Basketball / 1997-2000

Tauja Catchings earned honorable mention All-America honors in both 1999 and 2000 while starring for the Fighting Illini. As a freshman, she helped Illinois to the 1997 Big Ten title while also being named to the conference’s All-Freshman team. Catchings was named Second-Team All-Big Ten as a sophomore in 1998 and junior in 1999 before being named First-Team as a senior in 2000, when she was also named the Illini team MVP. She finished her Illinois career with 1,502 points, which ranks 12^th in program history. One of the top all-around players in school history, she also ranks in the top 10 in several major categories including rebounds with 825 boards, steals with 211, assists with 328 and free throws with 371. Catchings would go on to be drafted in the third round of the 2000 WNBA Draft.