Allan Nekuda drafted by Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)

Nekuda, a 2001 graduate of Liberty High School and co-captain on William Jewell College's NAIA National Final Four soccer team, was drafted in the second round by the Detroit Ignition in the 2007 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) college draft.
Nekuda follows former Cardinals teammate Blake Ryan to the Major Leagues. Ryan was drafted in 2005 by the Kansas City Comets in the sixth round.

"I am excited for Allan and his family," said Jewell coach Chris Cissell. "Allan has worked extremely hard for this opportunity and it is great to see him get a chance. I had general managers from other teams calling me wishing that he would have lasted longer in the draft. Apparently since he has been training with the Kansas City Wizards his stock really went up right before the draft."

A homegrown talent, Nekuda played high school soccer at Liberty for Coach Tom Rottjakob. He played his youth club soccer for the KC Legends coached by Andy Barney and Gareth Hughes. In addition, Nekuda has played the past five summers for the KC Brass of the Premier Development League for coaches Lincoln Roblee, Burke Slusher and WJC Associate Head Coach Jefferson Roblee.

At William Jewell, Nekuda became the most decorated player in the history of the men's program. A four time All Conference selection, Nekuda also earned Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Year, All Region 1st Team, Regional Player of the Year, NAIA National Player of the Week and NSCAA/adidas NAIA All America 1st Team honors in 2006. An attacking midfielder, Nekuda scored 10 goals and recorded 13 assists in 2006 and finished his WJC career with 44 goals and a school record 52 assists.

Besides being drafted by the Ignition, Nekuda also trained in Buenos Aires, Argentina with the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer (MLS).

In addition to playing soccer, Nekuda also coaches. He is the U15 boys and U15 girls soccer coach for the United Soccer Club youth teams.

"William Jewell College and WJC Soccer provide an environment for student-athletes to succeed in college and after college," said Cissell. "Allan is a perfect example. He was a scholar athlete, leader in the community and captain on a championship team...He came to Jewell with a lot of ambition and he is graduating from Jewell and the Jewell soccer program with tremendous opportunity."

Nekuda graduated from WJC in December of 2006. For more information about William Jewell College Soccer or to read Allan's 2006 blog go to the men's soccer page at www.jewell.edu . For the complete 2007 MISL College Draft you can log on to www.misl.net.

Track Athlete Accepts Position with ESPN

Nick Clark gets to hang out with athletes on a daily basis at William Jewell College. After graduation in May, he'll still be hanging out with athletes. This time, however, it will be with guys like Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods. And he'll be getting paid to do it.

Clark, a senior business administration major, has accepted the position of Marketing Coordinator for the Event Marketing group of ESPN. Clark's new position will require a lot of traveling, and he will get to cover some popular events such as the Super Bowl, Rose Bowl, ESPY Awards and the summer and winter X Games just to name a few.
Nick Clark in front of ESPN headquarters NYC


Clark was an intern at ESPN last summer and was able to make the Top 25 intern all-star team out of 117 interns. A former employee at RCA Group, owned by Jewell alumnus and trustee Russ Cline, Clark used his Jewell connection to set up his internship. Cline, a member of the Jewell class of 1971, is president and CEO of the RCA Group, a sports and entertainment producer and promoter. He has worked closely with ESPN over the years and knows many people at the company.

Nick Clark and ESPN
Anchor Scott Van Pelt
"I worked really hard when I got there," said Clark. "I enjoyed working with the group that I interned with, so I decided to accept their job offer."


Clark spends a lot of his free time watching ESPN or reading on ESPN.com. "ESPN.com is probably my number one website" Clark said. "Since I don't get to watch a whole lot of television, I probably spend a good hour reading articles on the website throughout the course of the day."

Those who know Clark praise his work ethic and goal-centered orientation. "Nick is such a hard worker and has always been a joy to coach," said assistant track coach Terry Yee. "He has had to battle back from some tough injuries and has
become a true leader on our team. I have no doubt that he will do an excellent job at ESPN."

Athlete Back from Service Duty

Jon Cooper knows what it's like to transition from solider to student. Cooper, a sophomore business administration major and member of the Jewell track and field team, is glad to be back at William Jewell after a year of serving his country in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Cooper participates in the 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, and the long jump for William Jewell. During his one-year tour of duty in the Army, Cooper worked as a Chinook helicopter mechanic and worked his way up the ranks to sergeant. After his first year at Jewell, he decided to join the Army to help gain some financial assistance for school.

After enlisting, Cooper was sent to attend basic combat training, where he was taught all of the soldiering skills involved in combat. Cooper also received weapons training, primarily with the M-16, but trained on other weapons as well. "We did a lot of battle movement training, training on how to control a squad and a lot of first aid training," said Cooper.
Working as a helicopter mechanic, he was able to stay on base almost the entire time, so he did not have to deal with direct combat. But the proximity to hostilities remained unsettling. "I was extremely scared, but I had faith that I would make it home okay," Cooper said.

He also found some ways to pass the time and take his mind off the danger. While in Pakistan, Cooper and the other soldiers took advantage of a big field near their hanger to play a lot of different sports, including some heated football matches set against the rugged terrain. They had access to the internet in their rooms, and in some places they also had the availability of a limited version of cable television.

Although Cooper is glad to be back home, his memories of service overseas remain vivid. "I will always remember the bonds that you form with the guys you served with," he said. "You probably spend more time with these guys in a one-year period than you spend with a lot of your close friends over an entire relationship. You eat together, you work together, you play together, and a lot of times you sleep in the same room or building as most of the guys you work with."

It has been a year of adjustments for Cooper, but he is enjoying getting back into the rhythms of college life. "Certainly, I feel like a huge weight has been pulled off of my shoulders now that I get to see my family and friends again," said Cooper. "When you are over there, you realize some of the small things in life that you take for granted."