Missouri State University

MARY ELLEN CLONINGER
Volleyball, Basketball, Softball, 1965-69
Inducted May 10, 1987

Mary Ellen Cloninger was a three-sport athlete at SMS in the late 1960’s, competing in volleyball, basketball and softball. In 1969, Cloninger helped the Bears to a third place finish in the inaugural Women’s College World Series.  Cloninger was a member of the honorary physical education organization Delta Psi Kappa and received the Andrew J. McDonald Award for academic and athletic achievement her senior year. Cloninger received her bachelor’s degree in education in 1969 and later earned her master’s at Northern Colorado in 1973.  A native of St. Clair, Mo. Cloninger taught and coached on both the high school and collegiate levels and served as an associate athletic director at Wyoming and Utah State.  A leader in women’s collegiate athletics, Cloninger coordinated a national effort to establish men’s and women’s ski competition in the NCAA and was the first president of the United States Ski Coaches Association. She was also the first woman clinician at a national Fellowship of Christian Athletes Coaches Conference.