Missouri Sports Hall of Fame to honor Burkhart

The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, on April 20th,  will honor former local sports standout Neely Burkhart with a Wynn Award.

The awards recognize former high school, college and Olympic athletes who made positive impacts on women’s sports, or those who contributed to the advancement of women’s sports in the Show-Me State.

Burkhart was one of the top volleyball players in the Joplin area in the early 1990s..

She was an all-conference, all-district and all-area selection in her junior and senior seasons at Joplin High School, plus earned all-region as a senior. Burkhart also received all-conference recognition in basketball. She then went on to star at Missouri Southern State University.

There, Burkhart was a four-year starter at outside hitter for the Lions and served as a two-year captain. She ranks in the top 10 in six different career categories at Southern, including first in digs (1,776), second in aces (211), third in attack attempts (3,957), fourth in kills (1,421), fourth in hitting percentage (.268) and 10th in games played (445).

Burkhart was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection in 1994 and a second team selection in both 1995 and 1996.

She has since been inducted into the Missouri Southern Athletics Hall of Fame. Burkhart is now a physical therapist employed by Freeman Health System in Joplin.

Five other Missouri athletes will receive Wynne Awards.

The Neosho Girls Cross Country’s 1983 and 1984 State Championship Teams also will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on April 20th.