Two Lions earn MIAA weekly honor

Sept. 21, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Football’s Williams, cross country’s Koehler named Athletes of the Week

Senior Paul Koehler (Sunset Hills, Mo./Lindbergh HS) and sophomore Wentric Williams (Hannibal, Mo./Ellsworth CC) were named Wilson/MIAA Athletes of the Week on Tuesday for their performances last week.

Koehler, a 6-foot senior, led the Lions to a sixth-place finish on Saturday at the Southern Stampede cross country meet. He finished the eight-kilometer men’s race in 26:01.60, good enough for 37th overall in a meet filled with NCAA Division I competition.

Southern placed sixth behind only four NCAA Division I schools (1. Arkansas, 3. Oklahoma State, 4. Oklahoma, 5. Southwest Missouri State) and NCAA Division II Harding University (second place) in the final team standings.

There were 240 runners overall in the men’s 8K race. While Koehler was 37th overall, he placed 25th among attached runners.

Williams, a 5-foot-8 and 200-pound running back, rushed for 252 yards on 30 carries in Missouri Southern’s 40-33 football loss on Saturday to then-No. 15 Central Missouri State.

The 252 yards was the most in a game by an MIAA player since Emporia State’s Tyler Paul ran for 311 last season and the most by a Southern back since Albert Bland set the school record with 321 in 1994. Williams became the first MSSU running back to top 200 yards in a game since Bland in 1995.

Williams, a graduate of Hannibal (Mo.) High School, scored his only touchdown of the game on a 66-yard run in the second quarter, which gave the Lions a 14-9 lead. He had 106 yards on 10 second-period rushes.

Williams had runs of 66, 51 and 37 yards in the game and finished the first half with 18 carries for 160 yards. He has 439 rushing yards in the last two weeks after getting 117 in the first two. He is a cousin of former Lion running backs Lydell Williams, Sr. and Lydell Williams, Jr. The elder Lydell Williams played on Southern’s 1972 NAIA national championship team.


	Sept. 21, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Two Lions earn MIAA weekly honor Football’s Williams, cross country’s Koehler named Athletes of the Week Senior Paul Koehler (Sunset Hills, Mo./Lindbergh HS) and sophomore Wentric Williams (Hannibal, Mo./Ellsworth CC) were named Wilson/MIAA Athletes of the Week on Tuesday for their performances last week. Koehler, a 6-foot senior, led the Lions to a sixth-place finish on Saturday at the Southern Stampede cross country meet. He finished the eight-kilometer men’s race in 26:01.60, good enough for 37th overall in a meet filled with NCAA Division I competition. Southern placed sixth behind only four NCAA Division I schools (1. Arkansas, 3. Oklahoma State, 4. Oklahoma, 5. Southwest Missouri State) and NCAA Division II Harding University (second place) in the final team standings. There were 240 runners overall in the men’s 8K race. While Koehler was 37th overall, he placed 25th among attached runners. Williams, a 5-foot-8 and 200-pound running back, rushed for 252 yards on 30 carries in Missouri Southern’s 40-33 football loss on Saturday to then-No. 15 Central Missouri State. The 252 yards was the most in a game by an MIAA player since Emporia State’s Tyler Paul ran for 311 last season and the most by a Southern back since Albert Bland set the school record with 321 in 1994. Williams became the first MSSU running back to top 200 yards in a game since Bland in 1995. Williams, a graduate of Hannibal (Mo.) High School, scored his only touchdown of the game on a 66-yard run in the second quarter, which gave the Lions a 14-9 lead. He had 106 yards on 10 second-period rushes. Williams had runs of 66, 51 and 37 yards in the game and finished the first half with 18 carries for 160 yards. He has 439 rushing yards in the last two weeks after getting 117 in the first two. He is a cousin of former Lion running backs Lydell Williams, Sr. and Lydell Williams, Jr. The elder Lydell Williams played on Southern’s 1972 NAIA national championship team.