ST. LOUIS, Mo. - William Woods University's Ameilia Wallace and Hannibal-LaGrange University's Holland McCoy are the American Midwest Conference Women's Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week after strong showings last week in Warrensburg, Mo., and Cedarville, Ohio. Both athletes are Hannibal, Mo., natives.

Wallace, a freshman, finished eighth in the 400-meter dash for the Owls, running 1.02.90, and in the 4X400-meter relay, she helped William Woods finish sixth in 4:19.62.

McCoy, a sophomore, earned the AMC's field award for the week with a season-best high-jump of 5-feet, 2-inches, finishing second in a 12-athlete field at the Cedarville Collegiate Invite.

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC INDOOR FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Madeline Emme, William Woods University

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - William Woods University swept the American Midwest Conference's Indoor Track and Field weekly awards, getting solid performances from Kyle Konigsberg and Anthony Stockton at last weekends Mule Relays in Warrensburg, Mo.

Konigsberg, a freshman from Simi Valley, Calif., earned the league's weekly honor on the track by posting a pair of solid finishes at the UCM Mule Relays, including second-fastest 60-meter time in school history when he ran 7.23 at a loaded field in Warrensburg, missing the William Woods school record by three hundredths of a second.

He was also 12 hundredths off the school record for the 200-meter race, finishing in 23.24 and placing 10^th.

Stockton completed the sweep for William Woods with a pair of top-10 finishes at UCM that also set William Woods school records. The Franklin, Ky., native threw the shot put 15.18 meters, finishing ninth in the Mule Relays field, and his fourth-place weight-throw of 18.38 meters was the top collegiate finisher in the event.

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Philiph Tonui, Hannibal-LaGrange University

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. - The Williams Baptist College softball team enters the 2012 season with high expectations after winning a share of back-to-back regular season American Midwest Conference championships. The Lady Eagles believe this is the year to win the AMC tournament and go to Williams' first ever NAIA national tournament.

Williams returns five all-conference players: Ashley Boyles, Chelsea Sanders, Jill Graham, Felicia Woodard, and Karisa Hendrix.

Hendrix, of Cherokee Village, Ark., will be a key player for the Lady Eagles. She was voted the 2011 AMC Pitcher of the Year, AMC Freshmen of the Year in 2010, and has been named first team all-conference in each of her two years for the Lady Eagles.

A highly touted group of freshmen and transfers will join a successful group of returners. WBC has won a total of 92 games in the last three years including 36 conference games. The Lady Eagles will begin the season ranked 18th in the NAIA.

Newell believes the strength of his team will be the relationships between the players, noting, "A team that is truly united, a team that mentors one another, and a team that puts stock into relationships will be a team that is successful no matter what."

Newell's teams have had common characteristics of solid fundamentals and aggressive base running. The squad prides itself in taking care of small details to produce victories.

"We are very excited about the season. In most aspects this is the most talented team I have ever coached," said Newell.

With the high expectations, Newell knows his team must stay sharp. "A couple major keys to the season will be to stay focused, and keep things in perspective," he said.

The Lady Eagles will open on the road against Blue Mountain College for a doubleheader on February 11. Williams' first home games will be played on February 14, hosting Blue Mountain in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. 

For all Eagle and Lady Eagle updates, please follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/wbcsports or visit our website at www.williamsbaptistcollege.com.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Missouri Baptist University guard Le Andre Johnson, a junior from St. Louis, is the American Midwest Conference men's basketball player of the week after helping keep the Spartans in third place in the AMC men's basketball standings with two wins last week.

Johnson helped the Spartans get to 14-10 by averaging 19 points and 5.5 assists per game, going 12-for-26 from the floor and 14-of-20 at the free-throw line in wins over William Woods University (93-83) and Williams Baptist College (83-79).

The Spartans are 5-2 in AMC games, getting their fifth conference win on Saturday with a four-point win at home against Williams Baptist. Johnson scored 20 points, adding six assists and four rebounds with two steals to help beat the Eagles, hitting 7-of-15 from the floor while converting 6-of-11 at the foul line.

Thursday night, he helped Missouri Baptist bounce back from a league loss last week, pouring in 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting, making his mark at the free-throw line where he hit eight in nine attempts. Johnson also added three steals, four rebounds and five assists in the 10-point win over the Owls, and in both games, he played more than 75-percent of the team's minutes, appearing in nearly 34 minutes of Thursday's win over WWW, followed by a 37-minute outing Saturday against Williams Baptist.

Missouri Baptist resumes its season at home on Thursday night, hosting crosstown rival Harris-Stowe State University at 7:30 p.m. The Hornets (14-9) are half a game behind Columbia College for first place in the AMC, posting a 5-1 league record with responsibility for Columbia's only conference loss of the 2011-12 season. HSSU and MBU met at Harris-Stowe in early January, a 94-84 Missouri Baptist win at the Emerson Performance Center. Log on to www.amcsportsonline.com and visit the men's basketball page for this week's full AMC men's basketball schedule.

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jordan Dressler, Columbia College; Jonathon Nutt, William Woods University.

St. Louis, Mo. - Park University's Vivian Holcomb has been awarded this week's American Midwest Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week Honors after helping her squad to a 2-0 week last week.

Holcomb, a 6-1 sophomore for the Pirates, led Park University to two pivotal AMC victories last week with a 75-58 road win at Hannibal-LaGrange University on Thursday and its first win over Columbia College since Dec. 17^th, 2008 in a 67-45 win over the Lady Cougars on Saturday afternoon. The Indianapolis, Ind. Native dropped 15 points and grabbed three rebounds with three assists against Hannibal-LaGrange and scored nine points with seven rebounds and four assists against Columbia. Holcomb averaged 12 points per game while shooting 61 percent from the floor.

The Pirates improved to 15-5 on the season and 5-4 in conference play with the victories. Holcomb is averaging almost 12 points and just over two assists per contest this season to lead her team. 

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Andrea Seabaugh, Missouri Baptist University; Miranda Loesch, William Woods University, Heather English, Columbia College; Kala Tyus, Williams Baptist College; Mariah Fleming, Harris-Stowe State University; Ashleigh Spencer, Hannibal-LaGrange University.

St. Louis, Mo. - Junior Ashley Wilson from Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) University is this week's American Midwest Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week this week.  Wilson also earned the honor last week making her the first women's player to collect the award in consecutive weeks.

The Trojans posted a 2-1 record last week with wins over McKendree University and Missouri Baptist University and their lone loss to Columbia College.  Wilson posted a double-double in ever contest, bringing to her 11 double-doubles this season.  She has more double-doubles than anyone else in the conference and has the eighth most in the NAIA.  Averaging 15.6 points per contest, Ashley also ranks first in the conference in scoring and is second in rebounding with an average of 8.6 boards per game. 

Last week Wilson had 22 points and 11 rebounds against McKendree, shooting 50 percent from the field and a perfect seven-for-seven from the charity stripe.  She followed up that performance with a 10 point, 10 rebound effort against Missouri Baptist.  In her final game of the week, Ashley dropped in 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field.

On the week she averaged 18.7 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, one block and just over three steals per contest and shot a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Iesha McDaniel, Missouri Baptist University; Sharron Andrews, William Woods University, Heather English, Columbia College; Brianna Beridon, Park University.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - William Woods University sophomore Madeline Emme (Watertown, Wis.) is the American Midwest Conference Women's Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week, capturing both weekly awards after strong performances in five different events at last week's Principia Indoor Relays in Elsah, Ill.

Emme started on both sides of the infield line for the Owls, setting a William Woods long-jump record by nearly 10 inches with a mark of 4.84 meters, finishing second in the long-jump field of 11 athletes. She also finished fourth in the shot put at 9.40 meters to capture field honors in the AMC for the week.

Her two first-place finishes came on the track as part of the Owls' 1,600-meter spring medley relay, running the opening leg of the event to help William Woods to a four-second win. She also ran the second leg of the 4x200 for the Owls, who galloped to a 14-second victory. Emme closed the weekend with an NAIA "B" Qualifying mark in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing second (9.30) among six entered athletes.

American Midwest Conference Track & Field Athletes of the Week will be named weekly, on Mondays, at www.amcsportsonline.com.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Missouri Baptist University senior DeWain Meeks and William Woods University junior Anthony Stockton were named American Midwest Conference Men's Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week after a pair of qualifying marks in performances on Jan. 27, 2012.

Stockton, the conference's field honoree for the week, won the shot put at the Principia Indoor Relays with an NAIA "B" Qualifying mark of 15.50m, setting a William Woods University school record by nearly a full meter. The Franklin, Ky., native's win came in a field of 19 athletes at Principia's Jan. 27 event.

Meeks, a senior from St. Louis, is the conference's track athlete of the week after finishing fourth in the 60-meter run at the Jayhawk Classic, hosted last Friday by the University of Kansas, in Lawrence. Meeks ran a qualifying time of 6.90 and finished fourth in an NCAA Division I field of 68 runners.

American Midwest Conference Track & Field Athletes of the Week will be named weekly, on Mondays, at www.amcsportsonline.com.

OTHER'S NOMINATED FOR AMC MEN'S INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Kyle Konigsberg, William Woods University.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Columbia College junior forward Jordan Dressler picked up his fourth American Midwest Conference men's basketball player of the week honor of the 2011-12 season Monday, days after averaging 25 points and 10 rebounds per game in two wins for the Cougars last week.

Dressler, a 6-foot-9 frontcourt presence for the Cougars, scored a career-high 31 points in a 70-64 win over William Woods University last Thursday, adding 11 rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal while going 11-for-13 from the floor and 9-for-12 at the foul line. Dressler's shooting performance against the Owls led to a 19-for-28 week (67.9-percent), and he was 11-for-16 at the line (68.6-percent) in the two games.

Saturday, the Columbia, Mo., native scored 19 points and grabbed nine boards in Columbia's 80-63 win over Missouri Baptist University, a game that featured the league's top two teams in the standings entering the weekend's games. Dressler sank his only 3-point attempt of the game and made good on 2-of-4 foul shots while also going 8-for-15 from the floor. He added another two blocked shots, an assist and one steal.

Dressler finished the week one rebound away from back-to-back double-doubles and helped Columbia College improve to 16-5. The Cougars are 3-0 in the AMC and in first place, a game ahead of a second-place tie featuring Harris-Stowe, Missouri Baptist and Hannibal-LaGrange at 2-1. Columbia resumes its season Thursday night, traveling to Williams Baptist College at 7:30 p.m.

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: LeAndre Johnson, Missouri Baptist University; Jordan Loveless, Harris-Stowe State University.

St. Louis, Mo. - This week's American Midwest Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week honor goes to Ashley Wilson from Hannibal-LaGrange University.

With conference play in full swing, Wilson helped the Trojans to a 1-1 record on the week, dropping a buzzer beater to Harris-Stowe State University and posting a commanding victory over Stephens College. The junior from Westmont, Ill. connected on 27 points and pulled down 13 rebounds against Harris-Stowe, tying her career highs in points and rebounds with the Trojans. Wilson was near perfect from the field, making 12 of her 13 attempts and three-of-four from the charity stripe. 

In Hannibal's win over Stephens, the 6-0 forward chipped in 10 points and three rebounds in just 13 minutes of action as the Trojans defeated the Stars by 18 points. For the week, Ashley shot 94 percent from the field, averaging 18.5 points per game. She also dished out two assists, one block and 1.5 steals per game.

Through Wilson's 18 games this season she has shot 59 percent from the field, good enough to rank her eighth in the NAIA in field goal percentage. 

The Trojans are 11-8 on the season and 2-2 in AMC play. They return to the court on Tuesday, January 24^th when they host former AMC member McKendree (Ill.) University at 7 p.m.

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Andrea Seabaugh, Missouri Baptist University; Kayla Fisher, Harris-Stowe State University, Heather English, Columbia College.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Hannibal-LaGrange University senior guard Gerrell Wells is the American Midwest Conference men's basketball player of the week after leading the Trojans to three wins and a 2-0 start in the AMC standings last week, beating William Woods and Williams Baptist, along with a nonconference win to begin the week over Lindenwood-Belleville.

Wells, a 6-foot-1 native of Hannibal, was instrumental in getting the Trojans' week started on the right foot, pouring in 20 points and adding six rebounds in a three-point win over Lindenwood Belleville. He was perfect, 3-for-3, at the foul line, starting a 5-for-6 week at the stripe while also adding a steal and two assists.

He followed the nonconference outing with a second-straight 20-point performance, helping HLG build a double-digit second-half lead that turned into a six-point win at William Woods. Wells was 9-for-19 from the floor against the Owls, adding four rebounds and issuing one assist in the Trojans' first conference win of the week and of the 2011-12 season.

HLG improved to 2-0 in AMC games on Saturday behind 12 points from Wells, who also added six assists in an 83-56 Trojan win over Williams Baptist.

Wells finished the week 22-of-45 from the floor (48.9-percent), knocking down three baskets from above the arc, and he was 83.3-percent from the foul line. He averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and three assists per game while also adding four steals.

With its three wins, Hannibal-LaGrange moved over the .500 mark for the season, improving to 9-8, and the Trojans are in a three-way tie atop the AMC standings with Missouri Baptist and Columbia at 2-0.

HLG's men's basketball season resumes Thursday night at Harris-Stowe State University at 7:30 p.m.

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Melvin Gatson, Park University; Hal Payne, Columbia College; Roy McElroy, William Woods University.

St. Louis, Mo. - Columbia College Lady Cougar forward Julie Teeple has been named American Midwest Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week this week after leading the Lady Cougars to two AMC victories last week.

Teeple helped the Columbia Lady Cougars to an upset win over Park University on Thursday before leading Columbia to their second win of the week over Stephens College on Saturday. Against the Pirates of Park University, the junior from Versailles, Mo., pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and dropped in 16 points. Teeple followed the performance against Park with a team and game-high 18 points against Stephens College two days later. 

Julie ranks No. 23 in the NAIA in total rebounds with 148 this season while helping her Lady Cougars to a 12-6 record this season and a perfect 2-0 in AMC play. 

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ashley Wilson, Hannibal-LaGrange University; Jessica McConnell, Stephens College; Megan Aubuchon, William Woods University.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The American Midwest Conference men's and women's basketball seasons jump into full swing tonight across the Show-Me State and in Arkansas, with seven games league-wide between men's and women's teams in the first full week of conference hoops in the AMC.

TONIGHT'S AMC SCHEDULE
Missouri Baptist at Williams Baptist, 5:30/7:30 p.m.
Park at Columbia, 5:30/7:30 p.m.
Hannibal-LaGrange at William Woods, 5:30/7:30 p.m.
Harris-Stowe at Stephens, 7 p.m. (women only)

Last week, Park University and Williams Baptist College gave fans a preview of the AMC season, splitting four games among the two schools. On the men's side, Park picked up a 75-57 win on Friday night at WBC before falling by five points to a hot-handed 3-point shooting Eagles squad Saturday, 72-67. The Williams Baptist women also salvaged a split with the Pirates, winning Saturday 64-62 after falling Friday night to Park, 78-52.

Tonight, three women's games tipoff at 5:30 p.m., including a battle featuring two of the league's top two teams when Park travels to Columbia. William Woods, the league's only ranked women's basketball team, hosts Hannibal-LaGrange at 5:30, and Missouri Baptist travels to Williams Baptist.

One game tips off on the women's side, when Stephens College hosts Harris-Stowe State University at 7 p.m.

Three men's basketball games are also on the schedule tonight, including a matchup of last year's AMC representatives in the NAIA tournament when Park travels to Columbia. Missouri Baptist travels to Williams Baptist, Hannibal-LaGrange visits William Woods, and all three games are scheduled to tip at approximately 7:30, following the women's contests between the schools.

One men's team, Harris-Stowe, will wait until Saturday to begin its conference schedule, when the Hornets host Missouri Baptist at 4 p.m. Park and Williams Baptist, both at 1-1 in both men's and women's basketball, share first-place heading into the first night of full conference play.

For a complete look at tonight's games, including standings and final scores, visit the men's and women's basketball pages at www.amcsportsonline.com.

St. Louis, Mo. - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the American Red Cross (ARC) announced on Tuesday that Missouri Baptist women's track and field team member, Taylor Hosna, has been named to the 2012-2013 ARC/NAIA Leadership Program.

The program, which began in 2007, was created to "exemplify the core values of the NAIA Champions of Character program; inspire a new generation of Red Cross volunteers and leaders; promote diversity on Red Cross Blood Region boards of directors; foster leadership opportunities; champion a philanthropic cause; and impact local communities."

Hosna, along with a handful of other NAIA athletes from around the nation, were chosen as leaders in the Red Cross cause. Each athlete was chosen from a long list of candidates who applied back in November. "Winning this scholarship is a great honor," said Hosna after being notified that she had been chosen. "The scholarship will open many doors for me and, in return, I hope to open many door for those in need."

Each athlete will receive a $2,000 scholarship on behalf of the Red Cross, the NAIA and State Farm Insurance. Hosna will now gear-up for an intense two weeks of training at the Red Cross national headquarters in Washington, D.C. over the summer. This time also serves as a kick-off to their year where each athlete will serve on their local blood region Board of Directors and will work to either form or join a Red Cross club on-campus and recruit blood donors for campus blood drives.

Women's track and field coach, Patricia Hanna, nominated Hosna for the award because of the leadership that she shows on and off the track. "Taylor personifies the type of student-athlete we have here at Missouri Baptist," said Hanna.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Williams Baptist College junior forward Kyle Harvey cracked the 1,000-career points barrier early last week with 26 points against Oachita Baptist and followed the performance with back-to-back double-digit games against Park University, earning AMC Player of the Week honors in men's basketball.

Harvey reached 1,000 career points in the Eagles' 86-72 loss to Oachita last Monday, hitting 12-of-16 field goals including a pair of 3-point baskets, adding six rebounds to 26 points in the NCAA Division II setback.

He followed by helping WBC to a weekend conference split with last season's AMC tournament champion, Park University, scoring 14 points with four rebounds in a 5-for-9 performance on Friday night, and Saturday, he led the Eagles to a five-point win with 12 points and five boards, hitting five shots from the floor and another two at the foul line.

On the week, Harvey was 68.8-percent (22-for-32), including 2-for-4 from outside the 3-point arc. At the foul line, he was 6-for-8, (75-percent), and he grabbed 15 rebounds, averaging five per game to go with 17.3 points per contest .He also finished with four assists, one block and one steal.

Williams Baptist resumes its season Thursday night at home, hosting Missouri Baptist University at 7:30 p.m.

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Seth Thomas, William Woods University; Devin Griffin, Columbia College; Reco Anderson, Park University.

Williams Baptist College's Kyle Harvey has reached 1,000 career points. Harvey reached the milestone on January 2, against Ouachita Baptist University. He is a junior forward from Corning, Ark. 

"I am happy because I am helping the team by scoring, I have been blessed with good coaches and teammates," said Harvey.

Harvey averaged 9.4 points per game as a freshman with 207 points total. He worked hard to improve between his freshmen and sophomore years, and was rewarded as an All-American in 2011. 

That season he averaged 20.5 points per contest, and scored 573 points. This season has been much the same for Harvey. He leads the conference in scoring and is ranked 22nd nationally at 19.6 points per game.

Harvey's career average stands at 16.4 points per game with a 54 percent field goal shooting average. His career high for points in a game is 38. That came against Missouri Baptist University on January 22, 2011. 

"It shows how hard work can pay off. Kyle would do anything I asked of him on the court. His will to learn and win has contributed to his success on the court," said Head Coach Josh Austin.

Harvey is majoring in Physical Education and plans to graduate in 2013. He is the son of Kyle and Virginia Harvey of Corning, Ark.

OTHERS NOMINATED FOR AMC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Logan Decker, William Woods University.