Illini Athletics announced the winners of the annual male and female freshman of the year awards on Tuesday.

The winners were All-American linebacker Gabe Jacas of the football team and Big Ten All-Freshman setter Brooke Mosher for volleyball.

The votes were cast by head coaches at Illinois and executive staff members of the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Both student-athletes made appearances in every single competition for their respective teams and made an instant impact for their programs.

Jacas started eight games at outside linebacker for an Illini defense that dominated opponents during the 2022 season, ranking as the nation’s top-scoring defense.

Jacas recorded 35 tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks and five quarterback hurries in his season. The sack total put him at No. 2 in Illini history for sacks by a true freshman, with only Simeon Rice ahead of him.

The Port St. Lucie, Florida native tied for the nationwide lead in quarterback hits among freshmen with 13. Against Virginia, Jacas earned multiple awards from the media after his season. The former three-star recruit was named an ESPN True Freshman All-American and was an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten team.

Jacas is the sole Big Ten West player returning next season to have earned the Football Writers Association of America’s Freshman All-American honors. The 6-foot-3 sophomore joined Rice as the second defensive football player to be awarded Freshman of the Year at Illinois and is the eighth player for football to win the award since its inaugural recipient in 1990.

Jacas will spearhead an Illini defense looking to build off of last year’s dominance, this time under new defensive coordinator Aaron Henry.

As for Mosher, the female winner of Illinois’ Freshman of the Year redshirted in 2021 and made her debut in 2022. Originally recruited as a setter by head coach Chris Tamas, the Waterloo, Wisconsin native was needed for multiple positions last season due to injuries across the team.

Mosher stepped in without hesitation and was fantastic in her debut season for an Illini volleyball squad that was shorthanded. Appearing in all 30 matches, the setter turned outside/opposite hitter started in 17 of them, tallying 228 kills, good for 2.09 per set. Mosher recorded 211 digs with 1.94 per set, and had 12 matches where she recorded at least 10 kills.

The 6-foot Mosher tallied her season and career-high 21 kills against Wisconsin and Minnesota, along with a season-high eight assists in Evanston against the Northwestern Wildcats.

Across the board, Mosher showed her versatility on such short notice, and it earned the respect of the voters. Mosher was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team as well as an Academic All-Big Ten member for her season.

In high school, Mosher was a three-time team captain and MVP for Waterloo High School and is the record holder for kills and aces at her alma mater.

With the departure of recently graduated setter Diana Brown, Mosher is expected to return to her natural position of setter for the 2023 season.

Both players thrived in their first season in Illini uniforms, and both played a key role for their respective programs. Both teams return to play near the beginning of the semester, with Illinois football kicking off against Toledo on Sep. 2 at home, and Illinois volleyball taking the court on Aug. 26 at Northern Illinois in DeKalb.

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