Often in the playoffs, being No. 1 is the only thing that will suffice. For several Central Illinois standout prep athletes, they stepped up to the task and finished No. 1 last week, whether it was to win a regional, sectional or state championship.
This week’s Torq Fitness Athlete of the Week nominees feature stars from girls basketball teams that won regional titles, state champion wrestlers and more.
UPDATE: Pekin's Allie Lambe and Morton's Tripp Rugaard won Torq Fitness Athletes of the Week after receiving the most votes in their polls. Polls closed at 11:59 PM on Thursday.
Girls Athlete of the Week nominees
Avery Tibbs, Washington girls basketball
Washington’s star guard lit up the scoreboard at the Panthers’ home regional, which was their fourth regional crown is as many years. Tibbs scored a career-high 30 and jump-started a run that led Washington to a 66-47 victory over Metamora in the regional semifinals. She then added a team-high 19 points in the Panthers’ 58-44 regional championship win over Morris.
Julia Mingus, Peoria Notre Dame girls basketball
Mingus shined brightly at the Class 2A Knoxville Regional, helping the Irish to two dominant wins. She poured in 13 points as part of a balanced team scoring effort in a 77-29 win over IVC in the regional semifinals before lighting it up with a team-high 24 points in a 61-24 regional title victory over Canton on the strength of six threes and strong defense.
Allison Lambe, Pekin girls basketball
Lambe led Pekin to its second-ever regional plaque and first since 1980. She began the Dragons’ run by tallying 11 points in a 45-31 victory over Normal West in the regional semifinals and scored a team-high 17 in the regional title, helping spark a comeback with three second-half three-pointers.
Ellie VanMeenen, Morton girls basketball
VanMeenen came alive to help the Potters win their 21st regional title in program history with a 48-40 win over Lincoln at the Class 3A Peoria High Regional. The Morton senior led her team with 22 points, including making eight of her 10 free throws.
Lexi Cottingham, Dee-Mack girls basketball
Cottingham was there when Dee-Mack needed her, averaging 18 points per game to help the Chiefs win the Class 2A Manual Regional. She collected a team-high 21 as Dee-Mack beat Fieldcrest 66-38 in the regional semifinals and gave out 15 points – 12 of which came in the second half – in a narrow 46-40 victory over the host Rams in the championship game.
Boys Athlete of the Week nominees
Jackson Carroll, Illini Bluffs boys wrestling
Carroll won his second consecutive state title and finished off an undefeated season at the IHSA State Finals. The Tigers’ champ won the Class 1A 150-pound class after winning his first two matches at state via technical falls. Carroll beat Dwight’s Dylan Crouch 10-3 in the semifinals and was victorious in his title match over Woodstock Marian’s Vance Williams in a 16-7 major decision, giving him 53 wins and no losses on the season.
Tripp Rugaard, Morton boys basketball
Rugaard was a key contributor for Morton, which won all three of its games to close the regular season last week. The senior point guard showed his scoring ability with 17 points in a 67-61 win over Washington Feb. 18 and sank multiple big buckets to score 16 points and help the Potters escape an upset bid from Streator with a 54-50 win. He also helped Morton to a 64-41 win over Normal U-High in the team’s regular season finale on Feb. 21.
Noah Woods, Washington boys wrestling
Woods was part of a record-breaking performance for Washington, which had four individual state champions at the IHSA State Finals. The Panthers’ senior began his journey to the title with 22-5 and 17-2 technical falls before beating Riverside-Brookfield’s Edgar Mosquera 4-1 in the semifinals. Woods won his thrilling championship bout that took three overtime periods, beating Lombard Montini’s Mikey Malizzio 2-0 to move to 45-2 on the season.
Cooper Franz, Normal West boys swimming
Franz continued a decorated season by qualifying for this week’s IHSA State Finals in four different events at the Normal Community Sectional. The Wildcats’ sophomore won the 200 individual medley in 1:56.86 and tied for first in the 100-yard backstroke by touching the wall in 53.87. He was also part of Normal West’s 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay that won sectional titles.
Bowden Delaney, Tremont boys wrestling
Delaney became Tremont’s first wrestling state champion in 40 years, winning the Class 1A title at 165 pounds after finishing as the state runner-up a year ago. The Turks’ senior impressively pinned his first three opponents in a combined time of 2:50 before outlasting Roxana’s Dylan Thies to take a 7-4 decision in the title match.
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