The Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars competed over the weekend at the GLVC Indoor Track & Field Championships, gaining valuable championship experience despite competing with a small squad.
Senior Isaac Cortes delivered the top Prairie Stars finish on Saturday, placing 10th in the 5,000-meter run in 15:05.60. Cortes returned to competition this season for the first time since 2025 outdoor track.
The GLVC Indoor Track & Field Championships featured a historic performance from Madelyn Miller-Ross, who captured the first track and field conference title of her career in meet-record time on Sunday.
The Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars opened the championship weekend on Saturday at the campus of the University of Indianapolis, competing first in the 5,000-meter run.
The Illinois Springfield baseball team (9-4) fell to Salem (8-4) in a narrow 10-9 defeat on Sunday at Kendrick Family Stadium. The Prairie Stars collected 16 hits, including a home run, but Salem took over in a three-run ninth inning.
The Prairie Stars jumped out to an early lead. Tommy Atkinson doubled, setting the stage as Kaden Griffitts and Johnny Wendling each contributed RBI hits, giving the Prairie Stars a 2-0 lead. Salem went scoreless in the bottom of the inning.
The GLVC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament presented by LHM is set for March 5-8 at the Mark Twain Building on the campus of University of Missouri-St. Louis, and the UIS men's basketball team is headed to St. Louis as the No. 3 seed.
The third-seeded Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars (17-11 overall, 13-7 GLVC, 3.75 PRS) will take on sixth-seeded McKendree Bearcats (21-7 overall, 14-6 GLVC, 3.43 PRS) in Quarterfinal 4 on Friday, March 6 at 7:45 p.m. CT.
The UIS women's tennis team celebrated a return to its home courts with a win on Saturday, defeating Roosevelt 5-2.
In doubles play, Ema Norma Bordean and Niamh Grogan earned a 6-3 win at No. 1. Roosevelt took the No. 2 match 6-3 over Alisha Deogaonkar and Maria Garcia Gama, but Jane Carter and Cristina Mendoza Romero secured the doubles point with a 6-3 victory at No. 3.
UIS men's tennis returned to its home courts Saturday and earned a 6-1 victory over Roosevelt at the Springfield Racquet & Fitness Center.
Doubles once again proved pivotal. Pablo Herrera and Lin En Tan opened with a 6-2 win, while Miran Todorovic and Luke Pennington battled to a 7-5 victory to secure the doubles point. Roosevelt claimed the third flight, defeating Lukas Pieringer and Antonio Ayerbe Streubel 6-3.
The UIS baseball team earned an 11-6 win over Walsh on Saturday at the Atlantic Region Crossover in West Virginia, powered by a historic day at the plate from junior transfer Corey Boyette and a strong start on the mound from Trey Carter.
Trey Carter set the tone on the mound. He worked around a single in the first to keep Walsh off the board, and the Prairie Stars were unable to capitalize on an early opportunity when Corey Boyette tripled with two outs in the bottom half but was left stranded.
Illinois Springfield men's basketball (17-11, 13-7 GLVC) fell to Rockhurst (23-5, 17-3 GLVC), 84-75, on Saturday after holding a one-point lead at halftime. Rockhurst capitalized at the free-throw line in the second half, knocking down 21 to help secure the win. The Hawks had already clinched the GLVC regular-season title Thursday night.
Illinois Springfield (14-14, 11-9 GLVC) defeated Rockhurst (7-19, 3-17 GLVC), 97-69, at Mason-Halpin Field House, dominating the boards with a 42-18 rebounding advantage. The victory was highlighted by the Prairie Stars' 16 steals, contributing to 36 points off turnovers. This week, UIS averaged an impressive 101 points per game over two road wins to conclude the regular season.