Tuesday, November 26, 2019

UIS hires Deterding as new AD

The University of Illinois Springfield announced on Monday it had selected Peyton Deterding as its new director of athletics.

Deterding, who will begin the job on Dec. 9, replaces Jim Sarra, who resigned in July. He comes to Springfield after spending 12 years at Illinois State University in Normal; he’s presently the school’s senior associated athletic director.

Deterding, 44, was chosen out of more than 50 candidates, UIS said in a press release on Monday.

On Monday evening, Deterding said he had two big factors that drew him to this job. “I think the first one is the support from chancellor (Susan) Koch,” Deterding said. “She’s a big a supporter of athletics — that makes the director of athletics job a little bit easier. “And then the opportunity for growth at UIS in terms of a campus perspective and also an athletics’ perspective. There’s a great foundation in place; you’re seeing with some of the early results in terms of the basketball seasons. We just had two compete in the D-II cross country national championships out in California (UIS’ first cross country All-American, Taryn Christy as well as Blake Jones). There’s some exciting things happening at UIS and we hope to continue to build and gain some positive momentum.”

UIS is an NCAA Division II school in the Great Lakes Valley Conference with 17 sports and Deterding said more may be added in the future. “I think at all levels of athletics, you’re really looking at opportunities to bring students to campus and one of the avenues that colleges and universities are looking at is athletic departments and how they can play a role to add into the enrollment,”

This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 25, 2019.

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Monday, November 25, 2019

Women's Basketball: Ladowski, others lead UIS to road win

Lauren Ladowski scored eight of her game-high 17 points in the fourth period and the University of Illinois Springfield broke open a tight game to record a 68-59 win over Purdue Northwest on Saturday at H.D. Kesling Gymnasium.

UIS trailed 50-47 after Purdue Northwest made a 3-pointer to start the final period. The Prairie Stars then went on a 9-0 run when Katelyn Rosner converted a 3-point play and the team made six free throws to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 24, 2019. 

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Cross Country: Jones, Christy make UIS cross country history; Christy becomes NCAA D-II All-American

The University of Illinois Springfield cross country program has come far since its humble beginnings in 2015.

Sophomores Blake Jones and Tayrn Christy will appear as the first UIS runners ever in Saturday’s NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship Meet at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, California.

Jones, a Lincoln High School graduate, earned the men’s at-large bid after taking eighth place in the Midwest Region meet at 31:42.3 while Christy, of Geneva, clinched the women’s automatic berth by finishing fifth in 21:09.9. Both were school records.

“They’re extremely hard workers,” Coach Tyler Pence said of Jones and Christy. “They do all of the little things right. It’s not surprising that they’re qualifiers at this meet. They’ve got the total package.”

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 24, 2019.

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Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Men's Basketball: UIS’ Soetan earns GLVC player of the week award

University of Illinois Springfield men’s basketball player Daniel Soetan was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference player of the week on Monday.

UIS went 2-0 last week and Soetan averaged 20.5 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and 1,5 blocks per game and he shot 60% from the field, including 55.6% from behind the 3-point line.

Soetan leads UIS with 17.8 points a game, which ranks 11th in the GLVC. Soetan is averaging 6.3 rebounds, which is 17th in the league.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 18, 2019.

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UIS’ Soetan earns GLVC player of the week award

University of Illinois Springfield men’s basketball player Daniel Soetan was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference player of the week on Monday.

UIS went 2-0 last week and Soetan averaged 20.5 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and 1,5 blocks per game and he shot 60% from the field, including 55.6% from behind the 3-point line.

Soetan leads UIS with 17.8 points a game, which ranks 11th in the GLVC. Soetan is averaging 6.3 rebounds, which is 17th in the league.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 18, 2019.

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Monday, November 18, 2019

Women's Volleyball: Borum sets digs record in UIS win

Jailyn Borum broke the school record for digs and the University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team swept William Jewell on Friday in a Great Lakes Valley Conference match.

Borum finished with 29 digs, snapping the record with a dig in the third set. She now has 1,791 career digs.

UIS graduate Kayla Katarzynski held the previous team record of 1,790 from 2013-16.

UIS had four players finish with 10 or more kills. Brianna Bush, Rachel Cobert, Kenzie Hendon and Alli Splitt.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 15, 2019.

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Susan Koch: Lincoln Academy Student Laureates lead into the future

The following is an excerpt from a column by University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor Susan Koch. This column appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 16, 2019. 

Many Illinois residents are familiar with the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, a nonprofit organization created more than 50 years ago to honor distinguished Illinoisans. Since its founding, the Academy has recognized over 300 sons and daughters of Illinois, including a number of Springfield citizens, with the prestigious “Order of Lincoln.”

An equally important recognition bestowed by the Academy is the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement award - presented each year to one outstanding graduating senior from each four-year college, university and community college in the state.

According to Julie Kellner, Executive Director of the Lincoln Academy and a UIS graduate, the Student Laureate award is “a way for the State of Illinois to recognize outstanding student achievement, civic engagement and leadership.”

As Chancellor of UIS and an Academic Trustee of the Lincoln Academy, it is my honor each year to select one UIS student for this prestigious recognition. I’m delighted to announce that, just yesterday in a ceremony at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, UIS senior Melissa Van received the 2019 Student Laureate award, which includes presentation of the Lincoln Medal, a Certificate of Merit and a monetary award.

A member of the Capital Scholars Honors program at UIS, Van is from Lincoln and will be graduating this year with a major in business and minor in management.

“I am a first generation Vietnamese-American,” says Van. “My parents emigrated from Vietnam and have always been role models for me. They started from the bottom and worked hard to make a better life for me and my younger sisters.

Read the entire column online.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

University Of Illinois Springfield To Waive Application Fees

The University of Illinois Springfield is waiving application fees for prospective students — including incoming freshmen, transfer, graduate, online and international students.

“As part of our vision to ‘be a pathway to opportunity,’ removing the application fee as a barrier to embarking on a college career, finishing one or enhancing career prospects through graduate certificates or degrees is part of the DNA of our campus community,” said Natalie Herring, associate provost for enrollment management.

The waiver will save students $50 to $75. The school will host Preview

This story appeared in the Jacksonville Journal-Courier on November 13, 2019.

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Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Cross Country: Jones, Christy headed to national meet

University of Illinois Springfield sophomore Blake Jones earned an at-large spot in the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Sacramento, Calif.

The Lincoln High School graduate finished eighth place last week in the Midwest Region Championships Meet with a time of 31:42.3 in the men’s 10,000-meter race, which was a program record.

He joins fellow sophomore Taryn Christy, who won an automatic berth on the women’s side last week by taking fifth place at the regional meet with a school record time of 21:09.9 on the 6,000-meter course.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 11, 2019.

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Martinez: Veterans need to ‘find their voice’

J.R. Martinez was just 19 years old when he joined the U.S. Army and was deployed to Iraq. He was there less than two months when the Humvee he was driving ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), leaving him with burns over 40 percent of body.

“There was definitely a period,” said Martinez, an interview with The State Journal-Register prior to a Veterans Day talk at the University of Illinois Springfield Student Union on Monday, “where I felt and thought (that this is over for me). There wasn’t necessarily anything else for me to hold onto. “There was no face, there was no example of someone who had overcome (something like this), at least as I was able to see.”

It wasn’t until his mother, Maria Zavala — with whom he would watch Mexican telenovelas and proclaim to her that he would star in such shows — “laid into me” that Martinez set about picking up the pieces of his life. “She just said, ‘You have to find a way to be positive, believe something good will happen and have a little bit of faith,’” Martinez recalled. “That stuck with me. It was a small step that led me to where I am today.”

Martinez did, in fact, go on to star in ABC’s “All My Children,” whose character was also a wounded combat veteran. He also teamed up with Karina Smirnoff to win the Mirror Ball Trophy on “Dancing With the Stars.”

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 11, 2019.

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Monday, November 11, 2019

Men's Basketball: Prairie Stars open season with a strong showing

MacArthur’s Keymonta Johnson led the UIS Prairie Stars with a double double to a 20 point win in UIS’ season opener. Johnson’s 19 points and 11 boards powered the Prairie Stars to a 91-71 victory over Ohio Valley on Friday night.

Head coach Matt Brock picked up win #1 after taking over the program last spring. Matt Wendling (Athens) scored 13 points in his UIS debut after redshirting last season.

This story aired on Channel1450.com on November 8, 2019.

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Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Men's Soccer: UIS men’s soccer secures postseason berth

The University of Illinois Springfield men’s soccer team clinched a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament with Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Drury at Kiwanis Stadium on Sunday. 

Freshman midfielder Drew Keller, of Jacksonville High School, scored his fourth goal of the season off an assist from Thiago Fernandes halfway through the first half. Goalkeeper Pijus Petkevicius preserved the shutout with two saves.

UIS, which is on a four-game winning streak, took 12 shots while Drury had eight. The Stars (9-7-2 overall, 7-6-2 in the GLVC) earned the No. 6 seed.

This article was published in The State Journal-Register on November 3, 2019.

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UIS accepting donations of professional clothing for student interviews

The University of Illinois Springfield Career Development Center is asking Springfield-area residents for help.

The center is accepting donations of clean, new or gently-used, ready-to-wear professional clothing for students.

Donations can be dropped off at the UIS Career Development Center on November 11th through the 15th, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on November 5, 2019.

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UIS picks up non-conference win over Parkside

The University of Illinois Springfield volleyball team defeated Parkside in a non-conference match on Tuesday night at TRAC.

The Prairie Stars won by scores of 25-18, 22-25, 25-13, and 25-21.

UIS improves to 17-11 on the season.

This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on November 5, 2019.

Watch the story online.

Monday, November 4, 2019

UIS students collect 15,779 pounds of food

Students at the University of Illinois Springfield collected 15,779 pounds of food on Halloween night that will be used to help those in need.

Most of the food - 14,779 pounds - will be donated to the Central Illinois Foodbank, while 1,000 pounds will go to the UIS Cares Food Pantry located on the campus to help university students. 

Children from the UIS Cox Children’s Center also participated by trick-or-treating on campus for canned good. They collected 1,000 pounds of food, which is what will go to the UIS Cares Food Pantry.

This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on November 1, 2019.

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Friday, November 1, 2019

UIS students trick-or-treating for canned goods

Students at University of Illinois Springfield went trick-or-treating this Halloween to collect canned goods.

The donations were for the Central Illinois Foodbank.

Over 200 UIS students participated in the event and split up into 11 teams. The students hoped to collect over 18,000 pounds of food.

"Having the students especially interact with the Springfield community is really important and than have the community get involved in knowing the bigger mission of helping their bigger community itself," said Abbie Varbel, the co-captain of the CSF trick-or-treat for canned goods team.

Prizes were awarded to the teams that collected the most food.

This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on October 31, 2019.

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