Columbia, MO - The Cougar Athletic Department is proud to announce the inductees of the 22nd class of the Columbia College Athletic Hall of Fame. This year's induction ceremony presented by Hawthorn Bank is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 11, in Dulany Hall and will feature honorees Bob Burchard – Former Head Men's Basketball Coach/Director of Athletics and the 2015 National Champion Women's Volleyball Team. 

"This year's Hall of Fame class can be summed up in one word: champions," says Drew Grzella, associate director of Athletics. "Bob Burchard and the 2015 National Championship Volleyball Team are shining examples of everything that can be accomplished here at CC. I am excited both will be back on campus in October to be celebrated by our entire Cougar Community!"

Give a gift in recognition of these honorees at my.ccis.edu/athletics.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are on sale now; please visit ColumbiaCougars.com/Tickets and click on "Special Events" for more details and to register.
 

Friday, October 11th	Schedule of Events - Saturday, October 12th
Homecoming Festival on the Quad - 4:30-6:30PM	9:30AM - Baseball Intersquad/Alumni Game		Atkins Park
Food Trucks, Live Music, Outdoor Lawn Games & Inflatables, Parade, Homecoming Coronation, Art Gallery Exhibitions	10:00AM - Women's Basketball Intersquad/Alumni Game		Southwell Complex
	11:00AM - Softball Alumni Game		Antimi Complex
	12:00PM - Volleyball Alumni Game		Southwell Complex
	12:00PM - Women's Soccer vs. Jamestown		R. Marvin Owens
*Open to entire Columbia College Community - alums; current students, faculty & staff and their families; donors and friends.	2:30PM - Men's Soccer vs. Jamestown		R. Marvin Owens
	4:00PM - Men's Basketball Intersquad		Southwell Complex
	5:00PM - Men's Basketball Alumni Game		Southwell Complex

Meet the CC Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024:
Bob Burchard, a native of McLean, Virginia, was named the director of Athletics and head men's basketball coach at Columbia College in 1988. He arrived in Columbia after seven successful seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri Western State College and immediately transformed Cougar Athletics into a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) powerhouse.

Burchard always viewed sports as a community endeavor. Under his leadership, Columbia College partnered with the City of Columbia to host the NAIA Softball National Championships from 1993-95 as well as the NAIA Volleyball National Championships in 2006 and 2007. Cougar Athletics will continue his legacy by hosting the 2024 NAIA Cross Country National Championship at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.

Burchard was instrumental in reshaping the athletic department when it expanded beyond the original five legacy sports to 18 sports by the end of his tenure. From 2012-19, the department added baseball, women's bowling, men's & women's cross country, Esports, men's & women's golf, men's lacrosse, women's soccer, and men's & women's indoor & outdoor track & field.

He also oversaw the expansion and renovations to key athletic facilities. Southwell Complex was refreshed in 2002, adding a new playing surface, locker rooms, a fixed press box and amenities for fans.  In 2010, the Koepke Family Fitness Center was renovated and is now a showpiece for all students on main campus. In 2015, R. Marvin Owens Field unveiled a new synthetic-turf surface, locker rooms, an athletic training room, a press box, a fixed concession stand and restrooms. In 2016, the main basketball court in Southwell was renamed Bob Burchard Court. 
Burchard's strong tenure leading the athletic department was marked by the success of several teams. The 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2015 volleyball teams won NAIA National Championships; the cross country squad was national runner-up in 2018, the softball team was national runner-up in 2018; Abby Stricker won the individual national championship in the long jump in 2017; and the Esports squad was a national runner-up for League of Legends in 2018.
 
During his 31 years at the helm of the men's basketball program (1988-2019) Burchard's teams achieved unprecedented success. Under his guidance, the teams went 788-269 (.746 winning percentage), averaging a remarkable 25 wins per season. His 788 victories currently rank 31st on the all-time men's college basketball wins list across all divisions. Of the coaches currently ahead of him on the list, only seven have a higher winning percentage (Adolph Rupp – .822, Dean Smith - .777, Steve Moore - .775, Roy Williams - .774, Bill Self - .768, Mike Krzyzewski - .766, John Calipari - .757).

During Burchard's career, he coached 137 Academic All-Conference honorees, 99 All-Conference players and seven Conference Players of the Year. He also recruited and developed 38 NAIA All-Americans and 30 NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

Burchard's teams appeared in the NAIA National Tournament a total of 22 times. In 2008-09, the men's basketball team famously "Rode the Wave" and advanced to the NAIA National Championship game. Another remarkable highlight came on Jan. 17, 2013, when Cougar men's basketball was ranked No. 1 in the NAIA for the first time in program history. That team would set a program record for the most consecutive wins to start the season (35).
The success of Burchard's teams and the athletic program as a whole led to several honors throughout his time at CC. In the spring of 2008, he was inducted into the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Following the 2010 season, he became only the second NAIA coach to receive the Guardians of the Game Leadership Award presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame for his service to the NAIA, Columbia College and the game of basketball in the spring of 2012. Burchard was also named Conference Coach of the Year on 12 different occasions in the Show Me Conference and then later in the American Midwest Conference (AMC).

Burchard's career would not have been the same without the support of his family and those closest to him.  His wife, Faye, was the Dean of Students at CC from 1988-2016.  She was just as impactful as Bob was to Columbia College and cared deeply for every student.  Their children, Jennifer & Bret, grew up in the gym and were always there for a celebratory hug or post-game analysis.  The Cougar Club and other community members became a second family and supported the Cougars both near and far.  At his final home game in Southwell on February 23, 2019, Burchard reflected on his time by stating he was "collector of friends".  Over his 31 years, he carefully collected and helped create the most amazing Cougar Community.
*****
The 2015 Columbia College Volleyball Team entered the season as the No. 10 team in the NAIA preseason poll. With a talented recruiting class and key returners, the group hoped to become the fourth team in program history to hoist a red national championship banner. 

The road to Sioux City, Iowa, and a national title would prove to be a challenging one. Seven of the team's first eight opponents were ranked in the NAIA Top 25. The new-look Cougars struggled to find rhythm and consistency, going 4-4 in their first eight contests. After a loss at the hands of No. 7-ranked Lindsey Wilson College, the Cougars won nine straight matches (27-2 in sets) heading into their AMC matchup vs. No. 3 Missouri Baptist University. Despite going up 2 sets to 1 in the match, the team could not close out the contest, losing a heartbreaker to the Spartans in five sets. 

The resilient Cougars would go on to win 11 of their next 13 matches, including a conference victory over No. 9 Park University and a nonconference win over No. 3 Missouri Baptist in a regular-season rematch. Columbia College ended the regular season with an overall record of 24-7. The Cougars easily defeated Lyon College in the AMC Tournament quarterfinals in Southwell, advancing to the AMC Final Four in Parkville, Missouri, along with No. 7 Park University and No. 1 Missouri Baptist. The Cougars defeated Park in three sets on Park's home floor, setting up a rubber match with Missouri Baptist. CC lost the first two sets against the Spartans but found a way to push the match to a fifth and deciding set. The Cougars would prevail 15-12 in the final set, defeating Missouri Baptist for the second time on the season. The team's elite fitness level and never-say-die attitude proudly returned the championship trophy back to Southwell. 

The Cougars placed six players on the AMC All-Conference teams. Peiyi Liu, Sashiko Heredia and Eirini Chatziefstratiadou were listed as First-Team All-Conference members. Mikah Simpson was tabbed as a Second-Team All-AMC member, and Maria Franco and Amber Graham were chosen as Honorable Mention. Liu was named AMC Player and Newcomer of the Year. Simpson, Liu and Vika Lavrenchenko also earned AMC Academic All-Conference honors.

Columbia College entered the NAIA National Tournament as the No. 4 overall seed out of the remaining 24 teams. The Cougars defeated No. 24 Mount Vernon Nazarene, No. 17 Lourdes and No. 9 Hastings to win the pool and advance to bracket play. The Cougars then defeated No. 5 Biola in a thrilling five-set match to advance to the national semifinals. There they faced the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Lindsey Wilson, whom the Cougars lost to at their home tournament earlier in the year. This time, CC would come out on top, defeating the Blue Raiders (25-23, 25-23, 25-19) to return to the national championship match for the ninth time in program history. In the championship, the Cougars would face a familiar foe, conference rival Missouri Baptist. CC kept its winning streak intact, beating the Spartans in straight sets to claim the 2015 NAIA National Championship.

Following the win, Liu, Polina Severina and Heredia were named to the NAIA All-Tournament Team. Liu was named NAIA Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American. Heredia was listed as a Second-Team All-American, and Melinda Wrye-Washington was recognized as NAIA Coach of the Year. Simpson and Lavrenchenko were also honored as NAIA Scholar-Athletes for their academic success.

The Cougars finished the season with a 33-7 overall record, with 16 of those wins coming against teams ranked in the NAIA polls. They finished the academic year with a 3.21 team GPA, earning them another NAIA Scholar Team award.
Team members include: Sashiko Heredia, Maria Franco, Amber Graham, Vika Lavrenchenko, Sasha Robinson, Polina Severina, Sami Meyer, Peiyi Liu, Mikah Simpson, Eirini Chatziefstratiadou, Sofija Ivanovic, Kelsi James, Jordan Kriete and Wen Wen Han. 

The team was led by head coach Melinda Wrye-Washington; assistant coach Aleah Hayes; student assistants Brooke Simpson, Paula Rose and Lydie Van Deursen; and athletic trainer Lorrie Ellison.