Alex Dukes (Mexico)

Alex Dukes was the winner and still champion of the American Midwest Conference.

The Mexico graduate and Columbia College senior won the men’s cross country conference title on Nov. 4 at Cosmo Park in Columbia with a season-best 8K time of 25:46.13. Dukes secured his fourth conference individual title to make him the first runner in AMC history to be a four-time champion along with being named Runner of the Year four times and all-conference five times (COVID-19 season).

It was announced five days later that Dukes was one of three Cougars who qualified for the NAIA national championships on Friday at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla. Dukes has run at the national meet three previous times, finishing 27th for All-American status in 2019 for his best-ever nationals performance and was 102nd a year ago.

Isaiah Reams (Mexico)

After four games with North Central Missouri College in Trenton, Mexico graduate and freshman Isaiah Reams is averaging 13 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Reams had 14 points, hitting two 3-pointers in the Pirates’ Friday loss to Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Reams and the NJCAA Div. II 19th-ranked Pirates (3-2) played at Ellsworth Community College on Tuesday before they host Hannibal-LaGrange University JV on Thursday.

Natalie Thomas (Community R-6)

In four games this season for William Woods, Community R-6 graduate and junior Natalie Thomas is averaging 9.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Thomas is coming off three straight double-digit scoring performances, including a 10-point game where she also finished with seven rebounds and three blocks in a Thursday loss at home against William Penn.

Thomas and the Owls (1-3) travel to Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis for a 5:30 p.m. game on Thursday.

Allison Moore (Paris)

Paris graduate Allison Moore has had a solid start to her senior year at Stephens College in Columbia.

Through five games, Moore is averaging 9.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Her season-best performance so far happened in a Nov. 4 win against Oakwood, when she scored 20 points and knocked down four 3-pointers.

Last season, Moore broke the school single-game scoring record with 33 points against Graceland.

Moore and the Stars (4-1) travel to Harris-Stowe State in St. Louis on Thursday for their American Midwest Conference opener.

Mya Miller (Mexico)

Through five games settling in as a Columbia College freshman, Mexico graduate Mya Miller is averaging 3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 46 minutes.

Miller scored 5 points and pulled down three rebounds in her college debut last month in a 104-14 home win against Central Christian College of the Bible.

Miller and the Cougars (4-1) hosted No. 8 Clarke University on Tuesday before they host American Midwest Conference foe Williams Baptist at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Brianna Beamer (Community R-6)

Community R-6 graduate and Webster (in St. Louis) sophomore Brianna Beamer still hasn’t played much minutes but has made a defensive impact early.

Beamer has played 19 minutes in two games so far for the Gorloks — almost equaling the 27 minutes she recorded as a freshman last year. She is coming off a three-steal performance in a Saturday victory against Aurora for the defensively-stout and press-heavy Gorloks, which equaled the team-high also owned by teammate Kate Rolfes in 32 minutes played.

Beamer and Webster (3-0) travel to Mississippi University for Women on Saturday.

Tori Hamilton (Paris)

Judging by her first game with Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Paris graduate and junior Tori Hamilton is liking her new spot.

In her debut for the Bearcats on Saturday against Trevecca Nazarene, the 6-foot-6 center recorded seven points, eight rebounds and a block in the season-opening win at home. Hamilton spent last season with Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

Hamilton and Southwest Baptist (1-1) hosted Ozark Christian College on Tuesday before they spend Sunday and Monday in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Westminster College football (Mexico’s Dante Billups, North Callaway’s Payton Olsson, Paris’ Devin Miller, Centralia’s Samuel Lynn)

Westminster College football’s season ended with a 26-22 loss Saturday at home to Crown University, bringing the Fulton school’s 2022 record to 1-9.

Mexico graduate and sophomore running back Dante Billups didn’t have many yards in the final loss but finished this season averaging 20.3 yards per game and scoring three touchdowns. His career-best performance happened in a Oct. 1 home loss to Minnesota-Morris as he gained 83 yards and ran for a touchdown on 20 carries.

North Callaway graduate and freshman Payton Olsson didn’t play as much offense and defense this season but had some experience kicking off in the final two games. Olsson kicked five balls away — four against Crown — for a total of 169 yards for a 33.8 average.

Paris graduate and sophomore Devin Miller recorded 14 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in nine games on the defensive line.

Centralia graduate and sophomore offensive lineman Samuel Lynn played in eight games this season for the Blue Jays.

Payton Bledsoe (Mexico)

Mexico graduate Payton Bledsoe’s senior season for Westminster College volleyball was her best season.

For the 19-17 Blue Jays, whose season ended Nov. 5 with a 3-1 loss to Fontbonne for the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, Bledsoe recorded 157 kills, 57 digs, 72 blocks and seven service aces (all career-highs) in 32 matches. Her 72 blocks led the team this year while her 1.31 kills per set ranked fifth on the team behind four all-conference players.

Bledsoe had three matches with double-digit kills, including 13 twice, and five matches with at least five blocks, including eight she stuffed against Kenyon on Sept. 17.

Lilly Knipfel (Mexico)

Mexico graduate and Columbia College sophomore Lilly Knipfel had a nice girls golf fall season that ended last month.

Knipfel and the Cougars won all five tournaments they played in, with Knipfel placing in the top 10 every time and in the top five three times. Her best finish was a third-place tie Oct. 4 in the team’s home tournament at Columbia Country Club. Knipfel shot a two-day score of 162 in that tournament.