General April 26, 2023

Fighting Illini Athletics Celebrated at The Oskees

News

General April 26, 2023

Fighting Illini Athletics Celebrated at The Oskees

News

CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – Illinois' best and brightest student-athletes were honored at The Oskees Wednesday night at State Farm Center.

The Oskees is an annual all-sports celebration recognizing first-year letter jacket recipients, graduating student-athletes and all Fighting Illini who have excelled both athletically and academically. Wednesday marked the return of The Oskees as a fully attended banquet for the first time since 2019, following the cancelation in 2020 and smaller, modified events in 2021 and 2022 due to COVID-19.

All-Americans Adrien Dumont de Chassart of golf and Mia Takekawa of gymnastics took home the night's highest honor, the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor. Established in 1915, the Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each member institution who has demonstrated excellence on and off the field throughout their college career. The conference's most exclusive award was the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence.

Dumont de Chassart has built a resume that rivals the most accomplished in the Illinois program's storied history, and now becomes the fifth Fighting Illini men's golfer to be recognized with the Big Ten Medal of Honor, and the fourth under head coach Mike Small. The native of Villers la Ville, Belgium, made an immediate impact, securing two of his four-career victories as a freshman including the individual title at the 2019 Big Ten Championship. Dumont de Chassart is the reigning two-time Big Ten Golfer of the Year, and is again among the favorites to win the award in 2023. He is a semifinalist for the 2023 Ben Hogan Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate golfer, and has already earned two All-America nods from the Golf Coaches Association of America, and one from Golfweek. He represented the Illini at the Arnold Palmer Cup in 2021 and 2022, and last summer qualified as one of 15 amateurs to compete at the U.S. Open. Academically, Dumont de Chassart will earn a degree from the prestigious Gies College of Business in management, entrepreneurship with a minor in economics, and is a three-time GCAA All-America Scholar, an Academic All-Big Ten selection, and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree.

Takekawa etched her name into the women's gymnastics record book after earning the first-ever perfect 10.0 on beam on Jan. 9, 2020 against Lindenwood and Temple. She went on to record her second perfect 10.0 against Bowling Green on March 10, 2022. Other accolades Takekawa has earned include: 2023 co-Big Ten Champion on bars, 2022 Big Ten Champion on beam, two-time second-team All-American on beam (2022, 2023) three-time first-team All-Big Ten (2020, 2022, 2023), 2021 second-team All-Big Ten, 2020 Fighting Illini Freshman of the Year, and qualifying for the Individual NCAA Tournament on bars. Academically, the bioengineering major is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2021, 2022, 2023), 2022 CoSIDA Academic All-District First-Team and has participated in numerous academic activities on and around campus during her four years at Illinois.

The Fighting Illini Spirit Awards, which are given to the male and female athlete who best exemplify the spirit, courage, effort and dedication of the Fighting Illini, also were handed out on Wednesday. Receiving the 2023 Spirit Awards were Alex Palczewski from football and Kendall Bostic from basketball.

The women's golf (3.74 GPA) and men's gymnastics (3.53 GPA) teams were recognized for having the top team cumulative grade-point averages among Illinois' varsity sports over the last two semesters, and a number of individuals were honored for having the top GPA in their respective classes.

Abby Lynch of soccer/track, Lexanne Halama of golf, and Daniel Renshaw of wrestling had the top GPAs among sophomores. Gymnastics' Kaitlyn Ewald and track/cross country's Anthony Maida were the top juniors. Among seniors, Katie Hohe of track/cross country and Jess Streepy of track & field, Erin Young of swim & dive, Jessica Nunge of volleyball, and Ryan O'Hara of baseball had the highest GPAs. For graduate students, Diana Brown of volleyball, Ashley Cathro of soccer, Kelly Ryono and Avrey Steiner of softball, Michael Fletcher of gymnastics, and Will Rezny of track & field had the top GPAs.

Volleyball's Diana Brown also was recognized for earning the $10,000 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship as well as the Big Ten's $10,000 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award.

The softball team, led by head coach Tyra Perry, earned the Illini Way Student-Athlete Development Team Competition Award for its achievements in community and DEI engagement, personal and professional development, and leadership.

In addition to the awards handed out, finalists for Dike Eddleman Athlete of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year also were announced. These award winners will be selected in June following the conclusion of the spring sports season.

Big Ten Medal of Honor Recipients | Award History

The Big Ten Conference's oldest and most prestigious award has been given annually to a female and male student in the graduating class that has demonstrated proficiency in both scholarship and athletics.

» Mia Takekawa, Gymnastics
» Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Golf

Fighting Illini Spirit Award Winners | Award History

Female and male athletes who most exemplify the spirit, courage, effort and dedication of the Fighting Illini.

» Kendall Bostic, Basketball
» Alex Palczewski, Football

Fighting Illini Outstanding Team GPA Awards

Highest cumulative grade-point average for a team over the last two semesters.

» Women's Golf - 3.74 GPA, Coach Renee Slone
» Men's Gymnastics - 3.53 GPA, Coach Daniel Ribeiro

Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award Winners

Female and male student-athletes with the highest grade-point average in each class of school.

   » Sophomore Abby Lynch, Soccer/Track, 4.00 GPA, accountancy
   » Sophomore Lexanne Halama, Golf, 4.00 GPA, integrative biology
   » Sophomore Daniel Renshaw, Wrestling, 4.00 GPA, bioengineering
   » Junior Kaitlyn Ewald, Gymnastics, 3.99 GPA, kinesiology
   » Junior Anthony Maida, Track/Cross Country, 3.94 GPA, accountancy
   » Senior Katie Hohe, Track/Cross Country 4.00 GPA, psychology and social work
   » Senior Jess Streepy, Track & Field, 4.00 GPA, Spanish
» Senior Erin Young, Swim & Dive, 4.00 GPA, speech and hearing science
» Senior Jessica Nunge, Volleyball, 4.00 GPA, integrative biology
» Senior Ryan O'Hara, Baseball, 4.00 GPA, accountancy
» Graduate Student Diana Brown, Volleyball, 4.00 GPA, community health
» Graduate Student Ashley Cathro, Soccer, 4.00 GPA, epidemiology
» Graduate Student Kelly Ryono, Softball, 4.00 GPA, kinesiology
» Graduate Student Avrey Steiner, Softball, 4.00 GPA, management
» Graduate Student Michael Fletcher, Gymnastics, 4.00 GPA, recreation, sport and tourism
» Graduate Student Will Rezny, Track & Field, 4.00 GPA, health administration

NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

Approximately 125 student-athletes across all NCAA divisions nationwide who excel both academically and athletically selected to receive $10,000 scholarship to be utilized at their graduate schools.

» Diana Brown, Volleyball

Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award

One female and one male Big Ten student-athlete selected to receive $10,000 scholarship to be utilized at their graduate schools.

» Diana Brown, Volleyball

Illini Way Student-Athlete Development Team Competition Award

Team accumulating the most points in four different categories: Unify (Community and DEI Engagement), Develop (Personal and Professional Development), Inspire (Leadership) and Achieve (Honors and Awards).

» Softball, Coach Tyra Perry

Dike Eddleman Female Athlete of the Year Finalists | Award History

Presented to the University of Illinois female athlete who most excels in her sport at both the conference and national levels. Winner announced in June after the completion of all spring sports.

   » Makira Cook - Basketball
   » Olivia Howell - Track/Cross Country
   » Sara Jass - Swim & Dive
   » Kendra Pasquale - Soccer
   » Mia Takekawa - Gymnastics
   » Raina Terry - Volleyball
   » Crystal Wang - Golf

Dike Eddleman Male Athlete of the Year Finalists | Award History

Presented to the University of Illinois male athlete who most excels in his sport at both the conference and national levels. Winner announced in June after the completion of all spring sports.

   » Cam McDonald - Baseball
   » Lucas Byrd - Wrestling
   » Adrien Dumont de Chassart - Golf
   » Karlis Ozolins - Tennis
   » Terrence Shannon Jr. - Basketball
   » Ian Skirkey - Gymnastics
   » Tyler Sudduth - Track & Field
» Devon Witherspoon - Football

Female Freshman of the Year Finalists | Award History

Presented to a female, participating in her first year at Illinois, who most excels in athletics. Winner announced in June after the completion of all spring sports.

   » Liv Dorshorst - Swim & Dive
   » Kadyn Fitzgibbon - Gymnastics
   » Violeta Martinez - Tennis
   » Brooke Mosher - Volleyball

Male Freshman of the Year Finalists | Award History

Presented to a male, participating in his first year at Illinois, who most excels in athletics. Winner announced in June after the completion of all spring sports.

   » Dylan Connell - Wrestling
   » Gabe Jacas - Football
   » Connor Micklos - Gymnastics
   » Viktor Morozov - Track & Field
» William Mroz - Tennis
» Ty Rodgers - Basketball
» Jake Swartz - Baseball

Female Newcomer of the Year Finalists

Presented to a non-freshman female, participating in her first year at Illinois, who most excels in athletics. Winner announced in June after the completion of all spring sports.

» Kayla Burbage - Volleyball
» Makira Cook - Basketball

Male Newcomer of the Year Finalists

Presented to a non-freshman male, participating in his first year at Illinois, who most excels in athletics. Winner announced in June after the completion of all spring sports.

   » Matthis Besard - Golf
   » Tommy DeVito - Football
   » Oliver Okonkwo - Tennis
   » Edmond Ruth - Wrestling
» Amari Sewell - Gymnastics
» Terrence Shannon Jr. - Basketball
» Drake Westcott - Baseball