By Mike Pearson
FightingIllini.com

Nineteen years after the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (Big Ten Conference) was established in 1896, its leaders created its most prominent award—the Conference Medal of Honor.

Combining the academic goals set forth by the leaders of America's first collegiate league, the prize was initially awarded in 1915 to one graduating student-athlete from each of its member institutions who had "attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work."

In 2022, 108 years later, the Medal of Honor continues to stand as the conference's foremost accolade.

When women's athletics were first incorporated under the auspices of the Big Ten in 1982, female athletes became eligible to receive the honor. At Illinois, that first honoree was senior basketball star Lisa Robinson.

A total of 41 Illini women now belong to the Medal of Honor's exclusive club and all have distinguished themselves as outstanding contributors not only in the corporate world but also to society as a whole.

Here is a list of the Illini women who've won the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor, what they achieved as athletes at Illinois and what they're accomplishing in 2022:

1982 - Lisa Robinson, basketball: She graduated as Illinois women's basketball's all-time leading scorer and currently is an academic advisor and instructor at the United States Air Force Academy.

1983 - Mary Ellen Murphy Martin, golf: The four-time Illini women's golf letter winner was a participant in the final AIAW and the first NCAA Championships. She also earned the NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship. Mary Ellen is now a physical therapist at Athletico Physical Therapy in suburban Chicago.

1984 - Karen Brems, gymnastics: The first Illini athlete to win awards for Athlete of the Year and the Conference Medal of Honor in the same season, Karen is a Senior Engineering Manager at Rivian (software) in Palo Alto, Calif.

1985 - Sue Arildsen Waters, tennis: Illinois' most valuable player in 1982. Her current information was not available.

1986 - Christy Flesvig, tennis: An Illini letter winner from 1983-86, she is Director of Sales and Marketing for Glidewell Director and Glidewell Dental in Newport Beach, Calif.

1987 - Jonelle Polk McCloud, basketball: Jonelle was the first Illini women's basketball player to earn first-team honors on the All-Big Ten squad (1986 and '87). Today, she manages Peoria's Proctor Recreation Center and directs J.E.M.S. Basketball (Journey to Empowerment through Motivation and Self Esteem).

1988 - Disa Johnson, volleyball: A first-team All-Big Ten selection in 1986 and '87, she now is an account service representative for State Farm Insurance in Champaign.

1989 - Chris Schwarz, volleyball: During her four seasons (1985-88), the Illini won three Big Ten titles and compiled a cumulative record of 136-17. Her current information was not available.

1990 - Celena Mondie-Milner, track & field: An 18-time All-America selection and 2018 inductee into the UI Athletics Hall of Fame, she's now Associate Vice President for Strategy and New Student Support at the University of Texas in Austin.

1991 - Lynn Devers Pounds, gymnastics: The 1991 State of Illinois Woman of the Year was the Big Ten uneven bar champ and carried a 4.97 GPA in the classroom. She is now a Senior Business Analyst and Senior Talent Development Consultant for Perficient in Charlotte, N.C.

1992 - Katie Riley Smith, basketball: A former Illini captain and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Kate now serves as Assistant Athletic Director of Career Enhancement at Northwestern University.

1993 - Lindsey Nimmo Bristow, tennis: The 1993 Big Ten Player of the Year now is Vice President of Corporate Tax and Global Trade at AbbVie in Chicago.

1994 - Tonya Booker, basketball: A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and her team's top assist producer in 1994. She lives in Portland, Ore., with her partner and four children. She works as the Land Stewardship Division Manager for the Portland Parks and Recreation. She also coaches youth soccer, softball and basketball teams. 

1995 – Carmel Corbett Welso, track & field: A two-time All-America high jumper and one-time All-America heptathlete, she serves as Director of Research for Janus Henderson Investors U.S. in Denver, Colo.

1996 – Dawn Riley Duval, track & field: Eight times an All-America honoree in track and field and a 2022 Illini Hall of Fame inductee, Dr. Duval is now Executive Director at Soul 2 Soul Sisters in metropolitan Denver.

1997 – Kelly Scherr McClure, volleyball: Winning first-team All-Big Ten honors in 1996, she recently served as the head volleyball coach at Champaign's St. Thomas More High School.

1998 – Ashley Berggren, basketball: UI's all-time leading scorer, three-time All-Big Ten selection and 2019 Illini Sports Hall of Fame inductee, she now resides in London, England where she is the Founder and Director at All in Nature, an outdoor enrichment program for youth.

1999 – Stacey Schapiro Marks, tennis: A former Illini captain and All-Big Ten honoree, she currently serves as Vice President for Operational Excellence at Abrigo in Austin, Tex.

2000 – Tara Mendozza, track & field/cross country: Winner of All-America honors at 800 meters and the mile, she is now a Physician's Assistant at SpineOne in Lone Tree, Colo.

2001 – Betsy Spicer Brookbank, volleyball: A two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree, the mother of four now operates Little Volleys Academy in Barrington.

2002 – Gia Lewis-Smallwood, track & field: The 2020 UI Hall of Famer and most accomplished field event athlete in Illini history once held the American record in the discus and competed at the 2012 Olympic Games. A native of Champaign, she now resides in Alexis, Ill.

2003 – Michelle Webb Voss, tennis: The most proficient doubles player in Illini single-season history is now an Associate Professor at the University of Iowa's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

2004 – Jennifer McGaffigan Green, tennis: Illinois' career victory leader in both singles and doubles now is an accountant at John Deere in Apex, N.C.

2005 – Cynthya Goulet, tennis: A 2004-05 Illini Most Valuable Player, she now is Managing Director at Chicagoland's Lincoln International.

2006 – Christen Karniski, soccer: Christen was a second-team All-America defender for the Illini. Today, she is Senior Acquisitions Editor at Rowman & Littlefield in Wilmington, Del.

2007 – Yvonne Mensah, track & field: The All-America hurdler and distance jumper is now a Senior Associate at PwC Audit and Accounting in suburban Washington, DC.

2008 – Mary Therese McDonnell, soccer: The Illini's 2007 Most Valuable Player serves as a private practice speech language pathologist in Golden, Colo.

2009 – Emily Zurrer, soccer: A member of Canada's 2008 Olympic Team and a 2022 Illini Hall of Fame inductee, she and her husband reside in British Columbia.

2010 – Angela Bizzarri Pflugrath, track & field/cross country: The most decorated women's distance runner in Illini history was a 2019 inductee into the Illini Hall of Fame. Today, she is a pediatric resident at Valley Children's Heathcare in Madera, Calif.

2011 – Hillary Haen Tennant, volleyball: The second setter in Illini volleyball history to be named an All-American is now residing in Champaign with her husband and three children.

2012 – Jenna Carosio, soccer:  Illinois' Defensive MVP in 2011, she's now Superintendent of Pinkard Construction in Denver.

2013 – Alina Weinstein, gymnastics: The former Illini star was a first-team All-American on floor and second-team honoree in the all-around. Today, she is an administrator at Superconductive in the San Francisco Bay area.

2014 – Vanessa DiBernardo, soccer: The former Illini all-star and 2020 UI Hall of Fame inductee has been a member of the NWSL's Chicago Red Stars since 2014.

2015 – Liz McMahon, volleyball: She became the first Illini athlete in any sport to win the prestigious Senior CLASS Award. Today, she coordinates international key accounts at Hyperice, a company located in Irvine, Calif. that specializes in body recovery and movement enhancement technology.

2016 – Allie Bauch, softball: The outstanding second baseman, who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was the first Illini softball player ever to be named an Academic All-American, is now a mathematics teacher at Hoffman Estates Township High School.

2017 – Nicole Evans Cazley, softball: The Illini softball star who averaged nearly .300 and slugged 53 home runs is today a team leader at Noom in San Antonio, Tex.

2018 – Nicole Choquette, cross country/track & field: A Big Ten champion at 600 meters, she recently earned a Ph.D. degree in Agriculture and Horticultural Plant Breeding at North Carolina State University.

2019 – Ali Bastianelli, volleyball: As a senior in 2018, she earned All-Big Ten first team and All-America third team honors as a middle blocker. Currently, she plays professionally for Athletes Unlimited.

2020 – Taylor Edwards, basketball/softball: She owned a career ERA of 3.41 through 357 innings as an Illini pitcher and won a letter for UI's basketball team. In additional to serving as a client management analyst for AllianceBernstein in Nashville, Tenn., Taylor also plays professional softball.

2021 – Tristyn Nowlin, golf: A five-time All-Big Ten selection, she concluded her career with a UI record 73.40 scoring average and now plays professionally.

2022 – Megan Cooney, volleyball: A team captain, she helped Illini volleyball to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four fun in 2018. Currently, she is pursuing a master's degree in speech and hearing science at the University of Illinois.