KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its Class of 2025 Hall of Fame inductees. The class consists of ten former student-athletes and one former administrator.
MIAA Hall of Fame Class of 2025:
· Kathy Anderson, Central Missouri Administrator
· Allen Barbre, Missouri Southern Football Athlete
· Kate (Lehman) Bremerman, Fort Hays State Women's Basketball Athlete
· John Brown, Pittsburg State Football Athlete
· Mark Burrell, Central Missouri Wrestling Athlete
· Ryan Helsley, Northeastern State Baseball Athlete
· Kiara Jones, Pittsburg State Men's Track & Field Athlete
· Nikki (Llewellyn) Nill, Missouri Southern Women's Soccer Athlete
· Darcie (Schmitz) Riordan, Fort Hays State Women's Track & Field Athlete
· Dane Simoneau, Washburn Baseball and Football Athlete
· Shally Lundien, Missouri Southern Softball Athlete [Legacy Inductee]
The class will officially be inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame at the 2025 MIAA Awards Ceremony Celebration, hosted Monday, June 2, at the Nelson-Atkins Museum Auditorium in Kansas City, MIssouri.
Brief biographies of the 11 inductees are listed below. To view all Association's Hall of Fame archive, visit
theMIAA.com/HOF.
MIAA HALL OF FAME
CLASS OF 2025
Kathy Anderson - University of Central Missouri
Administrator, 2005-23
Kathy Anderson is the first individual in MIAA history to be inducted into the Association’s Hall of Fame as a student-athlete and an administrator.
During her 18-year tenure as an administrator with the University of Central Missouri Athletics Department, Anderson was instrumental in helping numerous student-athletes and coaches achieve their goals both inside and outside of competition. Anderson was elevated to Interim Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics in January 2023 after previously serving as the Associate Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations. Anderson also served as the Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) for UCM Athletics.
During her 18 years at Central Missouri, the Mules and Jennies captured 97 MIAA Championships, 27 NCAA Division II Regional Titles and five NCAA Division II National Championships. Central Missouri student-athletes earned Academic All-America® honors 82 times from the College Sports Communicators during Anderson’s tenure, and numerous Mules and Jennies were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and received MIAA Scholar-Athlete and MIAA Academic Excellence recognition.
Before returning to UCM in 2005, Anderson served previously as Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Services at fellow MIAA member Northwest Missouri State University. Anderson also served as past chair for the Division II softball and women’s basketball committees and Chair of the Institutional Representatives for the MIAA.
Anderson was inducted into the University of Central Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame as a student-athlete in 1992 (founding class) and the MIAA Hall of Fame as a student-athlete in 2010 (founding class). She was enshrined in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame 2015 and was named to the Hall of Fame’s 2011 “Filbert Five.”
Allen Barbre - Missouri Southern State University
Football Student-Athlete, 2003-06
Allen Barbre was a consensus All-American, All-MIAA and All-Region first-team selection in 2006. He helped lead an offensive line that saw quarterback Adam Hinspeter become just the second passer in school history to throw for 2,000 yards twice in a career. The offense amassed 3,461 yards for the season, including 2,527 passing. He finished with a career-high 94 knockdowns at left tackle and excelled on the punt coverage unit, coming up with seven solo tackles.
Barbre was Southern’s first All-American since Josh Chapman in 2002 and was the first to be named a First Team All-American since Richard Jordan in 1996. He was the fifth offensive lineman at Southern to be named First Team All-American and just the ninth Lion football player to earn the honor at the time.
For his career, Barbre started 33 of 37 contests. All but one of those starting assignments came at the demanding left tackle position. He was credited with 254 knockdown blocks and registered ten tackles (nine solos) on special teams. He was the first player at the time from Southern to be invited to the NFL Combine. Barbre also has one career rushing touchdown, as he was part of a memorable formation that saw the Lions line up with 11 offensive linemen in a goal-line formation as Barbre ran in the ball for a touchdown just days after then Lions head coach John Ware tragically died during Homecoming week. The formation and play were done in honor of John Ware, who was a former offensive lineman and helped coach the group.
Barbre was drafted in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He played for the Pack from 2007-2010. He played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Miami Dolphins during the 2010 season and then was back with Seattle for the 2011-2013 seasons. He then played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. He was inducted into the Missouri Southern State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Kate (Lehman) Bremerman - Fort Hays State University
Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete, 2011-15
A native of Newton, Kansas, Kate Lehman played four seasons at Fort Hays State from 2011-2015. Lehman was the MIAA Player of the Year in her senior year of 2014-15 and went on to be named the BennettRank.com Division II National Player of the Year. She was an All-America selection in both 2014 and 2015, earning the distinction both years from the WBCA and Division II Bulletin, while also earning the honor once from Dakronics and BennettRank.com.
The 6-4 center was also a four-time All-MIAA selection, earning First Team honors each of her last three seasons, and was twice an MIAA All-Tournament Team selection (2013, 2015). She was a Daktronics All-Central Region selection in each of her final three seasons (2013, 2014, 2015). Lehman was named to the MIAA All-Defensive Team all four years as a Tiger and was the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Lehman was also tremendous in the classroom, earning CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team honors in 2015.
She put together the most decorated career by a Tiger in the program's NCAA Division II history as far as awards are concerned. She is still FHSU's all-time leading rebounder with 1,109 in her career and continues to rank third on the career scoring list with 1,917 points scored. She was the only player in program history to reach the 1,000 mark in both points and rebounds until the Tigers’ 2024-25 season when Katie (Wagner) DeGarmo joined Lehman’s elite status.
Lehman also owns the FHSU school record for free throws made (523) and shattered the program's all-time blocked shots record with 515, which is 349 more than the next player on the list. Her blocked shot average of 5.3 per game in 2013-14 still stands as an NCAA Division II record for players in their junior year, while it also set an MIAA single-season record. Lehman's 515 career blocked shots rank second-most in NCAA Division II history, topped only by LaKisha Phifer of St. Paul's, and her 4.3 blocks per game career average ranks fourth-best in NCAA Division II history. Her 55 career double-doubles rank 23rd in NCAA Division II history and her three triple-doubles rank fifth in NCAA Division II history. She led NCAA Division II in blocked shots per game as both a sophomore (4.2) and junior (5.3).
Lehman was inducted into the Fort Hays State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.
John Brown - Pittsburg State University
Football Student-Athlete, 2011-13
John Brown finished his illustrious three-year career at Pittsburg State University as a three-time NCAA Division II All-America wide receiver and return specialist for the Gorillas. Brown was a consensus All-America pick his final two seasons. He was also twice tabbed the MIAA and the NCAA Division II Special Teams Player of the Year (2012-13).
Brown set PSU career records with 185 receptions for 3,387 yards and 34 touchdowns. He caught 61 passes for 1,216 yards and totaled 12 touchdowns while helping the Gorillas to the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship. Brown also averaged 26.9 yards on kickoff returns and 13.6 yards on punt returns. He compiled 6,244 all-purpose yards and scored 278 career points for the Gorillas. He was selected in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft (with pick 91) by the Arizona Cardinals. During his nine-year NFL career, Brown caught 321 passes for 4,790 yards and 32 touchdowns while playing for the Cardinals (2014-17), Baltimore Ravens (2018), Buffalo Bills (2019-20, ’22), Las Vegas Raiders (2021), Denver Broncos (2021), Jacksonville Jaguars (2021) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2021).
Brown was inducted into the Pittsburg State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.
Mark Burrell - University of Central Missouri
Wrestling Student-Athlete, 1988-90
Mark Burrell enjoyed a superb two-year career with Mules Wrestling, winning back-to-back individual NCAA Division II championships at 126 pounds in 1989 and 1990.
A graduate of West Des Moines Valley High School in Iowa, he transferred to Central Missouri from Northwest Missouri State University following his sophomore year. As a junior, Burrell set the Mules' single-season record for wins, compiling a record of 44-6-2, en route to his national title. The following season, he produced a record of 40-3-1 and successfully defended his national championship of the previous year to become the first athlete in Central Missouri State history to win two individual national championships.
At that time, individual champions in Division II were allowed to advance to the Division I championship and Burrell became the first and only Mules' wrestler to win a match at the Division I Tournament, winning three and losing two. In addition to his single-season record for wins (44), Burrell still owns the Mules' most points in a season (167) while his eight technical falls in a season now rank second, and his .920 season-winning percentage ranks seventh in the UCM wrestling record books. His career winning percentage of .890 ranks third all-time and his 23 career falls and 10 career technical falls continue to rank in the program’s top ten. He ended his collegiate career with the Mules with a record of 84-9-3.
Burrell was inducted into the University of Central Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 – the first Mules' wrestler to be inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame.
Ryan Helsley - Northeastern State University
Baseball Student-Athlete, 2014-15
Ryan Helsley pitched for the RiverHawks from 2014-15, where he made 21 starts and compiled a 14-8 record. In 2015, he ranked fifth in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (13.4) and led the MIAA with 95 punch-outs. The 6-1 pitcher from Tahlequah, Okla., also threw three complete games and tallied 151 strikeouts on the season. He was the lone underclassman to earn a spot on the 2015 All-MIAA First Team and was named to the 2014 All-MIAA Second Team as a freshman.
Helsley’s number eight jersey was removed from circulation in 2015, when the St. Louis Cardinals selected Helsley in the fifth round of the MLB Draft. He was the first player from the MIAA, the second player from the state of Oklahoma selected, and the fifth player in all of NCAA Division II to come off the draft board. Northeastern State baseball officially retired his jersey in 2022.
Helsley completed his fourth season with the Cardinals and is the first former NSU student-athlete to play in the MLB All-Star Game and make the MLB Postseason.
Kiara Jones - Pittsburg State University
Men's Track & Field Student-Athlete, 2008-12
Kiara Jones finished his outstanding track and field career at Pittsburg State University as an eight-time NCAA Division II All-America in the horizontal jumps. Jones also earned All-MIAA honors on 10 occasions, which included a pair of MIAA titles in the triple jump and three MIAA runner-up finishes in the horizontal jumps.
Jones garnered national runner-up honors in the indoor triple jump in 2010 and added three third-place national finishes in the discipline. He broke PSU school records for the indoor triple jump (51 feet, 11.25 inches) and the outdoor triple jump (52 feet, 2 inches) – both of which now rank third on the Gorillas’ all-time records.
Nikki (Llewellyn) Nill - Missouri Southern State University
Women's Soccer Student-Athlete, 2005-08
Nikki (Llewellyn) Nill was, and still is, the greatest goal scorer the Missouri Southern women's soccer program has ever seen. She still holds MSSU career records for goals (49), game-winning goals (17), total points (109, 49 goals, 11 assists), shots (264) and shots on goal (126) while also ranking in the top 10 for games played, games started, assists and shot percentage. Among season ranks, she is the only Lion in program history to have three years scoring at least 10 goals, with five or more game-winning goals, and collecting at least 20 points in a season, along with having at least 50 shots and 27 shots on goal in four seasons. In MIAA career ranks, she is fourth in goals scored and sixth in points.
Nill was named the 2005 MIAA Freshman of the Year, was a four-time First Team All-MIAA midfielder and a four-time All-Region player, earning First Team honors from 2005-07 and a Third Team selection in 2008. She is the only Lion in program history to be named an All-American and did so from 2006-08, earning Second Team honors in ‘06, First Team honors in ‘07, and Third Team honors in ‘08.
A standout in the classroom as well, she was a three-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll recipient, an Academic All-Region selection in 2008 and an Academic All-American in 2007. Nill was recently inducted into the Missouri Southern State University Athletics Fall of Fame, Class of 2023.
Darcie (Schmitz) Riordan - Fort Hays State University
Women's Track & Field Student-Athlete, 2009-11
A native of Baileyville, Kansas, Darcie Riordan was a seven-time All-America (four-time outdoor, three-time indoor) performer in track and field in just two years of eligibility at Fort Hays State University. She competed outdoors in 2009 and 2011, while competing indoors in 2010 and 2011.
Riordan was the 2010 NCAA Division II Indoor National Champion in the long jump and national runner-up in the triple jump that same season. She still owns both the indoor and outdoor records in long jump and triple jump at Fort Hays State.
Her indoor long jump record of 19 feet, 9.5 inches won the indoor national title in 2010 while her top outdoor long jump mark was 19 feet, 11 inches, set at the 2009 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships, where she finished fourth. Riordan set the FHSU triple jump record for both outdoor and indoor at 41 feet, 1 inch. The outdoor record was also a new MIAA Outdoor Championship meet record in 2011. She was also crowned MIAA Outdoor Champion in both the long jump and triple jump in 2011 and was an overall seven-time All-MIAA performer overall (top three finisher) in her career.
Riordan was also named a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team selection for the Tigers, earning the honors in 2010 and 2011. Prior to transferring to Fort Hays State in 2008 from Cloud County Community College, she earned NJCAA All-America honors performer and an NJCAA Academic All-America selection.
This is the second straight year Riordan has been inducted into a Hall of Fame after being inducted into the Fort Hays State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.
Dane Simoneau - Washburn University
Baseball and Football Student-Athlete, 2007-11
Dane Simoneau played for the Ichabods from 2007-11, where he started 42 of 43 games and recorded the most proficient passing career in Washburn history. The five-time consensus All-American finished his senior season second in Harlon Hill voting with school records of 4,089 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also earned the MIAA's Offensive Player of the Year and Regional Player of the Year honors in his senior season.
Simoneau finished his collegiate career 12th in NCAA Division II history with 11,291 yards passing and 15th on the all-time charts with 102 passing touchdowns. He left school with 35 Ichabod career, season and single-game records, including the top three passing seasons in school history.
Simoneau was also a four-year starter on the Ichabod baseball team where he finished his career first in all-time doubles, fourth in at-bats, sixth in RBI, and 10th in hits. He also earned All-MIAA baseball honors at shortstop his senior season.
Simoneau went on to serve as the offensive coordinator and also played for the Salina Bombers of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League from 2012-13. He led the 2013 squad to a 9-3 record and an appearance in the Champions Bowl. He was also named the 2013 CPIFL Offensive MVP.
Simoneau rejoined the Washburn football program as an assistant coach in 2020 and is now the Ichabods’ offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. Simoneau was inducted into the Washburn University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
LEGACY INDUCTEE
Shally Lundien - Missouri Southern State University
Softball Student-Athlete, 1994-95
Shally Lundien was an All-American for the Lions in the mid 90's after transferring to Southern from Crowder College. An All-Region and All-American selection at Crowder, Lundien was a member of the USA Softball Junior College team that competed in the Canada Cup in Vancouver in 1993.
At Missouri Southern, Lundien was crowned the MIAA Player of the Year and a First Team All-American in 1995. She was also honored as the Missouri Southern Female Athlete of the Year and named the MIAA’s Ken B. Jones Award winner – an award given to the male and female athletes of the year. That season, Lundien hit an impressive .430 while starting in all 53 games and helping the Lions to a 45-8 record and a trip to the NCAA Regionals. She led the team with 39 runs, 74 hits, 47 RBI, had seven triples, and ranked second with 18 doubles while striking out just three times on the season. She was a First Team All-Region and First Team All-MIAA selection in 1995 after receiving First Team All-MIAA honors in the 1994 season. Lundien was also named a Second Team Academic All-American that season.
Lundien was inducted into the Missouri Southern State University Hall of Fame in 2010. At that time, she still held the Missouri Southern career record for fielding percentage (.986) while she still holds the single-season record for putouts (576). She continues to rank second in the program’s top-five for putouts in a game (18), RBI in a single season (47), hits (74), doubles (18) and batting average in a season (.430). Her career batting average of .372 and her 1,070 career putouts both rank fifth in the MSSU softball records books.
Lundien has been a successful coach at both the high school and collegiate levels. She has coached at Carthage High School, as well as Joplin and Seneca High School and Frontenac High School. She also spent five years as the head coach at Pittsburg State University, where she owned a record of 120-120.