A pair of Moniteau County students will have spots on athletic rosters at Central Methodist University this fall, their teams announced last week.
Fortuna native Kooper Wilson is set to begin the 2021 season as a member of the Central Methodist Eagles football roster, and Krystal Brauner, of Centertown, is on the volleyball squad.
The Moniteau County-area natives will compete with their Eagles teams in the NAIA's Heart of America Conference.
Wilson, a senior wide receiver at Central Methodist University, has appeared in 19 games during his three seasons with the Eagles. His freshman season was a modest one, during which he appeared in three games, catching three passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.
His most productive output occurred immediately after during his sophomore season in 2019, when he appeared in all 11 of the team's contests. During the campaign, Wilson notched a season-high in receptions with 12 for 86 yards against Culver-Stockton and season-long reception of 51 yards against Grand View. Most notably, he was second on the team with 49 receptions for 468 yards and a touchdown.
In his junior season, Wilson caught 19 passes for 187 yards in five games of action. He was efficient with his touches, as he averaged 9.8 yards per catch and contributed two scores. His season-high in receptions was a 62-yard outing at Graceland.
Wilson is a graduate of Versailles High School, where he played football and was a two-time all-state wrestler.
Brauner is a junior, and will be entering her third season with the Eagles in what has already been a successful collegiate career at the libero position. In both of her first two seasons at CMU, Brauner earned Heart of America all-conference first team honors, and she was selected as conference co-freshman of the year in 2019.
Brauner appeared in 37 matches - 130 sets - in 2019, and 22 matches - 77 sets - in 2020. Both seasons saw her lead her team in digs; she registered 611 digs in 2019, which also ranked fourth in the Heart of America Conference, and 375 in 2020. She also ranked second on the team in service aces in her first two seasons, with 34 in 2019 and 22 in 2020. She also registered 122 assists in 2019, good for third on the roster. Her career-high in digs came in a matchup against Evangel last season, when she registered 38.
Brauner attended Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, where she helped her team to a 2017 state championship run, as well as an appearance in the 2019 state quarterfinals. She was also an all-district selection while at Helias.