Men's Wrestler Earns Weekly Heart Award

Marshall, Mo., (Jan. 29, 2024)- A Missouri Valley College men's wrestler has been named the Heart of America Athletic Conference Men's Wrestler of the Week following his performance last week.

Junior Brenden Parks (Elburn, Ill.) has been named the Heart Men's Wrestler of the Week.  Parks, the No. 19 ranked individual at 174 pounds upset No. 4 Alex Reynolds in the team's dual with Grand View (Iowa).  Parks won by a second period (4:05) pin.  He improved to 12-5 on the season with the win.

Parks earned the first weekly Heart award of his career, and becomes the third member of the team to win the honor this season.  No. 9 Sophomore Elijah Hynes (Broken Arrow, Okla.) earned the award back on Jan. 8, and No. 15 Freshman Haden Hernandez (Huntington Beach, Calif.) was recognized back on Nov. 20.

Up next, the No. 14 Viking men's wrestling team will host Central Methodist (Mo.) in a dual, Thursday at 7 p.m., inside the Burns Athletic Complex.  Saturday, the team hosts the annual Missouri Valley Open, beginning at 9 a.m.

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.