GOSHEN — An impressive total of 27 fall student-athletes at Goshen College have named 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

This year’s total falls just short of the program record for the season of 29 set back in 2009. The Maple Leafs posted an academic year best of 50 during both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 years.

Nominated by each institution’s head coach, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and have achieved junior academic status to qualify.

A number of local student-athletes were honored including seniors Karla Folker (Goshen), Erin Helmuth (Bethany Christian) and Alita Yoder (Bethany Christian) in women’s cross country; senior Hannah Grieser (Bethany Christian) and junior Emily Waits (Fairfield) in women’s volleyball, senior Lynn Weaver (Goshen), juniors Alisha Christner (Northridge) and Dana Christner (Northridge) in women’s soccer; juniors Jordan Berkey (Westview) and Caleb Frey (Westview) in men’s soccer.

Others recognized in women’s cross country were seniors Hannah Bartel (Iowa City, Iowa) and Lydia Alderfer (Harleysville, Pa.), juniors Becca Augsburger (Nicholasville, Ky.), Alli Beitler (Berne, Ind.) and Audrey Thill (Paoli, Ind.). Senior Karina Rohrer-Meck (Archbold, Ohio) was another honoree in women’s volleyball. Additional honorees in women’s soccer were seniors Kristina Lopienski (Bartlett, Ill.), Kelsey Schrock (Wellman, Iowa) and Mara Swartzentruber (Albuquerque, N.M.) and junior Emily Fretz (Centennial, Colo.). Others recognized in men’s soccer were seniors Daniel Martin (Salem, Ore.), Mahomed Yarba Meissara (Atar, Mauratania) and Brian O’Leary (Seattle); juniors Andrew Glick (Pekin, Ill.) and Joe Gunden (Chelsea, Mich.). Seniors Jacob Gunderkline (Yellow Springs, Ohio) and Abe Stucky (Moon Township, Pa.) were recognized in men’s cross country.

Football

Northwestern junior punter Brandon Williams (NorthWood) will be playing for the Wildcats (9-3) when they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4) in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, on New Year’s Day. The game will be televised on ESPN2 with a noon kickoff.

Williams has averaged 39.6 yards on 59 punts with a long of 64. He has 10 punts of 50 or more yards and has not had one blocked. He has 19 punts that have been downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and one touchback.

Williams has also received Academic All-Big Ten recognition. To receive the honor an athlete must be in at least his or her second year at the institution, letter in his or her sport and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. Williams is studying Mechanical Engineering and was one of 34 Wildcat football players recognized by the Big Ten.

Men’s Basketball

• Senior Elliot Smith (Northridge) tossed in a team-high 19 points for the Grace Lancers in a 92-76 win over Wilfrid Laurier in the consolation game of the Daemen-Can Am Tournament in Amherst, N.Y. Smith also had two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Grace dropped an 88-81 decision to Daemen in the opening round. Smith tallied eight points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.

• IUSB freshman Riley Stichter (Wawasee) totaled six points, four rebounds and two assists for the Titans in a 69-50 win over Purdue Calumet.

• Junior Michael Kibiloski (Elkhart Memorial) netted 10 points for the IPFW Mastodons in a 70-47 win over Kennesaw State.

• Junior Karvel Anderson (Elkhart Memorial) tossed in 17 points for Robert Morris (8-5) in a 79-74 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Women’s Basketball

• Junior Lauren Adams (Northridge) scored 11 points to go with three rebounds, an assist and a steal for the IUSB Titans in a 75-42 win over Goshen College. Also for the winners, senior Courtney Simpson (NorthWood) had seven points and three rebounds, sophomore Kayley Baughman (Elkhart Christian Academy) a point, three rebounds and three assists and freshman Sydney Adams (Northridge) two points. Sophomore Jaime Stack (Fairfield) a rebound, steal and assist for the Maple Leafs.

• For the second time this season, Ferris State University junior Sarah DeShone (Jimtown) has earned the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference North Division Player of the Week honor.

DeShone had game-highs of 24 points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs in a 68-66 league road win at the University of Findlay. She also hit the go-ahead jumper in the final minute to lift the Bulldogs to the triumph and converted 9-of-15 field goals (2-of-4 3-pointers) and all four of her free throw attempts.

DeShone posted 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor while adding five assists and four rebounds in FSU’s 76-63 win at Hillsdale.  For the week, she averaged 25.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per contest.

DeShone is averaging a team-high 21.8 points per game for the Bulldogs to date this season and has led FSU to a 6-3 overall mark along with a 5-1 league record heading into the holiday break.