By Mike Pearson
FightingIllini.com

In days gone by, multi-sport athletes were a fairly common lot at the University of Illinois. Not so much, though, in the 21st Century.

Taylor Edwards, however, is anything but common.

The future Arcola High School Hall of Famer was "Miss Everything" for the Purple Riders, annually earning all-conference honors in track and field, volleyball, basketball, and softball. And, oh, by the way, she also possessed the intelligence and work ethic to also be her senior class's valedictorian.

Growing up just 32 miles from the University of Illinois campus, Edwards was an ardent Fighting Illini fan. Basketball's Dee Brown and Chatrice White were a couple of her favorites.

"Champaign-Urbana was the closest big city for us, so we went there to for doctor visits or to go shopping," she said. "I remember always being starstruck by Illinois's athletes. And while I didn't much get the chance to see them in person, I always watched them on TV. I thought it was so cool when athletes got to play on TV.  So, Champaign-Urbana has always been a place where I loved to go and the University of Illinois was always related to that."

Parkland and Lakeland Junior College's basketball programs actively recruited Edwards to compete for them, but she admits that she had her eyes on a bigger prize … specifically, the U of I. An invitation to do so with a partial scholarship came from Terri Sullivan's Illini softball coaching staff. And though Edwards was originally pegged as an outfielder, those plans changed when her coach departed.

"When I came onto campus my freshman year with Coach (Tyra) Perry—given she had never seen any of us play—it was like a fresh start for everyone," Edwards said. "There was a pitcher from California in my class that ended up going back home just two weeks after arriving, shorting our pitching staff significantly. I had mentioned to my coaches I had prior pitching experience, so they gave me a chance in the bullpen. I still had the desire to play outfield and hit and play other positions, but my freshman year, the need for our team was pitching. As I progressed as a pitcher, Coach Perry believed that I would be most successful as a pitcher if I focused in on becoming the best I could be in that one role; so I gave up outfield and hitting my sophomore year and honed in on just pitching.  By my Junior year, I had really found my groove and embraced my role on the team."

With her softball career now complete, Edwards finds her name scattered throughout the Illini record book, including the categories of earned run average (3.41, ranking seventh), victories (37, seventh), pitching starts (61, seventh) and most appearances (101, sixth). 

Edwards' admiration for Perry grew exponentially.

"I was thankful for all the times she trusted me for my presence on the mound to compete, but also with regards to team-building and community engagement," Edwards said about her coach. "I really enjoyed her leadership and the champion-like drive she has. She made sure that our team was always in a position to compete at the highest level. I feel I really evolved as an athlete and as a person under her leadership. She taught me a lot about what it means and what it looks like to be mentally tough which is something every high-level athlete has to learn to compete at the highest level."

But while Edwards adored softball, that game with the bouncy orange ball constantly tugged at her heart.

"After my freshman year of college, it was apparent that I really, really missed basketball," she said.

So Edwards leaned on her faith.

"A big part of my daily routine is praying and writing in my journal," she said, "and I started praying for an opportunity to play again."

Through attending church, Edwards got to know former Illinois women's basketball coach Matt Bollant, who had heard of her standout basketball career at Arcola. With injuries plaguing his Illini that year, Bollant asked Edwards if she might have an interest in walking on.

"I was in shock because I felt that it was an answered prayer," she said. "Then it became a conversation between Coach Perry and me. My commitment to the softball team was obviously my priority, so we agreed that it would be in my best interest to fully commit to the softball team for four years and pour everything I had into that. We both felt that it would have been hard for me to split my commitment and excel at the highest level if I wasn't all in. So I turned down the offer to walk on with basketball and fully committed to softball."

When Edwards secured her bachelor's degree in recreation, sport and tourism in May of 2019, she turned her focus to grad school and was accepted at the University of Washington and the University of Florida. Yet, her desire to play basketball still remained.

"I had heard of the rule that allowed athletes to play a fifth year if you hadn't used your fifth year of eligibility," she said. "I was a little skeptical about doing that at Illinois because Coach Bollant had gone and Coach Fahey didn't know who I was, so I felt like it was a shot in the dark to play that fifth year at Illinois. But I kept praying about it and I eventually got a little bit of hope."

In March of 2019, she sent an email inquiry to Illini women's basketball coach Nancy Fahey.

"She said that she couldn't give me a definite answer as to whether or not I could play on the team because she'd never seen me play before," Edwards said. "I understood that. But she said we could reconvene after softball season was over and talk about it some more. Hearing her say that there was a chance was just enough to make me decline my admission to other schools and apply for grad school at Illinois."

When Edwards' senior softball season ended, her conversation with Fahey continued.

"I talked about my desire to be on the team and what my intentions were, and I made it clear to her that I loved the game of basketball and I loved Illinois, and that I intended to give everything I had to the program," Edwards said. "After a while, she shook my hand and said 'Welcome to the team'. I can't tell you how happy I was when I left her office that day. I remember leaving Ubben and being full of tears and excitement and so much joy. It was a dream come true. It was like I was walking on clouds when I would walk into the gym with the girls because it was something that I had wanted for so long."

Edwards saw limited playing time in November and December but, in January, Fahey had a surprise for her and teammate Carolyn Waleski, placing them both on full scholarship.

"That was a really big moment for me," Edwards said. "For the first six months of me playing basketball, I wasn't receiving any scholarship. But that really showed me how much I loved Illinois, to be able to go through that and continue to push myself without getting any aid. A lot of times, I sat down and asked myself how much do I love the school to be able to do this. I was going into debt and all of that, so it got hard at times. The moment Coach Fahey gave me the scholarship was like the icing on the cake. It took a huge financial burden off me. For me, it was the moment it all paid off. It was an incredible feeling. To see my teammates' reaction and to know how my coach valued my contribution to the team, it was pretty incredible."

This past February, Edwards received another honor, earning a three-year appointment as an Illini representative to the Big Ten's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

"I am inspired and humbled and I look forward to my role working alongside the leaders of the Big Ten," she said.

Now, as Edwards approaches the completion of graduate school in June, she's employed by the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics' student-athlete development office, working under Kathy Kaler, Lisa Lawrence, and Sydney Moman.

"So many things have changed for student-athletes due to the coronavirus outbreak, forcing everyone to work from home," Edwards said, "They are still allowing me to work for them to ensure that student-athletes stay engaged with one another and stay informed on what resources are available to them."

The DIA obviously made a good hire, because no one knows the Illini student-athlete experience better than Taylor Edwards.