Kellie Suttle
Arkansas State track & field, 1994-1996
Hall of Honor, 2016
A natural. That’s what Arkansas State alum Kellie Suttle was in the pole vault. Despite not picking up the sport until she was a senior at Arkansas State, Suttle went on to have an acclaimed international career that included two Olympics.
Suttle was a gymnast in her youth and a long jumper in high school, with the latter earning her the opportunity to compete for the then-Indians. After redshirting in 1995 due to a stress fracture, she decided to try her hand at the pole vault due to the urging of both Jeff Hartwig and Earl Bell. It was an instant fit.
Within a month after picking up the pole, she jumped 9 feet 6, which was good enough for a trip to the indoor nationals. Shortly after that, she became the first ever champion of the women’s pole vault at the historic Penn Relays.
Suttle’s career really took off after graduation. A pioneer in the sport, which was not an official International Track and Field/Olympic event until 1995, she became the second woman in United States history to clear 15 feet in 2001.
She competed in both the 2000 (Syndney) and 2004 (Athens) Olympics. Additionally, Suttle competed at the World Championships in 1999, the Pan American Games in 2001 (silver medal), the World Indoor Championships in 2001 (silver medal), 2003, and 2006, and at the Goodwill Games in 1998 and 2001. In US competition, she took the top spot in the 1998 outdoor championships and 2006 indoor championships.
Suttle was inducted into the Arkansas State Hall of Honor in 2016. (Photo: A-State Athletics)
Amy Holt
Arkansas State senior women’s administrator, 2013-present
Executive Senior Associate AD
It might almost be easier to explain what Amy Holt doesn’t do as the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Women’s Administrator at Arkansas State than what she does. In her 11 years in Jonesboro, Holt has worn many, many hats.
Holt joined the A-State staff in July of 2013 after spending nine-plus years (2003-13) directing the women’s tennis program at Kansas and 15 years overall with the Jayhawks and has served as the SWA since. That role includes being the sport administrator for tennis, volleyball, soccer, track & field, mental health, sports medicine, and strength & conditioning.
That barely scratches the surface of all Holt has done at A-State. She has served as interim AD, interim head coach (at least 3x for tennis alone!), oversaw all 16 program athletic budgets, plus dealt with distributions from the Sun Belt & the NCAA, guided several coaching searches, and handled the ins & outs of day-to-day operations.
An additional priority is to support the Red Wolves’ coaches, sending messages of support and encouragement to A-State’s program leaders. “I try to coach up the coaches,” Holt said on the Second to None Podcast in April.
Above all though, Holt continues to advocate for student athletes, whether in an official capacity to help expand mental health services or just as a listening ear. “My door is always open.” (Photo: A-State Athletics)
Sue Jayroe
Arkansas State women’s basketball, 1977-80
Hall of Honor, 1997
There are all-time great rebounders, and then there’s Sue Jayroe.
Over 40 years after her Arkansas State career ended, Jayroe still stands among the best in women’s basketball history in cleaning up on the glass.
From Palestine, Ark., Jayroe arrived on campus for the 1976-77 season and made an immediate impact. She set the tone that year by leading the then-Tomahawks in field goal percentage and would continue to do so the following three years of her career. She also, of course, got to work on the boards. Jayroe hauled in 23 rebounds in a game versus Arkansas Tech that season, which is still the best single-game performance in A-State women’s basketball history. While she did not lead the team in rebounding as a freshman, she did every season after that.
Jayroe had her best rebounding season in 1977-78, putting up 10.3 rebounds per game- still the best single season in program history. She led the team in both points and rebounding the following two years, becoming the first member of the 1,000 points-1,000 rebounds club. She is still today one of only three members of that prestigious group.
Jayroe ranks 2nd all-time in total rebounds, and 12th all-time in total points. She was inducted into the Hall of Honor in 1997. (Photo; A-State Athletics)
MJ Desbiens-Shaw
Arkansas State women’s golf coach, 2010-present
14 seasons. That’s how long MJ Desbiens Shaw has been at the helm of Arkansas State women’s golf, with season 15 on the way. You have to be pretty good at what you’re doing to stick around at any job that long, especially in a field with as much change as college athletics.
MJ Desbiens Shaw was named the head coach in June of 2010, taking over a program that had just two tournament wins in its last eight seasons. The Red Wolves were able to match that total in year one of her leadership, and won the very first tournament she coached at the Chip-N-Club Invitational in Lincoln, Neb.
In the years since, that list of wins has significantly grown. The Red Wolves have had 16 tournament wins and 41 top-3 finishes under Desbiens Shaw’s guidance. The program boasts one Sun Belt Player of the Year (Olivia Schmidt), a SBC Freshman of the Year (Aracelly Jiminez Rios), six all-SBC players, and 24 WGCA All-America Scholars during her time at the helm. Of the top-10 seasons in stroke average, all 10 occurred when Desbiens Shaw was the coach.
A-State women’s golf is still reaching new heights. The program participated in the postseason for the first time ever in May of 2024, closing out a historic season with a fourth-place finish in the National Golf Invitational. The team finished with its lowest ever stroke average in the 2023-24 season, plus set new program records for birdies & eagles, tied its lowest tournament round score, and had two top tournament finishes. (Photo: A-State Athletics)
Beth Cochran Thomas
Arkansas State volleyball, 1996-1999
Hall of Honor, 2017
Described as quiet and humble off the court by former Arkansas State volleyball coach Craig Cummings, Beth Cochran Thomas was anything but when she was in action. A powerful force, her name is still all over the record book in blocks and kills.
Cochran Thomas is a California native but made the move across the country to join the then-Indians in 1996. She wasted little time in making a strong first impression, earning Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors that season while leading the league in blocks. The following season, she set the program record in kills per set and earned her first of three consecutive All-Sun Belt first-team honors.
Cochran Thomas capped off her A-State career with a stellar senior campaign. The middle hitter was named Sun Belt Player of the Year in 1999 and is the only player in A-State history to earn both Freshman of the Year and overall Player of the Year league honors. She also earned AVCA All-Region honors that season. Additionally, the team won the league tournament in 1999 and made it to the NCAA tournament, finishing the year with a 28-7 record. She is the all-time leader in total blocks and block assists and ranks second all-time in kills.
A-State went 96-39 during Cochran Thomas’ years with the program. She was inducted into the Hall of Honor in 2017. (Photo: A-State Athletics)
Sharika Nelvis
Arkansas State track & field, 2011-2014
Hall of Honor, 2021
If you’re putting together a Mount Rushmore- not just of track & field, not just of women’s sports, but of every athlete to suit up for Arkansas State- Sharika Nelvis goes on it.
The Memphis native arrived on the scene at A-State in 2011 and quickly became the Sun Belt’s top track and field athlete. She repeated that feat in both 2012 and 2013, with top honors in both indoor & outdoor league competition.
Nelvis’s senior season in 2014 saw her stake her claim as not just the league’s top hurdler, but the top collegiate hurdler in the entire nation. She became the NCAA indoor champion in the 60 m hurdles (7.93) and outdoor champion in the 100 m hurdles (12.52w). She won the Honda Sports Award for the best collegiate female track and field athlete in the nation and was one of three finalists for the Bowerman, referred to as the track & field Heisman.
With her incredible accomplishments in the hurdles, it’s easy to forget Nelvis was a standout in other events as well. She still holds the program record in the indoor & outdoor long jump, plus several indoor & outdoor sprinting records. All in all, she won a staggering 24 Sun Belt Conference titles.
In addition to her 2021 Hall of Honor induction, Nelvis is also an Arkansas Track & Field Hall of Famer (2022). She turned pro in 2015, won her first U.S. title in the women’s 60m hurdles (7.70) at the 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, and continues to compete around the world. (Photo: A-State Athletics)
Jordan Richard
Arkansas State bowling 2015-2018
Even in a program absolutely loaded with success, what Jordan Richard did on the lanes for Arkansas State bowling stands out.
After beginning her career at Central Missouri, Jordan- along with twin sister Haley- joined the Red Wolves program in 2015. As is often the case with great players, she wasted little time in making a strong first impression, finishing third individually in her first event with the team and earning all-tournament team honors. She continued to set the bar her sophomore season and led the team in scoring average while also garnering First-Team National Tenpin Coaches Association All-America honors.
The success at A-State continued from there. Richard earned her first NTCA Division I Player of the Year laurels as a junior and became the first player in NCAA women’s bowling history to receive POY awards at different levels after winning DII/III Player of the Year at Central Missouri as a freshman. She was again named D1 Player of the Year as a senior, becoming the first and only player in A-State history to earn that honor twice. Throughout her career, Richard was named to 19 all-tournament teams and earned tournament MVP honors seven times, including twice at the Southland Bowling Championship, and was recognized as a first-team All-American three times. She also competed for Junior Team USA during her time as a Red Wolf, helping lead the team to the overall championship at the 2016 World Youth Championships and earning two medals in the event.
She has continued her incredible career on the lanes as a pro and made her debut with the Professional Women’s Bowling Association in 2018. In just her fourth professional event, she won her first title on June 16 of that year and would later be voted as PWBA Rookie of the Year. She was named PWBA Player of the Year in 2023. (Photo: A-State Athletics)
Shawna Sparks
Arkansas State soccer, 2002-2005
Hall of Honor, 2019
Shawna Sparks’ biography page on the official Arkansas State website is loaded with high praise, and a not-so-bold prediction: “Will continue to distance herself and leave her mark on the Lady Indian record books this year.” It was easy to expect a record-setting senior season for Sparks after all she had accomplished her prior years in the Scarlet & Black.
A multi-sport athlete that found her way to Arkansas from Arizona, she joined the then-Indians after a great prep career at Aqua Fria High School. How well did things start for Sparks? In the 30th minute of the first ever game of her freshman campaign, Sparks recorded her first collegiate point with an assist. It was off to rewrite the record books after that.
The following season saw Sparks move from center midfielder to forward, and she easily adjusted to the switch. During her sophomore season in 2003, she set then-program records for most points, most goals, and most game-winning goals in a season, plus still-standing records for most multi-goal games (4) and most points in a game (9).
Sparks’ junior and senior years only added to her accomplishments. She set then-program records in career points and career goals as a junior, while the young program reached its highest level of success to that point by clinching a winning home record for the first time. As a senior, Sparks earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors, the first player from A-State to do so. She was also named to the Sun Belt Conference all-time soccer team while still an active player in 2005. For her career, she still ranks in the top-10 in nine statistical categories.
Sparks is currently the only soccer player in the Hall of Honor, having been inducted in 2019. (Photo: A-State Athletics)
Dr. Abby Cheng
Arkansas State volleyball, 1989-1990
For fans, college athletics can provide entertainment, joy, a sense of school spirit, and fun opportunities to connect with other passionate fans. For the student athletes themselves, college athletics also provides incredible opportunities away from the game, which was the case for Dr. Abby Cheng.
After two years at American River College, a junior college in Sacramento, Cheng earned a scholarship opportunity to Arkansas State. While she had several partial scholarship offers, A-State was the only school to offer her a full ride. Cheng jumped at the opportunity despite never visiting the program and fit in quickly.
During her two years at Arkansas State, the volleyball team combined to go 82-14, including a school-record 43 wins in 1989. Additionally, A-State went 21-1 in the American South Conference and qualified for the Women’s Invitational Volleyball Championship both seasons.
In terms of individual accomplishments, Cheng was a two-time selection to the American South Conference commissioner’s list. Despite only playing for the Indians for two seasons Cheng still ranks tied for 3rd for her career in the non-rally era in solo blocks. Both her ’89 and ’90 seasons rank in the top five seasons in solo blocks, block assists, and total blocks. However, it was what was happening off the court at A-State for Cheng that really made a difference.
Cheng discovered a love for research while doing labs at A-State. She received a Bachelor of Science in biology, and followed that with a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco and a doctorate in cell and molecular biology from Vanderbilt. She then turned her passion for science into a passion for helping others learn about and love science too, spending several years working with the non-profit Science Club for Girls.
Cheng was named a NCAA Silver Anniversary Award winner in 2016, a prestigious honor given to only six former student athletes per year on their 25th anniversary as college graduates. The award recognizes personal distinction following graduation. Cheng continues her work in STEM today as the Program Manager and Science Student Career Mentoring Specialist at the University of Massachusetts Boston. (Photo: A-State Athletics)
Julie Hagood
Arkansas State women’s basketball, 1997-2000
Hall of Honor, 2010
A “fiercely competitive court general.” That’s how Julie Hagood was described in her four outstanding years with Arkansas State women’s basketball.
The daughter of a basketball coach, Hagood’s time at A-State followed an incredibly successful prep career at Pocahontas with the Redskins going 107-5 and winning two state titles while she was with the program. Her time with the then-Indians started just as strong.
As is the case with many exceptional players, Hagood thrived in the college ranks right away. She scored 21 points in her A-State debut, helping the team win the ’97 opener, 95-89 in OT, over Illinois. Hagood continued with her phenomenal first impression and earned Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
The following three years for Hagood in the Scarlet & Black were just more of the same. As a sophomore, Hagood earned all-conference honors for the 2nd time in her career after averaging 15.8 points per game and shooting 40% from 3. She again earned All-SBC honors as a junior and senior, leading A-State in scoring and upping her scoring average each season. The team found success as well, playing in the postseason WNIT in 1999 & 2000.
Hagood’s name can still be found all over the A-State record books. She was an excellent shooter from 3 and flat-out automatic at the stripe, where her career percentages still rank 3rd & 2nd respectively all-time. Her 1,840 career points scored is also a top-20 mark in all of Sun Belt Conference history.
Hagood was inducted into the Hall of Honor in 2010. (Photo: A-State Athletics)