From K-State
K-State senior forward Peyton Williams received more national recognition entering the 2019-20 season, as she was named to the 2019-20 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s Women’s Preseason Top 30 Watch List.
The list is comprised of 30 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor. The list is chosen by a preseason poll of national women’s college basketball media members.
Williams is the fourth player in program history to be named to the Wooden Award watch list, as Nicole Ohlde, Kendra Wecker and Shalee Lehning all previously earned the distinction. Ohlde and Wecker were each finalists for the honor.
In October, Williams was named to the 2020 Katrina McClain Award watch list which is awarded to the nation’s top power forward. Earlier this week, Williams was selected to the ESPN.com top-25 Players entering the 2019-20 season.
Williams, a 2020 All-America candidate, will begin her senior season as the league’s fifth-highest returning scorer and the top returning rebounder from the 2018-19 season.
She enters her final season with the K-State women’s basketball program as the fourth player in program history with 1,000 or more career points, 600 or more career rebounds and 80 or more career blocks.
Williams completed her junior season in 2018-19 with a career-high 303 rebounds (9.5 rpg). Williams led all players in the Big 12 for rebound percentage at 26.6 percent and ranked second in rebound average for all games. Her rebounding total in the 2018-19 season ranked fourth in program history for a single season and were the most since Nicole Ohlde pulled in a junior season record 306 rebounds in the 2002-03 season.
Williams finished Big 12 play by averaging a double-double with 16.2 points and 10.0 rebounds. She is the first Wildcat to average a double-double in league play since Kendra Wecker in the 2004-05 season.
She carded a career-high and Big 12 best 14 double-doubles in the 2018-19 season. Her 14 double-doubles rank fourth in school history for double-doubles in a single season.
Williams, 2019 All-Big 12 First Team selection, increased her scoring average for the third straight season and led the Wildcats with 15.5 points per game (496 points) and free throw percentage (.833). She was the third player in program history to register 475 or more points and 300 or more rebounds in a single season.
Williams was the second player in program history to garner Big 12 All-Defensive Team honors, joining former teammate and three-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection Breanna Lewis. Williams recorded 37 blocks and a career-high 62 steals in the 2018-19 season. She ranked among the top-15 in the Big 12 in steals per game (fourth; 1.9) and blocks per game (11th; 1.2).
Kansas State will begin its 52nd season of action with a four-game home stand starting on Friday against Omaha at 6:30 p.m.
