Sarah Williams of Hiawatha, and Preston Bruss of Bennet have been selected as the Bobcat Athletes of the Month for November.  Peru State College (PSC) Athletic Director Steve Schneider made the announcement last week.
 
For Williams, it was her second time this year to be named as the Female Athlete of the Month having earned the recognition in September.  Williams had a very successful senior season as a Bobcat cross country runner, capping off the season finishing 189th out of 320 runners in the NAIA Cross Country Championship held in Vancouver, Wash.  Her time of 20:11 was not her best of the season, but was 35 seconds better than the time she had run at the national meet in 2010.

Williams had qualified for the championships by placing fourth in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) the first Saturday in November running an 18:56.3, just seconds off her personal best.  In addition to her athletic performance, Williams was also named as a 2012 NAIA-Daktronics Cross Country Scholar-Athlete.
 
For having another successful football season and for being named for the second time to the HAAC's First Defense selection, Bruss was named as the Male Athlete of the Month for November.
 
Bruss, a 6-2, 215 lb. senior linebacker, had another successful year to lead the Bobcat defense this season.  Bruss finished the season as the team's leading tackler with 111 total tackles – 37 of which were solo.  He had seven tackles for losses totaling 26.5 yards and added 2.5 sacks totaling 16 yards in losses.   In addition, Bruss recovered two fumbles, forced one fumble, and deflected three passes.  At the season's end, Bruss was the second-leading tackler in the HAAC averaging 10.1 tackles per game.  At the national level, at the time of the HAAC selections, Bruss was ranked 19th in tackles (all positions) per game (10.1).
 
For his career, Bruss finished with 315 total tackles – 126 of which were solo.  Bruss added 11 sacks and had nine pass break-ups.  In addition, Bruss caught one pass this season good for 30 yards.
 
AD Schneider lauded both Williams and Bruss for their efforts, not only this season, but also for their careers at Peru State College.  Schneider said, “Sarah and Preston are deserving of this recognition as they have had productive and successful athletic careers at Peru State.  Both have brought recognition, not only for themselves, but for the College as a whole.”