Illinois Year in Review Top area athletes
· Yahoo Sports
Jul. 15—These Illini grew up in Champaign, Urbana and other area towns before donning the orange and blue. Beat writer Scott Richey spotlights 10 former area standouts who delivered for the Illini in the past year:
Boswell might not have been an area high school star, but his time at Edison Junior High and Urbana Middle School made him a fan favorite when he transferred to Illinois two years ago. The 6-foot-2 guard and Champaign native was the unquestioned veteran leader for the Illini this past season, which provided real value during the team's Final Four run. His Big Ten All-Defensive Team effort and 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game didn't hurt, either.
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Luffman took advantage of a seventh season of eligibility after redshirting in 2023 and again in 2024 because of an injury and closed out his Illinois career this winter with a 14-9 overall record at 285 pounds. The three-time IHSA state champion from Urbana went 3-1 in the Big Ten regular season and led the Illini with six major decisions. Luffman placed eighth at the Big Ten championships and qualified for the NCAA championships for the fifth time.
This winter and spring were the best of Gilbert's career. The former Urbana sprinter has found success in the same events for the Illini. He won four events during the indoor season and capped it with a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash at the Big Ten championships, where his 45.73-second time was the second-fastest in school history. He won four more times outdoors, including the 200- and 400-meter dashes at the Gary Wieneke Memorial.
Feagin's best season at running back for Illinois also turned out to be his last, as he moved to tight end this spring. The Atwood native and Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond graduate notched career highs in carries (122), rushing yards (507) and touchdowns (seven), while also catching 16 passes for 188 yards and two more scores as he helped Illinois finish with a 9-4 record. That Feagin played in every game for the first time in his college career obviously helped.
5. Aidan Laughery — Football
Staying healthy for an entire season still eludes the former Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley star, and an early-season ankle injury tripped him up last fall. But Laughery did make the most of his nine games on the field for Illinois in 2025, rushing 75 times for 382 yards and three touchdowns as part of a timeshare Illini backfield with rushing leader Ca'Lil Valentine and Kaden Feagin.
Bruhn stayed busy this year. The Monticello grad was at her best during the indoor track season, placing first in the mile at the Illini Open with a time of 5 minutes, 10.98 seconds and second in the same event in 5:02.92 at the Fighting Illini Challenge and Combined Events. She also ran a personal-best 17:31.96 in the 5,000-meter run at the Illini Deca-Jam in April.
7. Jackson Barrett — Men's cross-country/Track and field
Barrett redshirted the cross-country season and both track and field seasons as a freshman during the 2024-25 school year following a standout preps career at Tuscola. Barrett got on the course and the track this year, though, and started his competitive Illini career by running a personal best 10-kilometer race at the NCAA Midwest Region cross-country championships. His best effort on the track came with a second-place finish in the 5,000-meter run at the Gary Wieneke Memorial.
The hard-throwing right-hander from Cisco had to dig himself out of a sizable hole after giving up four runs (three earned) in one-third of an inning during his Illinois debut at South Florida in February. But Young managed to winnow that day one 81.00 ERA to 10.38 by the end of his freshman season. The Monticello graduate's final line saw him go 1-3 in 17 appearances, including five starts, with 39 strikeouts to 22 walks in 301/3 innings for the 28-27 Illini.
Sabalaskey was the only Illini pitcher with a winning record by the end of the 2026 season. The former Westville ace, who transferred to Illinois from Northern Kentucky, went 8-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 31 appearances. The 5-foot-8 lefty made 12 starts and threw four complete games to go with a team-high two saves. Sabalaskey struck out 58 and walked 44 while giving up 131 hits and 89 runs (66 earned) in 105 innings.
Illinois sent Yergler to the circle more than any other pitcher on the roster, with the former Mahomet-Seymour and Parkland standout starting a team-high 21 games. Her struggles mirrored her team's in what turned into Tyra Perry's final season as coach. The Illini finished the year 15-37, and Yergler was 2-17 with a 4.94 ERA. The 5-7 righty gave up 93 runs (76 earned) on 134 hits while striking out 59 and walking 56 in 1072/3 innings.