Griffon Athletics hosting ‘The MWSU Pioneers’ panel

By: Darren Doyle

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) — Griffon Athletics celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day with a MWSU Pioneers Panel featuring program Hall of Famers Rhesa Sumrell and Mary “Pee Wee” Nichols.

Potter Hall on campus played host to a talk that took an audience primarily of student athletes through time, Nichols telling of her efforts to lead a group of students in convincing the administration to bring about women’s sports. The eventual implementation of women’s sports at the Missouri Western State College, three years after Title IX went into effect, brought about Sumrell, who coached many of the first women’s teams.

The talk coincided with Griffon Athletics’ celebration of 50 years of women’s sports at the university, which includes events to mark the anniversary throughout 2025 and 2026.

Both women realized the opportunity not only to share the story of helping establish women’s ability to take the field of play for the Griffons, but also to inspire the current generation of female athletes.

“This is what we are truly humbled by this experience, to say the least, to be included with it. But the opportunities for women today are phenomenal, and Rhesa and I happen to be a part of that foundation,” said Nichols. “I think, for (the athletes) to understand the opportunities that are out there in front of them now are based on the pioneers, and what we, I don’t want to say, put up with, but the challenges that we face definitely in the day where women’s athletics was not a priority”.

The Griffons’ current and only national championship came from the 1982 Griffon Softball team, which won the NAIA Title. Since then, many programs have had impressive showings in various conference championships, NCAA tournament appearances, and more.

That is the only national title coming from the coaching direction of one of the pioneer panel speakers, Sumrell.

For Sumrell, a member of not only the Missouri Western Hall of Fame but also many others, was in awe of what their hard work has become with today’s current women’s teams.

“The emotions for me to come back here are huge. I have so many feelings, wonderful feelings about being in St Joseph, it’s just magnificent for me,” Sumrell shared. “(These) young women today have such wonderful opportunities, and they’re so good. It expanded down and started at a lower level. Now those fathers that had daughters are finally playing with their children, not their boys, but playing with the girls, too.”

After much of the foundation’s story was told, audience members, mostly from Griffon Athletic teams, were able to ask questions of the panel. One of the many teams that took to Potter Hall on Wednesday evening was Griffon Softball, now led by second-year Head Softball coach Nicole Thompson.

Thompson was thrilled to hear from Nichols and Sumrell, who shared a common mission for the women student athletes in attendance, ‘persit’.

“There is more than sports, and that these women, you know, we’re told no a lot, whether it be through admin or Title IX before Title IX, and to show that these girls that you know, we can do more in life as well,” Thompson told KQ2. “Some of these attributes that you do learn in sports can take you to your next chapter of life, whether it’s your job, being a mother, or being a wife. So it was really empowering to hear that and to see that there are other women who do that on a daily basis.”

For all the information from Griffon Athletics as they celebrate 50 years of women’s athletics, click here.