Warrensburg, Mo. (Dec. 22, 1999) -- Eight individuals and three teams make up the ninth class of honorees for Central Missouri State University's Athletic Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 12, at a 10 a.m. brunch in the University Union Ballroom.

Chosen by the Hall of Fame selection committee for induction in the student-athlete category are Lynette Jarvis (volleyball/softball, 1978-82), Rick Ladjevich (baseball, 1993-94), Scott Loveland (football, 1981-84), and Ray Strozier (men's basketball, 1977-81). Selected in the coaches' category are former Mules' basketball coach Gene Bartow (1961-64) and former Mules' baseball coach Dave Van Horn (1994). Chosen in the special-recognition category are longtime Warrensburg residents Odell and Harriett Wagner. The teams selected for induction are the 1980 Jennies' basketball team, the 1994 Mules' baseball team, and the 1994 Jennies' softball team.

Jarvis was a two-sport performer for the Jennies just prior to the start of their NCAA affiliation. She was one of the first of numerous standout players CMSU's volleyball program has produced.

A graduate of Pattonville High School in suburban St. Louis, Mo., Jarvis led the Jennies to 139 wins in her four-year career. In 1979 and 1981 CMSU won the state AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) championship and also captured the regional AIAW title in 1981. She was a three-time AIAW all-state selection, was state co-MVP in 1979, state MVP in 1981 and MVP of the regional tournament in 1981.

In softball, Jarvis played three seasons for the Jennies (1979-80, 1982). In 1980, CMSU reached the AIAW regional tournament and in 1982 won the first Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association softball title, with Jarvis earning first-team all-MIAA honors at third base. She also made the all-tournament team that season at the AIAW state tournament.

Ladjevich enjoyed a sensational two-year career for the Mules that was capped by the Division II player of the year award in 1994. A graduate of West Middlesex (Pa.) High School, he came to CMSU from Crowder College (Mo.).

As a junior for the Mules, Ladjevich earned third-team All-America honors, leading the team in batting (.419), hits (54), RBI (45) and doubles (15). He was also the MIAA MVP, as well as league hitter of the year.

As a senior in 1994, Ladjevich put together some awesome numbers. In one game against Truman State University, he hit four home runs and had 10 RBI. In the NCAA Central Regional, he was 12-for-14 with nine RBI in the Mules' three games. For the season, he hit .460 with 14 home runs and 97 RBI to help lead Central to the national championship. He led the league in hitting, home runs and RBI. His 97 RBI led Division II. He broke or tied seven conference and school individual records in 1994. His .445 career batting average is the best in Mules' history and his 142 RBI rank fifth on the team's career list.

Loveland, a graduate of Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo High School, was the Mules' starting quarterback for all four of his seasons. He became a starter in the fourth contest of his freshman season and started every game the rest of his career.

As a sophomore in 1982, Loveland helped lead CMSU to a 10-0 road win over NCAA Division I-AA opponent Murray State University, which was coached by current Virginia Tech University head coach Frank Beamer. As a junior, he helped guide the Mules to an MIAA co-championship. As a senior, he established 13 school and seven conference records and was the league MVP, passing for 2,172 yards.

Loveland's career total of 6,547 passing yards ranks second in CMSU history and third in MIAA history. He still holds the school and conference career records for pass attempts (1,169) and pass completions (557). He also holds the Mules' season record for pass attempts (378) and shares the team record for pass completions in a season (204).

Strozier, considered by many to be the most popular player with fans in Mules' basketball history, is CMSU's career leader in rebounds with 937. Possessing an outstanding vertical jump, he played center for the Mules, despite standing just 6-4, and frequently out-jumped taller opponents.

A graduate of Manual High School in Kansas City, Mo., Strozier helped the Mules win an MIAA title in 1980, when they enjoyed a 26-2 record, and a co-championship in 1981. His rebound total of 283 in 1980-81 is fourth best in team history, while his field-goal percentage of 72.8% in 1979-80 was the best in Division II that year and remains the school's and the conference's single-season record. His career field goal percentage of 66.8% is also a CMSU and league record.

Strozier was a first-team all-MIAA selection in the 1980-81 season, when he averaged 14.2 points and 9.8 rebounds. In addition to being the Mules' career rebounding leader, he also ranks eighth on the school's career scoring list with 1,309 points.

One of the most respected names in college basketball, Bartow coached the Mules for three seasons before gaining national fame at NCAA Division I schools Valparaiso University, Memphis State University, the University of Illinois, the University of California-Los Angeles and the University of Alabama-Birmingham. He directed the Mules to records of 16-6, 17-6 and 14-9 in his three seasons at CMSU. Inaugural Hall of Fame inductee Bud Vallino was the star of Bartow's three teams.

The 47 victories Bartow amassed with the Mules are part of the total of 647 wins he recorded in 36 seasons as a head coach. His 1973 Memphis State team lost to powerful UCLA in the national championship game, then in 1976, he succeeded the legendary John Wooden at UCLA. He began the basketball program at Alabama-Birmingham in 1979 and coached the Blazers through the 1995-96 season before retiring from coaching to devote full-time to his current position as athletics director at UAB.

Van Horn had just a six-month tenure at CMSU, but led the Mules' baseball team to its greatest triumph, the 1994 NCAA Division II national championship. Hired in December of 1993 after Dennis Woody had resigned to take a scouting position with the Kansas City Royals, Van Horn brought with him a proven track record of success as a player and a coach and quickly continued that success with the Mules. He guided them to a school-record 51 wins, en route to the national championship that came over seven-time Division II champion Florida Southern College. His accomplishment earned him the Division II coach-of-the-year honor.

Shortly after guiding the Mules to the national title, he took the head baseball coach's job at Northwestern State University of Louisiana, where he won two conference titles in three seasons. He is currently the head baseball coach at the University of Nebraska. In just his second season last year, he led the Huskers to a 42-18 record, a Big 12 Conference Tournament crown and the school's first NCAA baseball bid since 1985.

The Wagners have been among the most-loyal supporters the Mules and Jennies have had. Mr. Wagner has given countless hours of service as clock operator at home football and basketball games, as well as an official for the Mule Relays since their inception in 1972. Mrs. Wagner has been an active supporter of virtually all of CMSU's teams and has also served as president of the Warrensburg Mule Train Chapter.

The 1980 Jennies' basketball team produced a 26-5 record in Millie Barnes' final season as head coach at CMSU. Playing in an era prior to NCAA affiliation, the Jennies' schedule contained 22 games against schools that are currently NCAA Division I members, including DePaul University, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, the University of Missouri, the University of Nebraska and Southwest Missouri State University. The season highlight came when the Jennies were selected as one of 24 teams for the AIAW Division I National Tournament. They lost in the first round to a strong Rutgers University team, but finished the season ranked 18th in the nation.

Senior center Margie Nielsen had an outstanding year, leading the Jennies with a 19.6 scoring average and a 10.2 rebounding average. Inaugural Hall of Fame inductee Kathy Anderson was also a senior on the team and was CMSU's second-leading scorer (13.3) and rebounder (8.3). At that time, the Jennies' 26 wins established a school record for wins in a season. Barnes and assistant coach Jorja Hoehn, who succeeded Barnes the following season, were 1997 inductees into the CMSU Hall of Fame. Barnes is also slated for induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., next summer.

The 1994 Mules' baseball team made history by becoming only the second squad from a school outside the states of Alabama, California, Florida or Georgia to win the NCAA Division II crown and they did it by beating seven-time national champion Florida Southern 14-9 in the title game. To get to Montgomery, Ala., for the Division II championship, CMSU first had to come back through the loser's bracket to win the MIAA Tournament, then captured the NCAA Central Regional on its home field.

At Montgomery, CMSU won its first two games, 9-6 over the University of California-Riverside and 8-7 over Armstrong State College, then lost 10-3 to Delta State University. In an elimination game the next night, the Mules returned the favor and beat Delta State 8-2. In the title game against Florida Southern, CMSU fell behind 4-0 after three innings and still trailed 6-2 after five innings, but a six-run sixth inning put the Mules ahead for the first time. The Moccasins came back to tie the game 8-8 going to the ninth inning. A bases-loaded double by Morgan Burkhart highlighted the Mules' six-run ninth inning that gave them an insurmountable lead and three outs later they claimed the championship.

Named to the Division II Championship All-Tournament Team for CMSU were outfielder Ed Lunders, who was five-for-five in the title game, second baseman Glenn Duckett, who hit .389 in the Mules' five tournament games, and outfielder Eric Stuckenschneider, who drove in a team-high seven runs. The team's post-season accolades included the Division II player of the year award for third baseman Rick Ladjevich and the Division II coach of the year award for Dave Van Horn, first-team All-America recognition for Ladjevich and Stuckenschneider and second-team All-America honors for pitcher Bob Poisal. In producing a 51-11 record, the 1994 Mules established 23 individual school records, 21 team records, 18 individual MIAA records and 19 conference team records.

The 1994 Jennies' softball team made a sensational turnaround from a 14-24 record the previous season to produce a 42-16 record and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Championship. Coach Rhesa Sumrell's Jennies started the season with nine straight wins, sailed through the MIAA Post-Season Tournament unbeaten and captured the NCAA Central Regional in three straight games on their home field to reach the national tournament in Shawnee, Kan. After winning their opening game 7-4 over California University (Pa.) at the Division II Championship, the Jennies fell to the University of Nebraska-Omaha 8-5, then stayed alive with a 7-1 elimination win over Barry University before bowing out with a 4-1 loss to eventual national runner-up Humboldt State University.

Junior catcher Beth Savage led the Jennies in batting with a .414 average. Sophomore shortstop Julie Hammer and junior outfielder Sue Weihs shared the home-run lead with six each, while Weihs was the team's RBI leader with 47. Freshman pitcher Mandee Berg won more than half of CMSU's games, producing a sparkling 24-5 record and a 1.70 ERA to earn third-team All-America honors.She also was MIAA freshman of the year and Sumrell was league coach of the year. Junior designated-player Jill Schenewark was a second-team Academic All-America selection.

The Feb. 12 induction brunch is open to the public. Tickets are $12 and can be obtained by calling the CMSU athletics office at (660) 543-4250 by Feb. 7. The 2000 inductees also will be introduced and recognized at halftime of the Feb. 12 Mules' basketball game against the University of Missouri-Rolla.

To be eligible for selection to the Hall of Fame in the student-athlete or team categories, nominees must have completed their eligibility or competition at least five years prior to selection. Student-athlete nominees must have earned at least two varsity letters at CMSU. Qualifications and criteria are based primarily upon accomplishments at Central Missouri State, but also may include accomplishments outside the university.