Here are the stories that defined the 2022 athletics season in southwest Missouri

Southwest Missouri sports in 2022 included a handful of amazing runs from our local programs and a few sporting events that won't soon be forgotten.

Highlights in 2022 included a pair of major coaching changes at the area's flagship university, NCAA Tournament appearances and a few state championship appearances. All told, it was another great year of athletics in the Ozarks that set up some major stories for the next year.

Here were the 10 storylines throughout 2022 that grabbed our headlines. Covering your favorite teams and athletes throughout the year was a privilege and we thank you for reading throughout the year. We can't wait to see what's in store for 2023.

Bronny James helped break the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions attendance record

The Super Bowl of southwest Missouri athletics brought us the most attended Bass Pro Tournament of Champions to date with a star-studded lineup that included Bronny James.

James' Sierra Canyon squad came up short in the championship game but it was the main reason why the three-day stretch in January became the most-attended tournament of the annual event, which is dubbed as the highest-attended high school basketball tournament in the country.

The day one, two and three attendance records all fell; the three-day combined record was shattered. Championship night on Saturday saw 10,828 enter the doors — which is the third-biggest crowd in Great Southern Bank Arena history, only trailing Missouri State men's basketball winning the Valley in 2011 and the JQH Arena opener in 2008.

The three-day span saw 27,977 enter Great Southern Bank Arena; the previous record was set in 2020 with 22,553. The tournament even passed its estimated range of 25,000-27,000 based on ticket sales going into the event.

The Kickapoo girls and Nixa boys qualify for state basketball championships

Another great year for high school basketball in the Ozarks included a pair of the region's biggest programs making it all the way to the state championship and falling just short.

Kickapoo returned to the title game with star player Bella Fontleroy leading the charge. The Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year led her program's fifth consecutive district title and third state semifinal appearance since 2018. The Lady Chiefs fell to powerhouse Incarnate Word in the championship after beating Blue Springs South in the semifinals.

Nixa made it back to the state championship for the first time since 2012 as it played its final year under Jay Osborne, who retired and is now the head coach at Catholic. The Colin Ruffin and Kael Combs-led Eagles went 28-4 and looked like the best team in the Ozarks for the entire year. The year included a district championship win over Kickapoo and then beating Staley by 10 in the state semifinals. It fell by 17 to Christian Brothers College in the title game.

Amaka Agugua-Hamilton leads Missouri State Lady Bears to NCAA Tournament before leaving for Virginia

Despite a handful of injuries that could have broken a team, the Lady Bears put together a resume that was still impressive enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. It was the Lady Bears' third-straight tournament appearance — they would have had a fourth if the 2020 event wasn't canceled due to the pandemic.

A 25-8 season ended with the Lady Bears winning a First Four contest against Florida State before calling in a close game against Ohio State in the first round of the tournament in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. By the end of the year, the Lady Bears were led by Brice Calip, Abigayle Jackson and Sydney Wilson after losing Jasmine Franklin and Abby Hipp to ACL tears earlier in the year.

Following the Lady Bears' postseason run, head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton left the school to return to her home state to become the head coach at Virginia. She finished her career with a 74-15 record that included a 46-6 record in Missouri Valley Conference play.

Beth Cunningham hired by Missouri State Lady Bears

Missouri State followed Coach Mox's departure by hiring Duke assistant coach Beth Cunningham to take over the Lady Bears program.

Cunningham brought an impressive resume having coached eight seasons under Muffet McGraw and winning a national championship at her alma mater, Notre Dame. She was a part of one of the best offensive stretches in NCAA women's basketball history while also qualifying for five Final Fours.

Before Notre Dame, Cunningham spent 11 seasons at Virginia Commonwealth with one as an associate head coach and nine as the one in charge. She went 167-115 and had postseason appearances in each of her final five years.

Cunningham currently has an extremely young roster at Missouri State that she's trying to get in a good spot before MVC play begins. She also has promising recruits coming in over the next few seasons.

Catholic, Logan-Rogersville baseball make state championship games

Catholic and Logan-Rogersville each put together impressive baseball seasons to go on runs to play in state championship games.

Catholic was led by the great arms of Ben Smith and Coleman Morrison. The team went 18-11 while playing one of the most difficult schedules in the state but got big-time performances from its pitchers when it needed them.

Rogersville had a handful of standouts during a 26-8 season in which the Wildcats averaged more than nine runs per game for the second year in a row. The Wildcats run-ruled four of the six teams they played in the postseason and were led by the play of Curry Sutherland and Ross Lawrence throughout.

Missouri State baseball goes on improbable run to make it back to the NCAA Tournament

Missouri State baseball appeared to be headed toward another season without an NCAA Tournament appearance but an improbable run through the MVC Tournament put the program on an upward trajectory it appears will continue.

The ups and downs of the regular season went for naught as the Bears played their way out of a play-in game and won their way through the remainder of the MVC Tournament to dogpile on the Hammons Field mound at the very end for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.

In the NCAA Tournament, the Bears dropped their first game but fought their way back when down 7-1 heading into the eighth inning to come away with an 8-7 victory. Mason Hull hit a go-ahead two-run home run down the left field line with no outs in the ninth.

Their season ended in a wild 29-15 loss to Oklahoma State in the highest-scoring matchup in NCAA Tournament history. But the momentum from the tournament run carried over to recruiting as the Bears will enter 2023 with much anticipation around a revamped pitching staff and a roster with plenty returning.

Missouri State men's basketball had a giant roster overhaul

After Missouri State men's basketball qualified for its first NIT appearance since 2011, nearly the entire roster entered the transfer portal and Dana Ford had to rebuild quickly.

Fan favorites that included the likes of Isiaih Mosley, Isaac Haney, Demarcus Sharp, Ja'Monta Black and others all felt their services would be best used elsewhere. Ford responded by adding 14 newcomers to the roster that's currently playing.

Side-by-side, you wouldn't recognize the two rosters from one year to the next. It remains to be seen how the new group will finish after a rough start to the season.

Missouri State football's highly anticipated season fell flat

Picked as one of the top five teams in the country heading into one of the most highly anticipated football seasons in Missouri State history, the Bears wound up having a disappointing year that included a five-game losing streak in the middle of 2022.

It would've been hard to imagine after the Bears held a 2-0 record and a 10-point fourth-quarter lead at Arkansas to start the season. They instead went on to lose the game in Fayetteville and then dropped their next four for a 5-6 season that will go down as one of the program's more disappointing years — considering the expectations.

There were still small moments throughout the year that gave Bears fans excitement including the play from quarterback Jason Shelley, wide receiver Ty Scott and others. Unfortunately, it was far short of the championship expectations they talked up for themselves heading into the year.

Reeds Spring, Lamar each qualify for state championships

Southwest Missouri had a pair of football teams go on runs to the state championship with both coming up just short. One team basically has a second home in Columbia where the state championships are played while the other made its first appearance ever in a title game.

Lamar made it for the 10th time since 2011 in a 12-2 season that ended in a 32-27 loss to Blair Oaks in the Class 2 state title game. The Tigers were led by the great play of Joel Beshore and Austin Wilkerson throughout their senior years among others.

Reeds Spring made its great run behind senior star Caden Wiest along with standouts including Eben Crain, James Dowdy, Blandy Burall and others for the greatest run in school history. The Wolves ran into a buzzsaw when they got to the championship game against an extremely talented Cardinal Ritter program that won its first title in school history.

Bobby Petrino leaves Missouri State, Ryan Beard named new head coach

The year couldn't end without perhaps the biggest story of 2022 when Bears head coach Bobby Petrino departed the program after three seasons as head coach to become the offensive coordinator at UNLV. Petrino was responsible for turning the Bears' football program around and going to their first two postseason appearances since 1990.

It didn't take long and the Bears didn't have to search wide for their next head coach as they promoted from within. Defensive coordinator Ryan Beard, 33, was named the Bears' 22nd head coach in program history. He will give the Bears continuity with the coaching staff, outside of Petrino, expected to stay the same.

Beard landed the recruits the Bears were scheduled to sign during December's signing period. The direction of the program moving forward under Beard will certainly be one of the highlights of 2023.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Southwest Missouri top sports stories of 2022 athletics season