MARYVILLE, Mo. – The 2024 Northwest Missouri State University M-Club Hall of Fame class has been announced. Five individuals will join the 2007 and 2008 Bearcat football teams in this fall's induction class.

The Class of 2024's individual inductees include early age inductee Erik Petersen (Football) along with modern age inductees Ryan Jones (Football), Kira Lazenby (Soccer), Kendra Smith Porter (Softball) and Amanda Urquhart (Softball).

The 2007 and 2008 Bearcat football squads, under the direction of hall of fame head coach Mel Tjeerdsma, each captured MIAA regular season titles with perfect 9-0 marks in conference action and played in the NCAA Div. II national championship game.
 
The ages have been established to ensure a focus on candidates from throughout the history of Bearcat athletics. The modern age includes candidates from the last 30 years, while the early age includes candidates from 31-plus years and earlier.

The Class of 2024 will be inducted into the M-Club Hall of Fame during the annual festivities on Friday, Oct. 18 in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom and will be recognized during the Homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 19, vs. Central Missouri. Tickets for the Friday evening banquet are $35 each and may be purchased by contacting Brenda Lutz by email (blutz@nwmissouri.edu) or phone 660-562-1977. Seating for the event is limited and the deadline to reserve your spot at the banquet is Oct. 1, or until tickets are sold out.
 
The 2024 class will bring the total of individual inductees to 176. The M-Club Hall of Fame was established for individuals in 1980 and teams were first enshrined beginning in 1989.
 
 
Ryan Jones (Football – 2006-2010)
Ryan Jones was named the 2010 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year as he led the league with six interceptions. In 2010, Jones returned two interceptions for touchdowns with one each against Missouri Western and Emporia State. Jones ranks No. 8 in Bearcat history with 14 interceptions, including four in postseason play. Jones was a first-team All-America choice in 2010 by the AP Little America, D2Football.com, American Football Coaches Association and Don Hansen Gazette. Jones was also a two-time first-team all-MIAA pick in 2009 and 2010. Jones played in 56 career games and registered 191 career tackles. He was credited with 52 career passes defended (38 pass breakups and 14 interceptions), which ranks No. 3 in MIAA history and tied No. 26 in NCAA Div. II history. He was the Phil Voge Award winner in 2007 as Northwest's top freshman when he stepped in for an injured Brandon Clayton. Jones tallied 53 total tackles, three blocked kicks and two interceptions and returned a fumble 72 yards for a touchdown against Missouri Southern in his freshman season. Jones was a member of the 2009 NCAA Div. II national championship squad.
 
 
Kira Lazenby (Soccer – 2008-2009)
Lazenby is the first Bearcat women's soccer player to be enshrined in the M Club Hall of Fame. In 2009, Lazenby was named the MIAA Goalkeeper of the Year and tallied first-team all-league status. She gained second-team all-MIAA honors in 2008. She began her college career at Iowa Western Community College. At Iowa Western, Lazenby was a two-time NJCAA All-America performer. Lazenby redshirted one season at UTEP before transferring to Northwest. Lazenby was a terrific goalkeeper in her two seasons as a Bearcat. She recorded eight shutouts in both 2008 and 2009, which at the time set the single-season and career shutout marks for the Bearcats. Lazenby's 20 wins ranks as the third-most in program history. She possessed a career save percentage of 83.8%, which ranks third in school history. She was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 13, 2009, after leading Northwest to shutout wins over Washburn and Truman State. She scored her only career goal with just under three minutes remaining in her final collegiate game at Southwest Baptist on Nov. 7, 2009.
 
 
Erik Petersen (Football – 1987-1991)
Erik Petersen gained second-team Associated Press Little All-America honors in the 1991 season. Petersen posted three consecutive first-team all-MIAA seasons in 1989, 1990 and 1991. Petersen completed his Bearcat career as the all-time sack leader with 21.5. Petersen currently ranks No. 6 on the Bearcat career sack chart. Petersen tallied 152 career tackles as a Bearcat. He led Northwest in sacks and tackles-for-loss in his sophomore (8 sacks, 7 TFLs), junior (9 sacks, 5 TFLs) and senior (4.5 sacks, 1 TFLs) seasons.
 
 
Kendra (Smith) Porter (Softball – 1997-2000)
Kendra (Smith) Porter became the eighth different Bearcat to gain Academic All-America® honors as a senior in 2000. She was also a finalist for the 2000 Ken B. Jones Award. Smith captured the league batting title (.440) and helped lead the Bearcats to their last MIAA tournament title in 1999. Smith set (and still holds) the MIAA record in 2000 with a 24-game hitting streak from March 28 through May 6. She was a two-time first-team all-MIAA selection as an outfielder. She also gained second-team all-MIAA status in 1997 and 1998. She completed her career as the all-time Bearcat leader in hits (237), batting average (.396), runs (115) and stolen bases (51). Following the 2024 season, she ranks second in hits, second in batting average, third in stolen bases and seventh in runs scored. Smith hit .456 as a senior for the third-highest single-season total in program history. She rapped out 83 hits in the 2000 season, a single-season mark that still ranks as the standard in Bearcat softball history.
 
 
Amanda Urquhart (Softball – 1997-2000)
Amanda Urquhart, who played third base, is Northwest's only three-time first-team all-MIAA pick in program history. Urquhart also tallied second-team status in 1997. She played in 134 games and made 133 starts over four seasons as a Bearcat. She posted a .341 career batting average with 189 total hits and 113 RBI. Urquhart posted 10 career triples and ranks tied for fourth in program history. Urquhart posted 383 assists, which ranks No. 3 in school annals. She, along with fellow M Club Hall of Famer Kendra Smith, helped lead the Bearcats to the 1999 MIAA tournament title.
 
 
2007 Football Team
The 2007 Bearcat football team posted a 12-2 overall record and went 9-0 in MIAA play. Northwest took down three top-four ranked teams in the NCAA Div. II playoffs to reach its third straight national title game. Northwest throttled No. 4-ranked West Texas A&M in the first round, 56-28. Northwest then went on the road and knocked off No. 2-ranked Chadron State, 26-13. The Bearcats returned home for the national semifinal matchup with No. 1-ranked Grand Valley State and recorded a 34-16 win over the Lakers. The victory featured a raucous 98-yard touchdown run by Xavier Omon in the fourth quarter to cap the game's scoring. The win snapped GVSU's 40-game winning streak and its shot at three consecutive national titles. Northwest had lost to GVSU in each of the previous two national title games. Head coach Mel Tjeerdsma was honored as the MIAA Coach of the Year. Omon was named the MIAA Offensive MVP, while Jared Erspamer garnered the league's Defensive MVP award.

2007 Northwest Mo. St. Football Schedule/Results
Sept. 8           at #11 Nebraska-Omaha     L, 25-21
Sept. 15         at Missouri Western             W, 44-20
Sept. 22         Truman State                        W, 53-6
Sept. 29         Southwest Baptist                W, 86-13
Oct. 6             vs. #16 Pittsburg State^      W, 37-34
Oct. 13           Central Missouri                   W, 28-26
Oct. 20           at Fort Hays State                W, 17-10
Oct. 27           Washburn                              W, 28-27
Nov. 3             at Emporia State                  W, 24-7
Nov. 10           Missouri Southern                W, 49-14
Nov. 24           #4 West Texas A&M*           W, 56-28
Dec. 1            at #2 Chadron State*           W, 26-13
Dec. 8            #1 Grand Valley State*        W, 34-16
Dec. 15          vs. #8 Valdosta State*         L, 25-20
^ - Fall Classic in Arrowhead Stadium
* - NCAA Div. II Playoffs
 
 
2008 Football Team
Northwest reached its fourth consecutive NCAA Div. II national championship game and went 13-2. The Bearcat went a perfect 9-0 in MIAA action to extend a conference winning streak that eventually reached 49 games in 2011. Northwest dropped its season opener at home to Abilene Christian before running off 13 consecutive victories. The '08 squad featured MIAA offensive MVP Joel Osborn and MIAA defensive MVP Myles Burnsides. Burnsides was also selected as the Daktronics National Defensive Player of the Year and the Football Gazette's National Defensive Back of the Year. Head coach Mel Tjeerdsma was named the AFCA National Coach of the Year. In the first-round NCAA playoff game at home against Pittsburg State, Osborn completed a 27-yard pass to Nick Rhodes on a 4th-and-10 before hitting Kendall Wright for a 15-yard touchdown pass on the ensuing play with 55 seconds left to lift the Bearcats to a 38-35 victory. Northwest got some revenge in the second-round game at No. 2 Abilene Christian. ACU had defeated Northwest to begin the season in Maryville, 44-27. Northwest was able to record a 45-36 win over No. 2-ranked ACU in the playoffs. Northwest advanced to Florence, Ala., with a 41-7 drubbing of North Alabama in the semifinal matchup at Bearcat Stadium. Minnesota-Duluth was able to score a 21-14 victory in the title game matchup on Dec. 13.

2008 Northwest Mo. St. Football Schedule/Results
Aug. 30          #8 Abilene Christian             L, 44-27
Sept. 6           Southwest Baptist                W, 63-28
Sept. 13         Missouri Western                 W, 42-35
Sept. 20         at Truman State                    W, 49-0
Sept. 27         at Nebraska-Omaha            W, 42-0
Oct. 4             vs. #6 Pittsburg State^        W, 35-10
Oct. 11           at #17 Central Missouri       W, 20-13
Oct. 18           Fort Hays State                    W, 56-7
Oct. 25           at Washburn                         W, 24-21
Nov. 1             Emporia State                       W, 56-7
Nov. 8             at Missouri Southern           W, 48-24
Nov. 22           #10 Pittsburg State*            W, 38-35
Nov. 29           at #2 Abilene Christian*       W, 45-36
Dec. 6            #5 North Alabama*              W, 41-7
Dec. 13          vs. #6 Minnesota-Duluth*   L, 21-14
^ - Fall Classic in Arrowhead Stadium
* - NCAA Div. II Playoffs