Vote: CSM Spring Athletes of the Week, March 24-30, 2025

Another week of fantastic performances all across Central Illinois made it difficult to narrow down 10 nominees for CSM Spring Athletes of the Week, but the shining high school stars below stood above the rest.

This week’s nominees include champions from the Illinois Top Times Championships indoor track meet, a pair of strong softball hurlers from Bloomington, two consistent baseball stars, plus nominees from girls soccer and boys lacrosse.

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UPDATE: Bloomington Central Catholic's Summer Clark and East Peoria's Auggie Lohnes won CSM Spring Athletes of the Week after receiving the most votes in their polls. Voting closed at 11:59 PM Thursday.

Girls Athlete of the Week nominees 

Reilly Vetter, Bloomington softball

Vetter did it all for Bloomington last week, throwing shutouts in both of the Purple Raiders games and striking out a combined 35 batters between the two. She fanned 16 and threw a one-hitter in a 1-0 win over Normal U-High on March 24. In a 5-0 win over Kankakee on March 28, she struck out 19 in another one-hitter, while also clubbing two homers and finishing with three RBIs. 

Marco Reynolds, Normal Community girls track and field

Reynolds won the Class 3A girls shot put at the Illinois Top Times Indoor Championships, throwing a personal best 42 feet, 8 inches on her final throw. The mark was the second best in Illinois all season. 

Ava LaFollette, Peoria Notre Dame girls soccer

LaFollette continued to produce at a high level for the 6-0 Irish. She began her week with a hat trick in a 5-0 win over Washington on March 25 and added a pair of goals in a key 4-1 non-conference win over Chatham Glenwood on March 29. 

Summer Clark, Bloomington Central Catholic softball

Clark has been a driving force behind BCC’s 6-0 start. During the Saints’ four-game trip to Tennessee last week, she threw a complete game shutout in a 5-0 win over Sardis (AL) with 10 strikeouts and added an RBI in a 7-2 win over Connersville (IN) the next day. Clark also went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs in an 11-4 win over Sycamore (TN) and struck out 10 with no walks to lead BCC to a 2-1 victory over McEwen (TN). 

Aubrey Phillips, El Paso-Gridley girls track and field

Phillips displayed her multidimensional abilities at a high level at the Class 1A Illinois Top Times Championships on Friday, leading El Paso-Gridley’ 4x200 relay team to a title in 1:48.97. She qualified and competed in three other events, throwing a personal-best 12.32 meters in the shot put to finish second, jumping 1.55 meters to take fourth in the high jump, and taking seventh in the 200 meters with a clocking of 26.61. 

Boys Athlete of the Week nominees

Jaiduan Cranford, Metamora boys track and field

Cranford ran the fourth-fastest 60 meter dash time among high schoolers in the entire country this season to wow the crowd at the Class 2A Illinois Top Times Championships. The Metamora junior blazed across the finish line in 6.73 seconds to win by 12 hundredths of a second.

Auggie Lohnes, East Peoria baseball

Lohnes overcame an injury to provide a big boost in a strong week for East Peoria. Over the course of four games in Georgia, he went 6-for-16 at the plate with three doubles, a triple and a whopping nine RBIs to help the Raiders go 3-1. On March 29, he added a 3-run homer that proved to be important in a 5-4 win over East Moline United.

Tommy Eganhouse, Normal Community boys lacrosse

Eganhouse helped Normal Community take a walk-off win on the lacrosse field for its first victory of the season. The junior scored the game-winning goal in overtime of an 8-7 win over Dunlap on March 29. 

Joe Atkins, Washington boys track and field

Atkins gave Central Illinois its second indoor shot put state champion on Saturday, winning the Class 3A boys title with a throw of 61 feet, 1.5 inches. The mark was a personal best, a school record, and good enough for the No. 22 mark among high schoolers in the entire country for Atkins. 

Mason Stoller, Eureka baseball

Stoller was the model of consistency for Eureka, who went 5-0 last week. The middle of the lineup presence for the Hornets went an efficient 8-for-12 combined with seven RBIs and six of those hits being doubles. His biggest outputs included going 2-for-3 with three RBIs in an 11-1 win over Midwest Central on March 27 and going 3-for-4 with two two-baggers and an RBI in a 19-4 win over Illini Bluffs the next day.