The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame celebrated outstanding female athletes at its Women’s Sports Luncheon in Springfield last week, recognizing two individuals with Republic connections.
Sherri Dunn-Drain, a 1983 Republic High School graduate, received a posthumous Wynn Award. Dunn-Drain, who passed away in 2022, was an early standout in Republic’s girls sports program from 1981 to 1983, earning six All-State medals in track and field and All-State recognition in cross country.
Her athletic achievements included a state championship in the 3200-meter run in 1983 and a fourth-place finish in the 1600 meters that spring. In 1981, she placed third in both the 1600 and 3200 meters, and in 1982, she was runner-up in both events while also placing seventh at the state cross country meet. Dunn-Drain held the school record in the two-mile run until 2023 and placed third nationally in the Junior Olympics in cross country.
Craig Dunn accepted the award on behalf of his sister.
“It was very emotional,” Dunn said. “As I have fun telling people, Sherri was talented in every way that I’m not, and so it was just an honor for her to be recognized.”
Dunn credited former Republic superintendent Bill Schatz for sparking his sister’s interest in running.
“It was back in the junior high age, Bill Schatz would round up kids and would take them to cross-country meets,” Dunn said. “Somehow Sherri got picked to go along, and she just developed a love for running at that point. Obviously from that point, she earned it and worked for it, but Bill opened up the door for her as superintendent.”
Yvette Buhlig Pearce, who lives in Republic and previously coached eighth-grade volleyball for one season at Republic, also received recognition at the banquet. Pearce, who is married to Republic superintendent Matt Pearce, was a three-sport athlete at Santa Fe High School in Alma, earning 10 All-State honors.
Pearce led her high school volleyball team to four state championships (1984-1987). In basketball, she was a three-time All-State selection with 1,907 career points. She was also the 1988 state champion in the 110 hurdles and triple jump in track.
At the University of Missouri from 1988 to 1993, Pearce still ranks first all-time in kills, fourth in hitting percentage, and second in service aces. In 1992, she was an NCAA All-American and Mizzou’s Female Athlete of the Year.
For the past 25 years, Pearce has coached young players in the Springfield area. She serves as co-director of the Missouri Youth Sports League for volleyball and as director of the Static Volleyball Club.
“From a small town like that, it just was so fun to be able to have that type of experience,” Pearce said of the recognition. “The coaches I had involved in my life turned me really into who I was. It was just the right people, the right place, the right time. It was a pretty cool experience.”
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