JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The Illinois College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted the 4th Annual True Blue Awards on April 14th inside King Fieldhouse to celebrate student-athletes' accomplishments from the Spring 2024 through the Winter 2025 sports seasons.
The night began by recognizing all Academic All-Conference award winners, with 132 IC student-athletes honored. Professor Angela Balfe then inducted this year's class into Chi Alpha Sigma, a national honor society recognizing student-athletes who earn a varsity letter, achieve junior academic standing, and maintain a GPA of 3.4 or higher. This year, IC has 41 inductees.
The first team award of the evening recognized the highest team GPA for a small team (fewer than 20 athletes) and was awarded to women's tennis. The large team GPA award (20+ athletes) went to women's volleyball.
SAAC then welcomed Provost O'Connell to present the Dean H. Baldwin Scholar- Athlete Award, given annually to graduating seniors who excel in both academics and athletics.
Thomas Menke (men's soccer) earned the award with a perfect 4.0 GPA, and
Ligaya Garibay (volleyball) was the women's recipient with a 3.86.
Athletic Director
Meghan Roman then took the stage to honor the Downer and Hopper Award winners, which is presented to the top male and female athletes of the year:
Deja Anderson and
Collin Brunstein were honored. Roman also recognized the year's All-Americans, beginning with Brunstein, who earned first-team All-American honors as a wide receiver from The College Football Network and the Associated Press after a record-breaking season with 73 receptions, 1,540 yards, and 27 touchdowns. He concluded his career as the NCAA's all-time leader in career touchdown receptions (77) and holds IC records in receiving yards (5,047) and touchdowns.
Quarterback
Destin Chance was also honored for earning second-team All-American recognition after passing for 3,593 yards and 50 touchdowns and rushing for 586 yards and 8 more scores. His 58 total touchdowns set a Division III single-season record, and he was a finalist for the 2024 Gagliardi Trophy.
The final All-American recognized was men's track and field sprinter
Dylan Doss, a two-time honoree and the 2025 Midwest Conference Indoor Athlete of the Year. Doss claimed indoor conference titles in the 200m, 400m, long jump, and both relay events, placed 4th nationally in the 200m dash, and earned All-American honors in the outdoor long jump.
SAAC also recognized student-athletes who were named conference top performers:
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Deja Anderson – Women's Outdoor Track & Field | 2024 Outdoor Newcomer of the Year
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Adam Hernandez – Men's Outdoor Track & Field | 2024 Outdoor Newcomer of the Year
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Tyler Schiltz – Men's Soccer | 2024 Offensive Player of the Year
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Julia Drake – Softball | 2024 Pitcher of the Year
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Sam Stimler – Men's Indoor Track & Field | 2024 Indoor Newcomer of the Year
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Dylan Doss – Men's Indoor Track & Field | 2024 Indoor Track Performer of the Year
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Jake Petrovich – Esports | 2025 Midwest Valley Esports Conference MVP (SSBU)
Coaching accolades followed, with
Christopher Sykes (men's swimming) and the women's track & field staff (
Dirk Doehring,
Maxwell Schweitzer,
Anthony Flores,
Rylan Hynek, and
Ashley Drake) earning conference coaching staff of the year honors.
SAAC representatives
Mark Flores and
Anna McKee recognized the 72 All-Conference student-athletes before announcing the winners of several student-voted awards:
● Play of the Year:
Jacob Pelletier (men's soccer) – a bicycle kick goal vs. Greenville while playing a man down.
● Performance of the Year: women's indoor track & field – won the MWC Indoor Championship in the final race by 1.5 points over Monmouth.
● Individual Performance of the Year:
Dylan Doss (men's track & field) – won five events at the conference meet, earning MWC Track Athlete of the Year.
● Record-Breaking Performance:
Collin Brunstein (football) – broke multiple IC, MWC, and NCAA receiving records.
Women's tennis
Alyssa Wise received the First-Year Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award after recording more wins at #1 singles and doubles than any player in IC history. Men's track & field's
Sam Stimler earned First-Year Male Student-Athlete of the Year for his all-conference relay performances and MWC Indoor Newcomer of the Year honor.
The Strength and Conditioning Awards, recognizing work ethic, leadership, and commitment, went to:
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Henry Thomas – men's basketball
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Andrew Thomas – men's basketball
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Abby Buchanan-Kenzinger – volleyball
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Ashlyn Wightman – women's basketball
The Team of the Year Award went to men's soccer, which set a program record with 13 wins, finished 7-1 in conference play, and advanced to the conference championship match.
Hunter Gray (women's soccer) was named Coach of the Year for leading the team to a 10-win season and the best non-conference record in school history.
Jay Rowell (Men's Basketball) received Assistant Coach of the Year for his multifaceted contributions as a basketball coach, head golf coach, and valued department member.
The final award of the evening was the True Blue Award, which was voted on by everyone in attendance. This award honors the student-athlete who consistently goes above and beyond, demonstrating leadership and sportsmanship in all they do. Out of 13 nominees,
Connor Hennemann (baseball) was named the winner. Hennemann has made a lasting impact at IC, playing in over 100 games for the Blueboys while also serving as an RA and Hall Director through IC's ResLife program. To close out the night, SAAC honored all senior athletes in attendance, thanking them for their dedication and contributions to IC Athletics during their time on campus. Illinois College President Dr. Barbara Farley then took the stage to officially conclude the event.
