Baseball

In the first season under new head coach Jacob Waddle, the Illinois College baseball team finished with a record of 18-18 and were in the running for a Midwest Conference Tournament bid until the final weekend of the season. Seniors Brendan Stanfield ’19 and Scott Kasting ’19, as well as juniors Joe Paparelli and Colin Dearing were named to the All-MWC South Division squad.

Softball

The IC softball team advanced to its fourth consecutive MWC Tournament in 2019, finishing the year with a record of 19-15. Six members of the team were named to an All- MWC squad, with freshman Sydney Hood taking home MWC Pitcher of the Year honors. Jackie Reilly ’19 finished off her career with her fourth straight First Team All-MWC recognition and she was joined on the First Team by Hood, Jess Feig ’19 and Sam Seggerman ’21. Savanna Brady ’19 and Hailey Lesser ’21 were named Second Team All-MWC.

Men’s tennis

In a year of firsts for the men’s tennis team, the Blueboys set a single-season school record with nine wins on the season. Senior Miguel Vaca ’19 would go on to become the first-ever Illinois College tennis player to advance to a championship match at the MWC Individual Championships, making it to the championship at No. 1 singles and taking the match to the limit before losing in three sets to the eventual champion from Grinnell. Vaca would later be the first men’s tennis player ever to take home the Downer Award as IC’s top male student-athlete. He ends as the winningest singles player in school history and teamed with fellow senior Michael Connolly ’19 to form the winningest doubles partnership ever at IC.

Men’s golf

A senior-less Illinois College men’s golf team finished in fourth place at the Midwest Conference Championships in 2019, led by All-MWC performances at the championship tournament by junior Bryce Oden ’20 and freshman Louis Faivre ’22. The Blueboys also retained the Crosstown Cup against MacMurray with a dominant 16.5-3.5 win in match play competition. Like the women’s team this upcoming Fall, the men’s team will transition to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) for future championship competitions as the MWC has stopped sponsoring golf as a conference sport.

Men’s and women’s outdoor track & field

Led by MWC-winning performances from Andrea Hyde ’20 in the 100 Meter Dash and the men’s 4 x 400 Meter Relay team, the Blueboys took third at the MWC Outdoor Championships and the Lady Blues finished in a tie for sixth. Hyde went on to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships and finished 14th nationally in the 100 Meter Dash. For the third consecutive season, she has been named the winner of the Hopper Award as IC’s top female student-athlete.