Carmen Wynn-Parks was one of the most sought-after high school recruits in the state of Texas when she came to Wayland Baptist in 1983 from Amarillo High School.  During her four years as a Flying Queen she earned NAIA and American Women’s Sports Federation All-American honors three times, and was a two-time Kodak All-American honoree.  She finished her playing career in 1987 as the all-time scoring leader in Queen’s history with 2,310 points and was #3 in NAIA career scoring and eighth in NAIA career field goal shooting (.560). 

The Flying Queens career leader in free throws (420 made-720 attempted) and blocked shots (187), Wynn-Parks also holds the season record for blocked shots (72), which she set during her sophomore year.  The Queens went 31-5 that season, finishing third at the NAIA Championship Tournament.   Wynn-Parks, who averaged a team-high 20.3 points and was second in rebounding with 8.0 boards a game, won District 8 Player of the Week three times and was named National Player of the Week once.  She was also the recipient of the NAIA Hustle Award at the national tourney, was named to the All-Tournament team, and earned the first of her All-American honors.

During the 1985-86 season, her third and most memorable at Wayland, Wynn-Parks led the 31-5 Queens to the NAIA championship game.

“We were undefeated when we lost our head coach at mid-season, but with a new coach we maintained our status and went on to the nationals.  The championship game was a classic, we were ahead, fell behind, then rallied back.”

There were 12 ties and 17 lead changes in the final game, which the Queens eventually lost, but Wynn-Parks was honored with her second All-Championship tournament team selection, and the Flying Queens were given the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Team Sportsmanship Award. 

Wynn-Parks was once again the team leader in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 19 points and just over nine rebounds a game.  The NAIA and AWSF All-American was also named National Player of the Week once and earned three more District Player of the Week awards.

In her final season, Wynn-Parks was featured on the cover of the 1986-87 NAIA media guide, and in the Flying Queens basketball media guide for that season, her Wayland career was described in the following way:

“Thirty-eight years of women’s basketball.  Ten national championships.  One hundred thirty-seven All-Americans.  Twenty 1,000-point scorers.  The 1986-87 season will showcase what is arguably the best of them all---senior Carmen Wynn.” 

The Queens went undefeated in the first 30 games of that season, and won their third straight District 8 and Bi-District 5 titles going into the NAIA tournament, but were upset in the second round by Wisconsin-Green Bay.  The team’s 31-game win streak tied the longest single-season win streak in school history and Wynn-Parks completed her star-studded career by breaking the school’s scoring record, and earning her third All-American designation.

The Amarillo native earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in May of 1987.  She went on to marry former Pioneer and 2002 Athletic Hall of Honor inductee Michael Parks.  The couple resides in Woodbridge, Vir. and have one daughter, Ashley.  Wynn-Parks, who was recently inducted into the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame, is currently working as senior claim service adjuster for Allstate Insurance Company.