Athletic Hall of Fame Winners: 2008
Natalie Buitink
Natalie Buitink was born in Oklahoma to Lori and Adrian Buitink. She has a younger sister, Marijke, of Columbia, Mo., and a younger brother, Nick Buitink, of Austin, Texas. She currently resides in Columbia, where she manages MC Sports. Natalie is a 2000 and 2003 graduate of Columbia College, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice administration. She played for the Bartlesville Blazers for seven years and was recruited by Wendy Spratt to play softball for the Columbia College Cougars. She pitched for four years with the Cougars. After a successful four-year career, Natalie was a two-time All-American and received the honor of Pitcher of the Year in the American Midwest Conference and Region V. She is also a four-time All-Conference and three-time All-Region player.
After graduating with her first degree, Natalie coached softball at Columbia College under her former coach, Wendy Spratt. She stayed with the Columbia College softball program for three years while working towards her master’s degree. In 2003, she began working in team and retail athletic sales with Red Weir Athletic Supplies in Columbia.
Michael Kiehne
Michael Kiehne is the son of Larry and Lois Kiehne. He was named to the Missouri 4A All-State First Team as a senior at Jackson High School and later joined the Columbia College Cougar basketball team. As a Cougar, Michael played in all but two games during his career and was a part of 105 victories and only 37 losses. He was named Honorable Mention All-Conference as a sophomore in the 1991-1992 season. In 1992-1993, he was named to the NAIA District 16 First Team as well as to the All-Conference Second Team. In the 1993-1994 season, Michael was named First Team All-Conference and Conference MVP as well as an NAIA Third Team All-American. He still ranks as the all-time scoring leader with 1,868 career points and second on the career rebounding list with 822.
He graduated from Columbia College with a bachelor’s degree in education and went on to become a history teacher and assistant coach for the boy’s basketball team at Bloomfield R-14 School District in southeast Missouri. In 1997, he left Bloomfield to teach and coach at his alma mater, Jackson R-2 School District, with his former high school coach, Steve Burk; Michael was then named head coach upon Burk’s resignation. After four years as head coach, Michael took a position as principal at Richland R-1 School District. One year later, he was promoted to his current position as superintendent. He married his wife, Amanda, in 2002 and they had a daughter, Hailee, in 2004.
Gene and Fran Koepke
Fran Koepke was born May 18, 1949, in Columbia, Mo., to J.W. and Lois Stafford. She graduated from Hickman High School in 1967 and from Capital Business College in Jefferson City in 1969. She worked at Lincoln University until 1971, and then worked for her family’s business at Columbia Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co., Inc., until it was sold in 1986. Gene Koepke was born Oct. 16, 1947, in Owensville, Mo., to Chester and Glady Koepke. He graduated from Owensville High School in 1965 and from Capital Business College in 1966. He worked for the Department of Corrections for 10 years before joining his wife in Columbia at the Columbia Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. They moved to Columbia in 1973 and have lived here ever since. They married in 1969 and have two children, Laura and Mark. The Koepkes enjoy cheering on the Cougars at basketball, volleyball, soccer and softball games. Gene and Fran are on the Columbia College Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and are members of the Cougar Club steering committee. In 1996-1997, they received the athletic director’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cougar Athletics, and they were Honorary Coaches for the 2006 and 2007 NAIA Volleyball Tournament.
Lawrence “Smiley” Thomas
Lawrence Thomas, a 6’5” forward from Dallas, Texas, played for the Cougars from 1998 to 2000. He attended East Carolina University from 1994 to 1997 and was red-shirted his first season. As a senior in 1999-2000, Lawrence started 34 games for the Cougars, averaging 10.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per outing. He shot 52 percent from the field, connecting on 137 of his 263 field goal attempts. Lawrence was on the Honorable Mention All-American squad as both a junior and senior and was named First Team All-Conference both seasons. In his first season at Columbia College, he was named Newcomer of the Year in the American Midwest Conference. He was the first Cougar basketball player to be named an All-American Scholar-Athlete and All-American in the same season. In 2000, he became just the second Columbia player to earn successive Scholar-Athlete honors and the third player to repeat as an All-American selection.
After graduating from Columbia College, he worked briefly at Curtiss Wright Controls, an aerospace company in Shelby, N.C. In the fall of 2000, he signed a contract to play professionally with the Holbaek Basketball Klub in Denmark. Lawrence returned to Curtiss Wright Controls after retiring from Danish basketball in 2001. In February 2008, he accepted a position as procurement buyer, expeditor and contracts administrator for Fluor Enterprises, one of the world’s leading construction companies. Lawrence currently lives in Gastonia, N.C. with his family.
