K-State Athletics to Present Meeks with IMPACT Award

MANHATTAN, Kan. – During its celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day at Saturday's K-State women's basketball game against UCF, K-State Athletics will present K-State's 2025 Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award to former Wildcat letter winner Betsy (Sloan) Meeks.

Meeks is the fourth recipient of the K-State Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award, joining previous recipients Patricia (Drake) Potts, Tamie (Peugh) Preston and Lynn Holzman.

The K-State Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award was established to recognize a member of the K-State Family who has directly impacted the lives of girls and women through the power of sport.

"Betsy dedicated her entire working career impacting females in athletics," said K-State Deputy Athletic Director and Senior Women's Administrator Jill Shields. "Her days were filled teaching and coaching high school and college athletes. As a player at K-State, Betsy played on two of the best teams in our history, and she coached the way she competed as an athlete herself – with a lot of passion, and fire and heart. She's the exact kind of person we want to honor annually with our Impact Award."

In addition to the presentation of the Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award, K-State Athletics will host its annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic prior to the women's basketball game. Saturday's clinic has been at full capacity for over two weeks.

Meeks, a native of Salina, Kansas, was a K-State letter winner with the women's basketball team from 1979-83. As a member of the Wildcat women's basketball program, helped the squad to two Big Eight Conference titles and the first two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history in 1982 and 1983 including the program's first trip to the Elite Eight in 1982.

After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from K-State in 1983, Meeks served as an educator and coach at Manhattan High School where she led the girls' basketball team to a third place finish in the state in 1990 and a runner-up finish in 1991.

Meeks moved on to serve as the head women's basketball coach at Johnson County Community College from 1992-96 where she recorded three winning seasons. She mentored five All-Region VI selections and 10 All-East Jayhawk Conference performers.

After time away from education, Meeks served as a coach and educator at Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, Kansas, from 2007 to 2022. While at Mill Valley, Meeks coached the girls and boys basketball teams, cross country and track and field teams. She retired from a 39-year teaching and coaching career in 2022.

K-State hosts UCF on Saturday at 4 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 221 CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.

Saturday's game will air on ESPN+ and will also be available on the K-State Sports Network and the flagship stations of K-State women's basketball in Manhattan, Sunny 102.5 and 1350 KMAN.

K-State Girls and Women in Sports IMPACT Award recipients
2025    Betsy (Sloan) Meeks – women's basketball
2024   Lynn Holzman – women's basketball
2023   Tamie (Peugh) Preston - tennis
2022   Patricia (Drake) Potts – women's basketball

Kansas State University Athletics

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