Elaine Grant of Illinois Springfield delivered a clutch performance at the NCAA Division II East Regional, finishing tied for second overall and punching her ticket to the NCAA Championship for the second time in her career.
Grant opened the tournament strong on Monday at Findlay Country Club, carding rounds of 76 and 75 to sit comfortably inside the top five heading into the final round. Despite challenging conditions throughout the event, she remained steady and positioned herself among the regional leaders through 36 holes.
It was announced by the Great Lakes Valley Conference on Tuesday evening that six Illinois Springfield baseball players were named to All-Conference teams, including First Team selections Tommy Atkinson, Corey Boyette, and Kaden Griffitts, Second Team honorees Graham Kasey and Isaac Graf, and honorable mention pitcher Mark DeCicco.
Pablo Herrera put together an outstanding April to earn UIS Jimmy John's Athlete of the Month honors. He becomes the first UIS tennis player to receive the award in its three-year history.
Competing at No. 1 singles, Herrera went 5-2 on the month to close the season with an impressive 14-4 overall record. His performance included a ranked win over the No. 15 player in the nation, highlighting his ability to compete at the highest level.
All eyes are on Prairie Stars postseason competition this week!
UIS baseball opens play in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament on Wednesday morning, facing No. 8 seed Rockhurst at 9:00 a.m. at Mountain Dew Park. in Marion, Ill.
The Prairie Stars (33-17, 21-11 GLVC) enter as the No. 5 seed under a new tournament format. The top four seeds receive first-round byes, while seeds 5-8 meet in single-elimination games to open the event.
Illinois Springfield senior Elaine Grant is tied for fourth place after two rounds at the NCAA Division II Women's Golf East Regional on Monday.
Competing as an individual, Grant posted rounds of 76 and 75 for a 36-hole total of 151, placing her in a three-way tie for fourth in the field. Monday's play was adjusted to 36 holes, and Grant delivered steady results across both rounds.
UIS softball opens the GLVC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, entering as the No. 6 seed in a double-elimination field against No. 3 McKendree at 1:00 p.m. at EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Ill.
The tournament has been held at EastSide Centre for the 22nd consecutive year, with the Prairie Stars making their 11th appearance in the GLVC postseason. The top eight teams by conference winning percentage earned spots in the bracket.
UIS senior golfer Elaine Grant has been named First Team All-GLVC, earning her third career all-conference honor.
While the top five finishers at the GLVC Championship receive automatic selection, Grant was voted onto the first team by the league's head coaches following a strong postseason performance.
Grant finished tied for seventh at the GLVC Championship, carding rounds of 78, 79, and 72, highlighted by a comeback final round to secure a top-10 finish. She helped lead UIS to a sixth-place finish out of 13 teams.
The NCAA Division II East Regional gets underway Monday morning in Findlay, Ohio, with 18 teams and six individuals competing for a berth at the NCAA Championships.
UIS golfer Elaine Grant will represent the Prairie Stars at the regional, competing as an individual qualifier in her fourth NCAA regional appearance.
UIS softball swept Upper Iowa on Senior Day Sunday, taking game one 2-0 before completing the doubleheader with a 7-2 win.
In the opener, the Prairie Stars scored in the third and fourth innings to back a complete-game shutout from Calista Stahlhut. Senior Jaden Watts scored the first run after reaching on a walk and coming home on a catcher's error, while Bailey Masching later doubled and scored on an RBI single from senior Olivia DeLuca.