Muddy River Showcase Spotlight: Hannibal’s Nora Hark

The Muddy River Showcase featuring 40 of the area’s top senior basketball players from Illinois and Missouri takes place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game begins at 4 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door.

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Nora Hark is a three-time state medalist in track and field, a starter on the Hannibal girls basketball team and an All-North Central Missouri Conference setter on the volleyball team.

Her most acclaim, though, may come from the classroom, where she carried a 4.0 grade point average and ranked among the top students in Hannibal’s graduating Class of 2023.

That says a lot considering how impressive her athletic resume is. She recently finished third in the javelin at the Class 4 state track and field championships, her third straight top-four state finish in the event that has earned her a scholarship to the University of Toledo.

Hark broke the school record in the javelin this spring with a toss of 146 feet, 8.25 inches during the Mark Twain/Becky Thatcher Relays. That capped a senior year in which she helped the Hannibal girls basketball team go from two victories her junior season to 18 victories last winter.

Hark will represent Hannibal on the Missouri squad for the second Muddy River Showcase, taking place June 17 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center.

Here are six things you should know about Nora Hark:

Where you plan to go to college: University of Toledo

What you plan to study: Exercise science

Reason you wear your number: My lucky number is 8, but there is no No. 8 in basketball. So freshman year, I got the closest number (10) and here we are.

Favorite high school basketball memory: Beating Palmyra for the first time in 14 years.

Best piece of advice you have ever received: “Do small things with great love.” — St. Teresa of Calcutta

Best advice you’d give younger teammates: Put in full effort at practice to see it pay off in the game.