Conor Blount

Following its thrilling 5-1 victory over Northwestern last Saturday, No. 32 Illinois women’s tennis will host Minnesota at 3 p.m. on Friday and visit No. 30 Wisconsin at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The Illini are off to a 4-1 start in the Big Ten while the Minnesota Golden Gophers are 3-2 and the Wisconsin Badgers’ are 5-0. Wisconsin’s undefeated start in conference play is only rivaled by No. 2 Michigan, who is 6-0 thus far.

It was a crowded weekend for Illinois sports, with fans lining the bleachers for three different Illini squads competing adjacent to one another. Doubleheaders began at noon and 1 p.m. for softball and baseball respectively, and the sound of those teams combining for 33 runs set the mood for No. 41 Illinois women’s tennis’ 4 p.m. meeting with No. 37 Northwestern.

Fresh off a weekend where they split a pair of matches between Minnesota and No. 30 Wisconsin, No. 35 Illinois women's tennis (15-7) closed its home season with matches against Indiana (6-18) and No. 58 Purdue (11-9). A pair of wins for the Illini meant they finished with an impressive 11-1 record at home.

Last weekend was the final time fifth-year Josie Frazier and senior Kate Duong suited up for No. 35 Illinois women’s tennis (15-7) at Atkins Tennis Center. It was Duong’s first bit of action since sustaining an injury in late January and she picked up a pair of doubles wins alongside freshman Alice Xu (7-5) and...

A five-year career at Illinois concluded on the third day of the 2024 NFL draft, as the Atlanta Falcons selected wide receiver Casey Washington with the 187th overall pick.

Longtime Illini wide receiver Isaiah Williams was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Detroit Lions. Williams is the second Illini to sign as an undrafted free agent after four Illini were taken in the 2024 NFL Draft.

It did not take long for former Illini defensive tackle Keith Randolph to find a team after going undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft. Just hours after the final pick was announced, Randolph signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent.

A 1-1 road trip to end the regular season secured No. 38 Illinois women's tennis a fifth-place conference finish last weekend. Illinois received one bye in the Big Ten tournament as a result and was matched up against the winner of Rutgers and Michigan State, who finished 12th and 13th, respectively.

Last weekend saw No. 39 Illinois women's tennis make its 16th straight quarterfinals in the Big Ten tournament before falling to No. 33 Wisconsin. Just over a week later, the Illini are in Austin, Texas after being selected to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.

Conor Blount aged 27, from Buxton gets his photo of a Red Fox Cub on the front cover and April for Protect The Wild's 2025 calendar.