Welcome, Guest!

Sports

Most Recent Sports Coverage

  • On the rise: Postseason success bodes well for Uni tennis

    Jun 3 – 2:53 pm

    When Allan Luo and Richard Wang graduated Saturday, they had plenty of academic accomplishments to their credit. But one of their last achievements as Uni students came on the tennis court. Luo and Wang made it to the third round of the IHSA Urbana boys sectional in late May.

  • Boys track: Taylor places 3rd in 400 dash at state finals, Anastasio 23rd in 3,200

    May 30 – 4:09 pm

    Senior Malcolm Taylor ended his stellar Uni sports career today by placing third in the 1A 400-meter state finals. Taylor, the defending state runner-up, sprinted more than half a second faster than he did last year. First-time track finalist Albert Anastasio finished 23rd in the 3,200 run.

  • Boys track: Taylor makes it past prelims, will go for state title Saturday

    May 29 – 10:10 am

    Senior Malcolm Taylor was one of nine sprinters who made the cut in Thursday's 400-meter semifinals in Charleston. Taylor ran the third-fastest time out of 38 competitors. He and sophomore Albert Anastasio (3,200 run) will compete Saturday for state honors.

  • Boys track: Taylor repeats as sectional champ; Anastasio, Chambers also qualify for state

    May 23 – 9:54 am

    After missing the final two meets of the regular season due to a hamstring injury, Malcolm Taylor returned to action Friday night and won the 400-meter dash at the Class 1A Monticello sectional. Two other Illineks also qualified for next week's state meet in Charleston: Isaac Chambers (400) and Albert Anastasio (3,200).

  • Boys track: Welcome to the postseason

    May 22 – 11:00 am

    The Uni boys head to Monticello today to compete in the Class 1A track sectional meet. Despite several injuries, the Illineks look to do well, with senior Malcolm Taylor (defending state runner-up in the 400), sophomore Albert Anastasio, senior Isaac Chambers, and the 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams all having a shot at advancing.

Track & Field

Spring

Boys track: Taylor places 3rd in 400 dash at state finals, Anastasio 23rd in 3,200

Senior Malcolm Taylor ended his stellar Uni sports career today by placing third in the 1A 400-meter state finals. Taylor, the defending state runner-up, sprinted more than half a second faster than he did last year. First-time track finalist Albert Anastasio finished 23rd in the 3,200 run.

Boys track: Taylor makes it past prelims, will go for state title Saturday

Senior Malcolm Taylor was one of nine sprinters who made the cut in Thursday's 400-meter semifinals in Charleston. Taylor ran the third-fastest time out of 38 competitors. He and sophomore Albert Anastasio (3,200 run) will compete Saturday for state honors.

Boys track: Taylor repeats as sectional champ; Anastasio, Chambers also qualify for state

After missing the final two meets of the regular season due to a hamstring injury, Malcolm Taylor returned to action Friday night and won the 400-meter dash at the Class 1A Monticello sectional. Two other Illineks also qualified for next week's state meet in Charleston: Isaac Chambers (400) and Albert Anastasio (3,200).

Boys Basketball

Winter

Boys basketball: Lilly named to News-Gazette's all-area second team

Dan Lilly capped his record-breaking junior year by being named to the News-Gazette's all-area second team on Thursday. Lilly was fifth in the area in scoring, at 20.1 points per game, and broke Uni single-season records for scoring and three -pointers made. The 16-8 Illineks shared a conference title, their fourth in five years.

Basketball awards: Rachel Skoza, Dan Lilly take home varsity MVP honors

A season's worth of dedication and hard work by Uni basketball players received its due Monday night as players, coaches, and parents gathered at Uni Gym for the annual winter athletic awards ceremony. Senior Rachel Skoza won the most valuable player award for the girls varsity, while junior Dan Lilly won varsity MVP honors for the boys.

Boys basketball: Uni falls to St. Thomas More in playoffs, Lilly sets season record for points

The Illineks' season ended Tuesday night with a 63-37 loss to rival St. Thomas More in the Class 2A playoffs. Uni finished with a 16-8 record and a share of the East Central Illinois Conference title. Junior Dan Lilly went out on a high note, setting Uni's single-season points record for boys (483), breaking Tim Monahan's 14-year-old mark by a single point.

Girls Swimming

Fall

The best is yet to come: Q&A with Lisa Boyce

Earlier this month, The News-Gazette capped off junior Lisa Boyce's spectacular debut season as a high school competitor by naming her the area's Swimmer of the Year. If she swims again for Uni next season, she will be one of the favorites to win a state title. If she doesn't return, then that means she will have qualified for USA Swimming's national junior team. Either way, the future is glowing for this phenomenal student-athlete.

Girls swimming: Lisa Boyce named Swimmer of the Year

The high school girls swimming season has been over for more than a week, but the awards keep coming for standout Lisa Boyce. On Wednesday, the 14-year-old junior was named The News-Gazette's Swimmer of the Year. Not that the paper had a difficult decision to make. Boyce dominated the area swim scene this fall in her first season competing for Uni. She was undefeated in her individual events during the regular season (20-0) and won both her individual events at sectionals.

Girls swimming: Boyce places fifth at state finals, best showing of any C-U swimmer

Lisa Boyce won a fifth-place medal in the 100-yard backstroke at Saturday's IHSA state championship finals, turning in the best performance by any swimmer from Champaign-Urbana. The junior also placed 11th in the 100 freestyle. In all, Boyce earned 12 points, enough for Uni to finish in a four-way tie for 27th place.

Cross Country

Fall

Speedy subfreshman: A profile of Sarah Vaughen, Uni's next great runner

With all the great feats accomplished by Uni varsity athletes during the fall semester, it was easy to overlook a remarkable subfreshman who is poised to become the latest in the long line of outstanding Illinek female runners. Meet Sarah Vaughen, who has already established herself as one of the top up-and-coming runners in the state.

Boys cross country: News-Gazette recognizes four Illineks as among area's top runners

Senior Malcolm Taylor, junior Nathan Smith, and sophomores Albert Anastasio and Buck Walsh were among the runners selected for honors today by The News-Gazette. Check inside and listen to some of the Illineks talk about their stellar 2008 season, which ended with a fourth-place finish at state.

Column: There's more to cross country than running in really bad weather

The first few weeks of the 2008 cross country weren't the best for junior Katherine Allen. But as soon as she corrected some of the problems — mainly stemming from faulty footwear — everything got so much much better. The season is over now, giving Katherine the opportunity to think about what makes Uni cross country so special.

Subfreshmen Sports

Subfreshman track & field: Illineks come up big at state

Uni athletes made the top 10 in five events at the Illinois Elementary School Association's Class 8A state track and field meet this weekend. Sarah Vaughen led the Illineks with a sixth-place finish in the girls 1,600-meter run. Nealay Kalita finished seventh in the boys 200 dash. Check inside for more results from the two-day meet in East Peoria.

Subfreshman track & field: Four Illineks advance to state meet

Four Uni subfreshmen have qualified for the Illinois Elementary School Association's Class A track and field state meet. Emma Hoyer, Bissy Michael, and Sarah Vaughen advanced in a total of four girls events, while Nealay Kalita qualified in two boys events. The athletes competed Saturday in the St. Malachy sectional at Rantoul High School.

Subfreshman boys basketball: A great year and a tough postseason ending

For the second straight year, St. Matthew ended Uni's postseason hopes. In 2008, the teams met in the regional title game. Tonight they faced off in the semifinals. Despite guard Tarik Koric's 13 points, including three treys, the defending champs were too much for the Illineks, who nevertheless enjoyed a superlative year.

Girls Soccer

Spring

Skoza, Taylor named Athletes of the Year

Seniors Rachel Skoza and Malcolm Taylor were named Female and Male Athletes of the Year Tuesday night at the spring athletic awards ceremony in Uni Gym. Also honored were seniors Daniel Borup and Adam Tiouririne, and many IHSA and East Central Illinois Conference scholar athletes. Check inside for details.

Girls soccer: Illineks down St. Teresa, take on Monticello today for regional title

Uni is one game away from winning its first-ever IHSA regional championship in girls soccer. The No. 1 seed Illineks defeated Decatur St. Teresa 3-1 Monday and will face host Monticello 4 p.m. today. Uni beat St. Teresa with goals by Michelle Wong, Emma Coverdill, and Liz Allen.

Girls soccer: Bring on the playoffs!

After a delay on Saturday due to poor field conditions, the 10-4-3 Illineks will finally begin the Class 1A playoffs with a regional semifinal game this afternoon against Decatur St. Teresa. The contest begins 3 p.m. at Monticello High School. If the No. 1-seeded Illineks win today, they will play for the regional title 4 p.m. Tuesday, also at Monticello.

Girls Basketball

Winter

Girls basketball: Blue, Skoza add to numerous accolades

When The News-Gazette announced its all-area honors for girls basketball last week, a few familiar Uni faces were in the mix. Freshman sensation Jamie Blue earned a place on the all-area second team, while senior Rachel Skoza capped her Uni career with a News-Gazette special mention. Read on for more.

Basketball awards: Rachel Skoza, Dan Lilly take home varsity MVP honors

A season's worth of dedication and hard work by Uni basketball players received its due Monday night as players, coaches, and parents gathered at Uni Gym for the annual winter athletic awards ceremony. Senior Rachel Skoza won the most valuable player award for the girls varsity, while junior Dan Lilly won varsity MVP honors for the boys.

Girls basketball: Jamie Blue named Illinois Small School Newcomer of the Year

First-year sensation Jamie Blue has been named the state's top newcomer of the year among small schools by Illinois Basketball Services, a national scouting and recruiting agency. During the 2008-09 season, the 5-9 Blue demonstrated an ability to do just about anything on the basketball court and do it well.

Boys Soccer

Fall

Boys soccer: Dan Lilly named to News-Gazette all-area first team

The News-Gazette released its all-area selections today. Junior Dan Lilly was named to the first team while seniors Holden Bucher, Noel Knox, and Carl Pearson received honorable mentions. The same four players were named to the East Central Illinois Conference first team. Check inside for more about the honors that went to the 2008 Illineks.

Boys soccer: Judah defeats Uni in regional semifinal

Junior Dan Lilly scored his 30th goal of the season, but that wasn't enough as Judah Christian held on for a 2-1 playoff victory over Uni tonight at Danville Schlarman High School. With the loss, Uni finished the season 12-7-1. Judah is 15-3-1 and will play No. 1 seed Schlarman for the regional title on Tuesday.

Boys soccer: Goal! Dan Lilly makes his mark with breakout season

As the Uni boys soccer team enters the thick of the Class 1A playoff race, all eyes are on junior Dan Lilly. With 29 goals, Lilly has set the pace for his teammates this year. When he has scored, the Illineks are 11-1-1. When he has been shut out, the team is 1-5. Check inside for a closer look at the area's top scorer.

Girls Volleyball

Fall

Girls volleyball: Stellar season ends with playoff loss to St. Thomas More

Thursday's loss to the Sabers brought Uni's season to a close — but what a season it was! The varsity's final tally of 20 wins and 10 losses tied the school record for victories set last year, when the Illineks went 20-11. Moreover, the team's winning percentage of .667 was the best in Uni history, exceeding last year's mark of .645.

Girls volleyball: Q&A with head coach Amanda Palla

For the second straight season, the Uni girls varsity volleyball team has won a school-record 20 matches. The Illineks still have a chance to break the record by winning their playoff match Thursday against St. Thomas More. Meet the coach behind Uni's recent success: Amanda Palla, a 1997 Uni alum. Reporter Lor Sligar talked with her about Uni volleyball past, present, and future.

Girls volleyball: Judah Christian denies Illineks their school-record 21st win

The Illineks were taken aback Friday night as they lost to Judah Christian in the last match of the regular season. The loss prevented the girls from reaching their goal of 21 wins, which would have been a school record for season wins. They'll have one more chance when they face St. Thomas More in the playoffs on Thursday.

General Sports

Tennis: Uni beats Urbana! … kind of

Fine, says Chris Yoder: It was our varsity against their JV. It was more of a scrimmage than a real match. Their players were picked by their coach so we would play competitive tennis. But we won. Uni tennis beat the Urbana JV. It wasn't really anything to gloat about. Its significance comes in that it was Uni’s first team tennis match ever.

Photo essay: Uni students take to the streets, conquer challenge of Twin Cities Twosome

The annual rite of passage known as the Twin Cities Twosome was a great success Saturday morning, as hundreds of Uni students met the challenge of completing the 5K course at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana. Check inside for a photo recap.

A race through the streets of C-U: Students, faculty share in Marathon success

More than 9,600 people participated in C-U's recent Illinois Marathon. Although no one at Uni braved all 26.2 miles of the full run, several upperclassmen did make it through the half marathon, which totaled a hefty 13.1 miles (that's more than four 5Ks!). Elaine Gu was one of them, and she looks back at that tiring but exhilarating day