By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The St. Joseph Sports Commission has named Missouri Western women's basketball coach Candi Whitaker as the inaugural winner of the Woman of Impact Award.
In conjunction with the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 induction ceremony and in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, the Woman of Impact Award recognizes outstanding achievement from a female athlete, coach, administrator or contributor over the past year.
In her third season at Missouri Western, Whitaker led the Griffons back to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1995 with a Central Region Championship win over Fort Hays State in Hays, Kansas this past March.
Whitaker helped Missouri Western to a 24-win season - her second 20-plus win season in her three-year tenure. The berth in the NCAA tournament was a first for the Griffon women's program since 2016.
The Woman of Impact Award was also inspired by Kansas State legend and St. Joseph native Bill Snyder, who spoke of the strong impact his mother, Marionetta, made on his life during his induction speech at the inaugural Hall of Fame ceremony last September. Snyder will be on hand to present the award.
Whitaker will be honored on Sunday, September 18 at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center on the same night as the 2022 St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame class, consisting of 10 individual inductees, one team and the Special Olympics Athlete of the Year.
Social hour begins at 4 p.m. with the ceremony starting at 5 PM. Tickets are $25 per person, and may be purchased at stjomosports.com or by calling 816-233-6688.
