MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – Dave Parsons, the sports information
director at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, was recently announced as
the sports information honoree and a finalist for the Grant Burger Media
Award that is presented annually by the American Volleyball Coaches
Association (AVCA).

The AVCA Grant Burger Media Award is an honor intended to
recognize members of the media who have been involved in the advancement
of the sport of volleyball, whether it be through consistent coverage in
all mediums (sports information, print, broadcasting, and web content),
production of volleyball-specific publications or extensive radio and/or
television exposure. It is named in honor of Grant Burger, the former
director of sports information and associate director of the AVCA from
1988-1992, whose hard work, innovative mind, knowledge and enthusiasm
took the areas of media relations and publications at the AVCA to a
higher level and increased awareness of the sport of volleyball
nationwide. A finalist is selected in each of the following categories:
broadcast, print, web, and sports information/athletic communications.
Furthermore, the sports information finalist comes from 31 different
region winners from each of the three NCAA divisions as well as the
NAIA.

The overall AVCA Grant Burger Media Award winner was Billy
Stone, an executive producer for CBS College Sports Network. The other
finalists for the award were: Parsons (sports information), John
Kreger, Michigan State University (broadcast), Chad Purcell, Omaha World
Herald (print), and John Tawa, PrepVolleyball.Com (web).

Parsons just finished his 11th year as the SID at his alma mater
and his sixteenth season overall serving as the primary media contact
for the Lady Cougars' successful volleyball program. Prior to
assuming the role as SID, he served as the assistant SID for five years
handling primarily MVNU's women's sports – role that he began
during his senior year at MVNU and continued in upon graduation in
1994.

While covering the Lady Cougars' volleyball team, Parsons has
served annually as the tournament director for the MVNU Volleyball
Invitational as well as also serving as the coordinator for the National
Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Tournament once.
The Lady Cougars have posted an incredible 641-165 record (.795 winning
percentage) during that span with all seven of the program's
conference titles and the team's only appearance in the NAIA National
Tournament in 2007. Parsons has also worked to promote MVNU head coach
Paul Swanson, the NAIA's all-time wins leader in volleyball with 885
victories, and his talented student-athletes as Swanson and two players
have landed in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" through
Parsons' efforts.

"Dave is an enthusiastic supporter of volleyball," said
Swanson, who has spent 25 years as the coach of the Lady Cougars. "He
creatively thinks of ways to promote players, coaches, and the sport in
any way he can. He is a tireless SID who has been so important to our
program, our conference (the American Mideast Conference), and to the
NAIA as well. I am so pleased that the AVCA is recognizing a truly
outstanding SID who has made a significant contribution to the sport of
volleyball."

"I am very humbled to receive this tremendous honor," said
Parsons. "I got my start in college athletics working as a line judge
for Coach Swanson's volleyball team as a freshman in college. From
there, he encouraged me to get into sports information as a senior and
the rest is history. I have been privileged to cover a program that
plays this great sport at a high level the right way led by a coaching
legend who truly loves the sport. This award is dedicated to the great
MVNU volleyball teams and players who have made my job so easy and so
much fun."

Parsons, who has won numerous awards from the College Sports
Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and NAIA-SIDA for his media
guides and feature stories, has also been active nationally as he just
finished his second year as the president of NAIA-SIDA. He has also
been a CoSIDA member for 16 years and has served on several CoSIDA
committees as well as in several offices on the NAIA-SIDA board. He was
named the Clarence "Ike" Pearson Award winner as the outstanding
NAIA SID in 2008 and he was selected as the MVNU Staff Member of the
Year by his campus peers in 2009.