CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) announced Thursday that baseball'sTyler Jay (Lemont, Illinois) and track and field's Stephanie Richartz (Island Lake, Illinois) are recipients of the 2014-15 Dike Eddleman Awards, which are presented annually to the top Fighting Illini male and female athlete. They were selected following a vote of Illinois head coaches and athletics administrators.
Tyler Jay
Jay is second baseball player in the last three years to win the Eddleman award, following Justin Parr in 2013. He is the first pitcher, meanwhile, to win it since Jason Anderson in 2000. Richartz continues the UI women's track and field dominance in the award, becoming the program's 11th Eddleman award recipient in the last 15 years. She becomes the first field athlete to garner the honor, however, as the previous winners were standouts on the track. As Fighting Illini Athletes of the Year, Jay and Richartz become Illinois' nominees for Big Ten Athlete of the Year honors, which will be announced next week.
Jay had a dominant year on the mound in a record-setting year for the Illini baseball program. He had an incredible 1.08 ERA in 30 appearances (66.2 innings pitched), including 27 scoreless innings. He ranked third in the NCAA in ERA and set a school record with 14 saves on the season. Jay was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and was a consensus first-team All-America selection, helping the Fighting Illini to the 2015 Big Ten title, a conference-record 27-game winning streak, and the program's first-ever Super Regional appearance. He most recently became the highest draft pick in Illini history, selected No. 6 overall by the Minnesota Twins, and is one of three finalists for National Pitcher of the Year.
"This is an awesome honor because of how many great athletes there are on this campus," Jay said. "It is definitely very special, and I wouldn't be here without my teammates, coaching staff, family and friends. They put me in the position to get where I am and I can't thank them enough. I was just a piece of the puzzle here because it's a team game and I will never forget this memorable season."
Stephanie Richartz
Richartz broke school and conference pole vault records throughout her senior season. She set the Big Ten Indoor Championships record en route to a gold medal in the event, and then went on to finish third at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a personal best of 14 feet, 7-1/4 inches. That jump set the Illini and Big Ten indoor record. Richartz continued her dominance during the outdoor season, winning the event at both the Drake Relays and conference meet while setting the Big Ten Outdoor Championships record. She ended the year by claiming third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, setting Illinois and Big Ten records with a clearance of 14 feet, 7-1/4 inches. That mark has her currently ranked as the No. 12 pole-vaulter in the U.S.
"This is the perfect way to top off the phenomenal career I have had here, especially coming from a walk-on my freshman year," Richartz said. "To come back with such high goals after performing at a high level before being injured last year, it's been really rewarding to be able to excel at the same rate, kind of like I never missed a beat. I feel like there is no better way to end my collegiate career than being named the Dike Eddelman Female Athlete of the Year, and I want to thank everyone involved for helping make this happen, my family, coaches and teammates."
The Dike Eddleman Award
The University of Illinois Athlete of the Year was first awarded in 1940. The award was given annually until it was discontinued in 1973. Since 1983, the University of Illinois has recognized both a Male and Female Athlete of the Year. In 1993, the awards were named in honor of the 11-time UI letterman and former Olympian Dwight "Dike" Eddleman.
? All-Time Eddleman Award Winners
Jay and Richartz join the list of all-time Fighting Illini greats who have been bestowed the Eddleman Award, including names like Dike Eddleman himself (football, basketball and track, 1948 & '49), Dick Butkus (football, 1964 & '65), Craig Virgin (track and cross country, 1977), Tony Eason (football, 1982 & '83), Mary Eggers (volleyball, 1987-89), Kendall Gill (basketball, 1990), Renee Slone (Heiken) (golf, 1991 & '92), Ashley Berggren (basketball, 1997 & '98), Perdita Felicien(track, 2001-03), Justin Spring (gymnastics, 2004 & '06), Deron Williams (basketball, 2005), Angela Bizzarri (track and cross country, 2008-10), Scott Langley (golf, 2010), Andrew Riley (track, 2011 & '12), Colleen Ward (volleyball, 2012) and last year's winners, Jesse Delgado (wrestling) and Jannelle Flaws (soccer).
The Eddleman Awards are the final major individual honors announced by the DIA this year. Will Krug (baseball) and Liz McMahon (volleyball) were recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor and Reilly O'Toole (football) and Melissa Kopinski(tennis) took home the Spirit Awards at the All-Sports Celebration in April. Isaiah Martinez (wrestling) and Brandi Donnelly(volleyball) won Newcomer of the Year, announced Wednesday. The 2014-15 Team and Coach of the Year awards will be announced on Monday, June 22.
