VEST ARRIVES TO TAKE REINS OF MEN’S WRESTLING
Taking over as just the third modern-day Head Coach of the men’s wrestling program is a Viking wrestling alumnus Beau Vest. Vest is returning to his roots, where he was a standout member of the men's wrestling program in the late '90s, earning remarkable accolades, including being a four-time NAIA All-American, a three-time National finalist, and the 1996 National Champion at 118 pounds. He was also pivotal in leading both the 1996 and 1997 National Championship teams. A 2001 Missouri Valley College graduate, Vest comes back to the program after many successful stops as a head coach. He launched the men's and
women's wrestling programs at Midland (Neb.) in 2010 and 2011, respectively, where he earned accolades as Conference Coach of the Year twice and Region Coach of the Year in 2012, coaching numerous All-Americans and National Champions. He also started the program at NJCAA Cowley (Kan.), achieving four top-15 finishes, coaching six All-Americans, and a National Champion. In his first season leading the Viking men’s wrestling program, Vest has kept the team Nationally ranked throughout the season and qualified nine members for the 2025 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship. The team had two All-Americans in Vest's first year.
SHOOTING 2ND AT NATIONALS; FRESHMAN WINS 2 NATIONAL TITLES The Missouri Valley College shotgun sports team finished one of the program’s best performances at a national event with its results from the ACUI Collegiate National Championship in San Antonio, Texas, in mid- March. The shotgun sports team competes in four disciplines, including American trap, skeet, double skeet and sporting clays. Freshman Olivia Simmons (Flower Mound, Texas) put together one of the best performances in program-history, finishing as a two-time National champion.
Simmons earned individual national titles in both skeet and double skeet, becoming the first student- athlete to earn two National championships in one season. In skeet, Simmons finished with a score of 94/100, and won in double skeet with a score of 88/100. As a team, the Vikings had one the program’s best finishes in an individual category, placing third overall in American trap, totaling a 491/500 score, finishing only three shots off of first place. Leading the team was Senior Charlie Maddox (Forest, Va.) and Freshman Lodden Axtell (Muscatine, Iowa) who both finished with scores of 99/100. The other three scorers in the event were Senior Blayne Kolb (Maysville, Mo.) and Senior Boe Caplan (Buellton, Calif.), both finishing with scores of 98/100, and Sophomore Jack Duffin (Novato, Calif.) added a 97/100. Missouri Valley finished second in the Division II High Overall team standings. The Vikings posted scores of 491 in American trap, 462 in skeet and 422 in sporting clays to end with a total of 1,375, trailing only Georgia Southern, which was first with a score of 1,425. The second place performance was the best finish in the High Overall standings in program-history.
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