Missouri Valley Puts 130 on Heart Scholar Athlete List, Leads Conference
Marshall, Mo., (July 16, 2024)- Missouri Valley College student-athletes have been recognized by the Heart of America Athletic Conference as Heart Scholar Athletes for the 2023-24 academic year, leading the conference in total award winners.
A total of 130 student-athletes earned the scholar athlete honor to set a new department record, and lead all schools in the Heart for the academic year. In all, 22 athletic programs had at least one student-athlete recognized. Honorees must have been on the varsity roster, maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher, accumulated a minimum of 60 credit hours, completed at least five semesters, and attended Missouri Valley for at least two semesters.
"This is a true testimony to the hard work and determination displayed by our students, faculty and coaches," said Missouri Valley College President Dr. Joe Parisi. "I am very proud of the teamwork and academic environment cultivated to set a new bar for academics and Missouri Valley College athletics.
Men's soccer led all programs with 18 total selections, followed by baseball with 14 selections, while both football and women's volleyball followed with 12 selections respectively.
"I cannot express the amount of pride this brings us all at Missouri Valley College," said Athletic Director Mike Machholz. "For years we've been known for our athletics while quietly achieving academic successes. This helps validate what we at MVC have always known. Missouri Valley College is a great place to get an education. The Heart is an outstanding conference, not only in athletics, but also in academics. By leading the Heart with 130 scholar athletes, that reflects the hard work that our MVC coaches and administration have been putting towards changing the overall perception of Missouri Valley College. Twenty-four of our programs had at least one student-athlete on the list. Couple this with the 115 NAIA Scholar Athletes, I think it is safe to say we are focused on academics and athletics at MVC. I would like to thank our coaches, and their staffs for their diligence and leadership with our student-athletes keeping the eye on the ultimate prize."
Missouri Valley was one of only four athletic departments in the Heart to reach 100 scholar athlete honorees. Grand View (Iowa) finished with 119, Baker (Kan.) had 106 and Graceland totaled 100 selections.
Heart Scholar Athlete List-Click Here
About Missouri Valley College
Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.