All-Decade Team: Men's Field

Williamsburg, KY – With 49 NAIA All-Americans, four NAIA National Champions, and six Mid-South Conference titles the men’s track & field team has been competitive on both the conference and national levels over the past decade. The Patriots have recorded four MSC Athlete of the Year, five MSC Freshman of the Year honors, two MSC Champion of Character award, and eight MSC Coaches of the Year accolades. Also, the program has set nine MSC meet records and 18 school records over the past decade.  With all of these accomplishments, the one athlete that represents the Patriots men’s field team on UC’S All-Decade Team is sprinter/jumper, Wendall Williams.

Williams is one of the most decorated athletes in program history as he earned five NAIA All-American honors and an NAIA National title in his lone season running for UC. In 2015, Williams became just the second Patriot jumper to earn an NAIA national title in the long jump and the only field national title by a Patriot in the last decade.  In addition to that, Williams was a five-time All-American, an MSC Athlete of the Year, a five-time MSC All-Conference recipient, and was a four-time MSC Athlete of the Week. Williams also is the first Patriot since Carl Hanns in 1980 to earn All-American honors in the long jump at both the indoor and outdoor championships in the same year.   

Williams transferred to UC in 2014 and put together one of the most successful seasons in program history becoming the first Patriot athlete to earn five individual All-American honors in a single school year. On the season, Williams notched 12 first-place finishes across five different events.  Williams opened his Patriot career in winning fashion at the Cedarville Collegiate Invite as made a jump of 7.31m to win the long and qualify for nationals. Two weeks later, Williams notched his second national cut as he crossed the line in 6.86 seconds to win the 60-meter dash at the Hoosier Hills Invite. The senior also posted a runner-up finish in the long jump with a mark of 7.29m.  Williams picked up his third win of the season at the DePauw Indoor Challenge as he won the 60-meter dash crossing the line in 6.94. At the NAIA Indoor National Championships, Williams leaped 7.24m to place third in the long jump to earn All-American honors.  He followed up with a 5th place finish in the 60-meters with a time of 6.87.  

Williams opened the 2015 outdoor season with competing in the long jump, 100 meters, and 4x100 relay at the Charlotte Classic.  April saw Williams compete in five different meets starting with the Florida Relays where he jumped 7.21m to place sixth, while the 4x100 relay posted a time of 41.20. His first win of the outdoor season came a week later when he won the 100 meters at the UC Invite crossing the line in 10.50.  Williams's strong month continued into the MSC Championships when Williams notched five conference titles and was named the MSC Athlete of the Year.  Williams began the meet by leaping 7.29m to win the long jump and qualify for nationals. He followed that up with a conference title in the high jump after he cleared 2.03m. On the track, the senior ran 10.79 and 21.88 to win the 100 and 200, respectfully, while being part of UC’s 4x100 relay time that posted a winning time of 41.98. Williams added a pair of wins at the Louisville Invite, his final meet before nationals. At the NAIA National Championship, Williams posted a pair of season-best times in the 100 (10.36) and 200 (21.08) to place fourth and earn All-American honors.  In the long jump, Williams recorded a career-best mark of 7.57m to become an NAIA national champion. 

In addition to his success on the track, Williams saw tremendous success on the football field as well. In his two seasons with the Patriots, Williams tallied 2,711 all-purpose yards, 783 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns, 1,471 kick return yards, and 316 rushing yards with four touchdowns.  In 2014, his first season with UC, Williams earned MSC Second-Team All-Conference honors as a return specialist after tallying 694 return yards and an 83-yard return for a touchdown.  He averaged 77.1 return yards per game and finished the year ranked seventh in the NAIA averaging 27.8 yards per return.  Williams carried his success into the 2015 season as he led the NAIA averaging 32.4 yards per kick off return and ranked second in the country with 777 kickoff return yards.  Williams’ most memorable game against Carson-Newman when he rewrote the record book recording five returns for 287 yards, including a 97-yard and 98-yard return for a touchdown, breaking the school record for most returns yards in a game and most kickoff return for a touchdown in a game.  His efforts earned Williams NAIA Special Teams Player of the Week. Williams went on to be named an NAIA Second Team All-American and a First Team All-Conference selection that season.

After leaving Cumberlands, Williams signed a free-agent deal with the Houston Texans. Williams became the first Patriot to play in an NFL regular-season game and finished the 2016 season recording four catches for 75 yards and three first downs in just three games.  He is currently living out his dreams with a variety of projects.  

The UC All-Decade Team was determined based on stats, awards & honors received, and significance to the program in addition to input for members of the UC Athletic Department. It will include one representative from every sport and be comprised of 29 student-athletes. The all-decade team looked at everything from the 2010-2011 season through the 2019-2020 season.