AMHERST, N.Y. - Track and field athlete Toria Williams (Buffalo, N.Y./Medaille College) and basketball player Kadeem Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger) have been named the Bedore Tours Student-Athletes of the Month for February.
Williams got her track and field career off to a solid start during the indoor season which included four meets last month. Â In the shot put circle, she opened with a sixth-place finish at the Golden Eagle Multi and Invitational on Feb. 1 with a throw of 10.97 meters. Â She improved upon that distance a week later with a toss of 11.91 meters, which was good for second place at the Golden Eagle Invite on Feb. 8. Â
She added more distance the following week when she won the shot put event at the Hamilton College Invitational (Feb. 15) with a throw of 12.21 meters.  She duplicated that distance and took third place at the East Coast Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 22, earning second team all-conference honors in the process.
Johnson, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, had, arguably, the best month of his career while helping Daemen to an unblemished 6-0 record for the month. Â In February, Johnson averaged 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 65-percent from the field (37-for-57). Â Johnson's performances helped Daemen extend their school-record winning streak to 13 straight while also extending their home-court winning streak to 35 in a row en route to capturing the ECC regular season championship.
He opened the month by being named the ECC Player of the Week on Feb. 3 - an honor that included his final two performances from January, as well as a 17-point, seven-rebound effort in a one-point Daemen win (84-83) over New York Institute of Technology on Feb. 2. Â Two double-doubles followed later in the month, including a 20-point, 13-rebound outing at the University of the District of Columbia on Feb. 14. Â It was the second 20-point game of Johnson's career and his 13 boards were a season-best.
He closed the month with 19 points, on 8-for-12 shooting, and nine rebounds in a 75-66 win over the University of Bridgeport on Feb. 22 that clinched the ECC title.
For the season, Johnson averages 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 56-percent from the field (108-for-193) and 79-percent from the free throw line (44-for-56). Â He ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage (behind teammate Uchechi Ogbonna) and fourth in free throw percentage.
