Brimfield/Elmwood’s Drury, Limestone’s Sanders win CSM Spring Athletes of the Week

Brimfield/Elmwood softball pitcher Sawyer Drury and Limestone track and field athlete Kamar Sanders are already making a mark early in the spring season. Both of them won CSM Spring Athletes of the Week after receiving the most votes in their respective polls. 

Drury’s two-way prowess has led the Indians to a 5-1 start, but her pitching has especially shined as she threw a perfect game in their season-opener on March 18. Sanders took home three first-place finishers at the Galesburg Last Chance Indoor Meet on March 22. 

Read more on our athlete’s big performances and get to know them in Q and A’s below:

Drury won CSM Girls Athlete of the Week after receiving 38 percent of the votes in the girls poll. The Creighton commit threw a perfect game with 17 strikeouts in a 1-0 win over Knoxville in Brimfield/Elmwood’s season opener. She also reached base via an error in the seventh inning that drove in a run for the walk-off victory. After earning the win in 1.2 innings of scoreless relief against East Peoria on March 21, she went 3-for-5 with a double in a 17-10 win over Pekin the next day. In that game, she struck out nine in 4.2 innings out of the bullpen. Drury continued her torrid start to the season with a five-inning no-hitter against Sciota West Prairie on March 27.

Get to know Drury in a Q and A here: 

What’s been your favorite memory of the season so far?

“My favorite memory of the season so far was our game against East Peoria. A lot of those girls on the East Peoria team are my teammates for travel ball so the urge to beat them was high. My team brought the energy and grit into that game earning us the win. The dugout was hype, our offense was on fire, and our defense was solid. When we were down we had to keep our composure, stay locked, and fight back, which my team did very well. Overall, the game was very close and the environment was energetic, reminding me that this is why I love the game.”

If you had to be stranded on an island with a teammate, who would it be and why?

“If I was stranded on an island with a teammate, it would definitely be Reese Legaspi. Reese and I play travel softball together year round and now play high school softball together. Reese never fails to make me laugh, she keeps me humbled and in line, we tell each other anything and everything, and I would trust her with my life. We may not have the greatest survival skills in the wild but our friendship will keep us alive.”

Favorite music artist?

“Morgan Wallen, his music and voice is very talented and I can easily understand his music, making it very enjoyable to listen to.”

Favorite food?

“I love any and all Mexican food.”

Do you have any pregame routines/rituals?

“Before every game I listen to “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” by Kanye West and that gets me locked in and ready to go. My friends and I pop out to Casey’s before every home game to get some pregame snacks.”

Who’s your favorite college or professional athlete?

My favorite professional/college athlete is actually a power couple. Garret Mitchell who plays for the Milwaukee Brewers and Haley Cruise-Mitchell who played for Oregon in college and she also played for USSSA Pride.  They are very inspirational, great role models, I respect their values, and I love watching them play and improve!”

Do you have any hidden talents?

“I was born with Bilateral Mondini Syndrome, which causes hearing loss in both of my ears. I got hearing aids at the age of 3. For the first 3 years of my life without hearing aids I had to compensate and learn how to communicate, so I learned how to read lips. When I try to see what the other team is saying and when I am talking to my friends and family in loud places it can definitely be used to my advantage!”

Who’s your role model and why?

“My parents are my biggest role models and supporters. They are always there for me and aren’t afraid to call out my mistakes. They have shaped me into the person I am today. I thank them for everything they have done thus far!”

Sanders won CSM Boys Athlete of the Week after earning 55 percent of the votes in the boys poll. Limestone won the Silver Streak Last Chance Meet largely in part to Sanders’ contributions. The senior won the 200 meters in 22.98, one-hundredth of a second over the runner-up and handily won the long jump with a mark of 23 feet, 1.25 inches. Sanders also ran on the Rockets’ 4x200 relay team that crossed the line first in 1:32.39. Recently, Sanders won the long jump at the Illinois Top Times Championships with a distance of 22 feet, 8.5 inches.

Sanders had not responded to a Q and A inquiry as of Monday evening, this story will be updated if answers are received.