Missouri Valley Women’s Wrestling Selected for Heart Sportsmanship Team Award

For their display of the NAIA's Five Core Character Values on and off the mat of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship & Servant Leadership, the Missouri Valley women's wrestling team has been selected the 2022 Heart Sportsmanship Team Award recipient for the sport of women's wrestling.

"This award was developed by the Heart Association of Student-Athletes (HASA) and I am proud to see this come to fruition," said Heart of America Athletic Conference Commissioner Lori Thomas. "Under head coach Carl Murphree, the Vikings are very deserving of this inaugural award."

This is the first year of the Heart Sportsmanship Team award, as teams are nominated by Athletics Administrators, Game Officials, Coaches, Student-Athletes and Fans.

Here is what the nominators had to say about the Vikings:

"What was impressive about the Missouri Valley women's wrestling team is the involvement in every match and encouragement by the athletes for their teammates. They provided positive cheers, advice and encouragement in every match. There wasn't one bout for Missouri Valley on the mat that there wasn't a teammate present for their fellow teammate competing. Absolute servant leadership!"

For the winter season, the Heart will be awarding its Sportsmanship Team award to one team from each sport of women's basketball, men's basketball, men's wrestling, women's wrestling, men's bowling and women's bowling.

If you would like to nominate a team in the future for the Heart Sportsmanship Team Award, please click here.