 overall record and a 28-5 MIAA record. The pitching staff finished the season with a 3.97 ERA and 280 strikeouts, while the offense achieved a .355 team batting average with 63 home runs.
MWSU had an impressive start to the season with winning streaks of 17 and 10 games, leading to a dominant 21-1 record in MIAA play. After finishing third in the NCAA Division II Central Region rankings and second in the MIAA Tournament, the Griffons secured a spot in the NCAA Division II Central Regional in Mankato, Minnesota. Ten players received All-MIAA honors, with Michael Schulze named MIAA Player of the Year, Brandon Simmons named MIAA Pitcher of the Year and Verduzco named Coach of the Year. Schulze was also honored as the Daktronics All-Central Region Player of the Year, while Bubba Dotson, Fink and Simmons were also named to the first team.
2016 Softball Team
The Missouri Western softball team had a historic 2016 season. They became the undisputed MIAA Champions for the first time in program history after they secured both the MIAA Regular Season and the MIAA Tournament Championships. Under the leadership of MWSU Hall of Famer Jen Bagley Trotter, the Griffons finished with an impressive 45-13 overall record and a 23-3 MIAA record, claiming the most conference wins by any school in MIAA history at that time. Powered by a team ERA of 2.58 with 238 strikeouts and a batting average of .314 with 53 home runs, MWSU outscored their opponents 334-181
The Griffons opened conference play 7-1 and ended the regular season with a dominant 14-1 stretch in April. Western claimed the MIAA Tournament title with a perfect 4-0 record, which included a 1-0 nine-inning thriller against Pittsburg State. They went on to the NCAA Division II Central Regional in Magnolia, Arkansas, ranked No. 11 in the country. Coach Trotter was named MIAA Coach of the Year, and nine players, including Co-Defensive Player of the Year Katie Klosterman, were named All-MIAA. Additionally, Klosterman and Morgan Rathmann were named D2CAA All-Region players.
