Men's Baseball: UIS baseball earns #1 seed in GLVC Tournament

The No. 4 University of Illinois Springfield baseball team earned the top seed from the Green Division in this week's GLVC Tournament.

This is the fifth consecutive appearance, and sixth overall, for the Prairie Stars who open the double-elimination tournament Thursday against Lewis in Saint Charles, Mo. The Stars are looking for their first conference title. UIS completed the regular season Saturday with a 34-5 record, the second best winning percentage in program history. The team won all 10 weekend series this season. Sunday's game hosting Quincy was canceled due to rain.

This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on May 9, 2021.

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Men's Track & Field: UIS’ Jones wins GLVC award

University of Illinois Springfield sophomore Blake Jones was named the Men’s Great Lakes Valley Conference Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year after winning two events on Saturday at the GLVC Conference Championships at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.

Jones, a Lincoln High School graduate, took first place in both the 1,500 and 5,000-meter runs. He finished the 1,500 in 3 minutes 48.83 seconds and won the 5,000 in 14:45.15.

This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on May 8, 2021. 

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Women's Track & Field: UIS’ Christy, Ross triumph in 10,000 meters

University of Illinois Springfield junior Taryn Christy won the women’s 10,000 meters for the second straight time and freshman Cortland Ross won his first title in the same race on the men’s side at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.

Christy’s time of 34 minutes 48.34 seconds was a new school and GLVC record. She also won the race in 2019.

This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on May 7, 2021.

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Women's Softball: Wickenhauser hits milestone, helps UIS split

Calla Wickenhauser became the University of Illinois Springfield’s all-time leader in runs scored as she led the Prairie Stars to a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader split in an 8-1 Game 2 win over Drury on Saturday at the Land of Lincoln Softball Complex.

Batting leadoff, Wickenhauser hit two home runs in the second game and finished with four RBIs and three runs scored. The junior, from Maroa-Forsyth High School, now has 100 runs. Wickenhauser was already the all-time program leader in RBIs and now has 108 to go along with 100 home runs in her career at UIS.

This story was published in The State Journal-Register on May 1, 2021.

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Men's Baseball: No. 6 UIS baseball clinches GLVC Green Division regular season title

The No. 6 University of Illinois Springfield baseball team clinched the Great Lakes Valley Conference Green Division regular season title after a 22-0 blowout hosting William Jewell Sunday.

The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team is familiar with winning. The team has won 32 games and only lost four during the 2021 season. Head coach Ryan Copeland describes his squad as tough.

“We have a really talented group," Copeland said. "We knew that last year. We’ve had it rolling here for a few years now. This group is extremely tough and they play hard. They’re resilient. We get down in games and it never seems to matter. They always find a way to come back.”

The Prairie Stars have not only battled their opponent, but also the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this season the team had to pause competition for COVID-19 protocols.

“You can’t be a normal college kid right now," Copeland said. "You just can’t. We have a really good group, a veteran group that has prioritized our program and playing. I think that’s why we’re in the spot we’re in.”

This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on May 2, 2021. 

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Women's Softball: UIS tallies two wins against Eagles

University of Illinois Springfield chalked up a couple of wins against Southern Indiana on Sunday, edging the Eagles 8-7 in Game 1 and dominating the second contest 10-2 in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on March 21, 2021.

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Men's Baseball: UIS sweeps doubleheader against Lewis

No. 14-ranked University of Illinois Springfield improved to 10-2 overall with two victories on Sunday at UIS Baseball Field, winning Game 1 by a score of 13-5 and the second game 10-8, over Great Lakes Valley Conference opponent Lewis University.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on March 21, 2021.

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WBCA names UIS assistant coach Kotas to its Thirty Under 30 list

University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball assistant coach Jenna Kotas has been named one of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Thirty Under 30 honorees, the organization announced on Wednesday.

“I am honored to be recognized by the WBCA and be named to the Thirty Under 30 class of 2021 with so many young, dedicated coaches,” Kotas said in a UIS press release. “It is a privilege to coach women's basketball, and mentor and impact student-athletes. I would like to thank those who nominated and voted for me for this award. A huge thank you to my family, mentors, peers, former coaches, current/former players, and also (head) coach (Casey) Thousand and (assistant) coach (Destiny) Ramsey for helping me grow as a coach and as an individual every single day.”

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on March 17, 2021.

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Women's Basketball: UIS guards Ladowski, Jackson earn all-GLVC women's basketball honors

University of Illinois Springfield junior guard Lauren Ladowski moved up to the Great Lakes Valley Conference second team Tuesday after reaching the league's third team honor last season.

A second UIS guard, sophomore Malea Jackson, was also named to the league's third team on Tuesday.

Both guards were named to the GLVC all-freshman team their respective debut seasons.

This story was published in The State Journal-Register on March 2, 2021.

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Men's Basketball: UIS forward Jack Weber tabbed on GLVC All-Freshman team

University of Illinois Springfield forward Jack Weber reached the Great Lakes Valley Conference all-freshman team on Tuesday.

Weber ranked third on the team with 12.4 points per game, which was also third among GLVC freshman. He also led the conference in shooting percentage, converting 105 of 163 (64.4%) shot attempts. He additionally had 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

This story was published in The State Journal-Register on March 2, 2021.

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Men's Track and Field: Lincoln grad Blake Jones becomes first UIS men's runner to advance to indoor nationals

University of Illinois Springfield sophomore long-distance runner Blake Jones will compete in the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championships on Friday, March 12 in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Lincoln High School graduate is the first UIS men’s track and field athlete to advance to the event. He set an automatic qualifying mark in the 5,000-meter run earlier this season with a time of 14:02.84, which also shattered the previous school record and ranks 15th best nationally. He will be among 16 participants in the race.

This story was published in The State Journal-Register on March 2, 2021.

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Women's Basketball: UIS junior guard Lauren Ladowski picks up first GLVC player of the week honors

University of Illinois Springfield junior guard Lauren Ladowski was named Great Lakes Valley Conference women's basketball player of the week for the first time in her career on Monday.

Ladowski, a 5-foot-7 Lake Central High School graduate from St. John, Indiana, became the school's all-time leader in made free throws against Rockhurst and eclipsed the 1,000-point career milestone against Southwest Baptist.

Ladowski leads UIS with 18.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game this season while shooting 41.9% from the field. She was named Third-Team All-GLVC in 2020.

This article was published in The State Journal-Register on February 22, 2021.

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Women's Basketball: Ladowski hits 1,000 points; UIS goes above .500

Lauren Ladowski scored a game-high 28 points and University of Illinois Springfield went on an 11-2 run with under 4 minutes to play to claim a 63-58 victory over Southwest Baptist on Saturday in a women's Great Lakes Valley Conference game at Meyer Sports Center.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on Feb. 21, 2021.

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Women's Basketball: UIS coach Casey Thousand collects 100th career win after defensive stand against Lindenwood

University of Illinois Springfield's defense smothered Lindenwood and Prairie Stars coach Casey Thousand netted her 100th career victory 56-46 in a women's basketball Great Lakes Valley Conference contest at The Recreation and Athletic Center on Tuesday.

A 9-0 run in the fourth quarter clinched the win, sparked by Jalyn Harris who gathered an offensive rebound and scored the layup after missing her second free throw attempt for her only points of the night.

Lauren Ladowski led UIS with 14 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists on Tuesday. Malea Jackson had 13 points and five rebounds in the win. Liz Uhl added nine points while Makenna Fee had three blocks.

Thousand is in her second season at UIS but ninth overall as a head coach. From 2009-2016, she won 83 games at Edgewood, and she has now won 17 games at UIS.

This story was published in The State Journal-Register on Feb. 9, 2021.

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Women's Basketball: Ladowski's accuracy at line lifts UIS past Indianapolis

Lauren Ladowski was given a second chance and the junior guard took advantage of the opportunity for the University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball team.

Ladowski scored 11 points in overtime and lifted the Prairie Stars to a 69-63 victory over Indianapolis on Thursday in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game at Nicoson Hall.

Ladowski — who finished with a game-high 21 points, eight rebounds and five steals — immediately regrouped by putting UIS ahead in OT when she made a jumper at 4:17. After the Greyhounds knotted the score at 55, UIS junior guard Grace Weber scored four straight points for a 59-55 advantage, and the Prairie Stars never trailed again.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on January 28, 2021.

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Men's Basketball: Wendling lights it up from downtown to lead UIS over Lewis

Matt Wendling went six for seven from three point range and finished with 20 points to help UIS beat Lewis 69-54 on Tuesday evening.

Chase Robinson led the Prairie Stars with 21 points while Keymonta Johnson chipped in 16 points and 13 rebounds.

This story aired on Sports Radio 1450 on January 12, 2021.

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Bulls Tab Chigozie Umeadi as Director of Basketball Operations

The Chicago Bulls have made yet another addition to their basketball operations department

Chigozie Umeadi is the newest member of the Bulls’ front office, joining Executive VP Arturas Karnisovas and GM Marc Eversley in their first year in the basketball operagtions department.

Umeadi, a Chicago native and basketball product of Fenton high school, comes from NBA HQ, where he worked for nearly eight years.

After graduating from the University of Illinois-Springfield, Umeadi worked his way through the NBA’s basketball operations, strategy, and analytics departments before getting the nod from his hometown team.

This story appeared in On Tap Sports Net on January 7, 2021.

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Cross Country: Throne Gets Extra Year With Prairie Stars

Most college athletes do not know if they are going to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility because of the coronavirus.

But, University of Illinois-Springfield cross country and track and field runner Lexi Throne, who did her prep work at Litchfield, is far from undecided. She has already decided her future athletically and academically.

“It is a fifth year for me, for sure,” said the former Purple Panther. “I have also had some injury problems, which has contributed to me wanting to run the extra time. I have been doing my running and lifting training plans that my coaches provided. In addition to the workouts my coaches give us, I like to do a ton of stretching and foam rolling to help my muscles recover. I also like to lift and do core workout on my own.”

But this cross country season was one of the best for the UIS junior. It was due to her being healthy for one complete season.

“Lexi raced with a great deal of confidence this fall,” said UIS head coach Tyler Pence. “This was her best season at UIS. She was a major factor for us at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Meet. It has been awesome to see Lexi develop into the young woman she is today. She has faced obstacle after obstacle during her time with us, but has been continuously resilient in coming back.”

This article appeared in The Journal-News on December 17, 2020.

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UIS men's basketball postpones next three GLVC games

The University of Illinois Springfield men's basketball program has postponed its next three Great Lakes Valley Conference games and canceled its Tuesday exhibition matchup against NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference opponent Northwestern due to COVID-19 issues.

The women's basketball team also postponed its next three conference games earlier in the week due to "protocols in the (GLVC) Return to Competition policies." A university spokesman could not say whether anyone in the men's and women's programs had tested positive or whether it was due to contact tracing.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on December 10, 2020.

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Being able to keep running is truly a gift

It was a year of competition for University of Illinois-Springfield freshman Ryan Jones, but as far as eligibility purposes, it did not count.

The Marian Central Catholic High School graduate, a freshman cross-country runner for UIS, was one of the lucky few who had a chance to have a cross-country season during the fall months.

“I was very appreciative of the opportunity to safely compete this fall,” the former Hurricane runner said. “I think the fact that we were able to still compete and have a season is a testament not only to our coaches, but the coaches in the Great Lakes Valley Conference overall. Every runner on the UIS team stayed healthy throughout the entire season. As far as my eligibility, I will make that decision in the future based on where I am with my education. But at this point, I still have four years of eligibility in cross-country.”

Since Thanksgiving, the Marengo resident has been home learning remotely exclusively.

“I prefer to learn in the classroom,” Jones said. “Athletically, many steps have been made to ensure that everything is safe as possible when training. The cross-country team has grown very close, very quickly. We work as one so that we can all get better.”

This article appeared in the Woodstock Independent on December 9, 2020.

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