McKendree University sophomore wide receiver Cameron James, Missouri S&T senior linebacker Chris Emesih, and Truman State University junior running back Garrett White have been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Players of the Week, it was announced by the league office Monday.  White was named Offensive Player of the Week, Emesih was picked as Defensive Player of the Week, while James was selected as Special Teams Player of the Week.

James impressed on the special teams unit in the Bearcats' 51-16 victory Saturday at home over Quincy. He was responsible for 254 all-purpose yards and posted three plays of at least 57 yards in the contest.  He returned the opening kickoff 78 yards to set up the Bearcats' first touchdown of the night. Later in the first quarter, he ripped off a 57-yard run out of the wildcat formation with McK on offense.  Then in the third quarter, the Edwardsville, Ill., native fielded a Quincy punt and broke two tackles on his way to a 64-yard touchdown. It was his second punt return for a score this season, and it was also his third special teams TD of 2013. That leaves him one shy of the school record of four special teams scores in a year, set by Brandon Murphy in 1997. This is James' first weekly honor of his career and is the first Bearcat to win Special Teams Player of the Week since Matt Kendall on Oct. 8, 2012.