It’s hard to believe that 2024 is almost over, but there were plenty of moments to remember. Illinois Athletics provided many big wins for the school and fanbase, and that momentum will carry over to 2025. But while we’re thinking about the year that is fading fast, let’s look back at the top moments from each month.
January (Ben): Men’s gymnastics kicked off the new year strong, with a 5-1 record in January. The Illini ended the month particularly well, entering their final match ranked No. 5. They greeted No. 1 Oklahoma at Huff Hall on Jan. 28 for a heavyweight matchup and left with a narrow victory.
Fifth-year Will Hauke was the difference-maker at the meet, notching a 14.100 on the bars to give Illinois momentum. It carried that for the rest of the event as stars like senior Ashton Anaya brought the team to the finish line.
Illinois entered the postseason having won 10 of 11 meets and was ready for the Big Ten championships. The Illini took No. 2 in the conference and had multiple athletes win national titles later on to cap off an exciting 2024 season.
February (Tess): To cap off February, Illinois women’s track and field dominated in the Big Ten indoor championships and finished with a first-place title. It was Illinois’ first indoor championship title since 2013, finishing 17 points ahead of Penn State.
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Junior Jessica McDowell placed No. 1 in the 200-meter race and put up the program’s second-fastest time in the event (23.32). Additionally, senior Bara Sajdokova won the high jump title and tied the Big Ten championships record at 1.89 meters. Similarly, senior Darja Sopova finished No. 1 in the triple jump, adding to the list of firsts for the Illini.
Other athletes finished with beaming results to help Illinois achieve victory. The team went on to place No. 2 in the Big Ten outdoor championships in May, but the excitement from February was enough to keep the team motivated all season long.
March (Conor): The most memorable month for men’s basketball in years, March saw the Illini advance to the Elite Eight. It broke Illinois’ 19-year drought of not making the Sweet 16, something it hadn’t done since reaching the Final Four in 2005.
Even after crossing the two-win threshold and becoming one of the final 16 teams, Illinois dug deep against its most difficult opponent to that point. No. 2 Iowa State had one of the best defenses in the tournament. However, fifth-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr. exploded for 29 points in an eventual 72-69 victory. The run was ended in the following round by the eventual champions, No. 1 UConn, but the team had already cemented themselves in Illinois history.
April (Sahil): April was the start of the reconstruction of the men’s basketball roster. Junior guards Tre White and Kylan Boswell announced their intent to transfer to Illinois, bringing in two experienced college players to fill the voids left by Shannon and graduate student guard Marcus Domask, who both turned pro. Sophomore forward Carey Booth also transferred from Notre Dame.
Around the same time, assistant coach Chester Frazier left the program, allowing Orlando Antigua to return to Champaign and fill Frazier’s role. Antigua, a recruiting savant, worked his magic for Illinois in April, bringing starting sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić to Champaign a few weeks later.
Junior guard/forward Luke Goode, redshirt freshman guard Niccolo Moretti and freshman forward Amani Hansberry entered the portal in April. Senior forward Coleman Hawkins also left the Illini that month, keeping his name in the NBA draft. April made it clear that the Illini roster would look brand new the following season.
May (Ben): If you like Big Ten championships, then May was the month for you. Illinois baseball won their first Big Ten title since 2015 on May 17 in dominant fashion. Purdue led in the first four innings before the visitors got on the board. Eventually, Illinois broke it wide open in the seventh.
A seven-run inning perfectly encapsulated the Illini’s 2024 season, as their Big Ten-leading offense scored nine runs to clinch. Illinois led the Big Ten in home runs (104) and OPS (.911) amid a power surge in Champaign. It was a great season for the conference champions and added to the accomplishments of the athletic program this year.
June (Tess): On June 26 this year, Shannon was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 27 pick in the NBA draft. This decision made it the first time since 2012 that an Illini was chosen in the first round of the NBA draft. Despite enduring legal dilemmas that stemmed back to December 2023, Shannon powered through the hardships to bring the Illini to the Elite Eight, bolstering his draft stock.
In his senior season with Illinois, Shannon averaged 23 points, four rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Shannon became an Illini fan favorite with his quickness, elite shooting and bold playmaking, and the Timberwolves took note of that as well. Though he hasn’t received much playing time in the pros yet, he’s demonstrated his potential in flashes on the court, bringing back blissful early 2024 memories to Illinois fans.
July (Conor): Seven current and former Illini traveled to Paris this summer for the 2024 Olympics. Four Illini represented the United States, while golfers Thomas Detry and Adrien Dumont de Chassart competed for Belgium, and Rose Yeboah performed the high jump for Ghana. Rajeev Ram and Jordyn Poulter picked up silver medals for the U.S.
As a member of men’s tennis’ 2003 championship squad, this summer marked Ram’s second Olympic silver medal. Although both medals came alongside a partner in doubles, this time he was with Austin Krajicek, while in 2016, he was in mixed doubles with Venus Williams.
Meanwhile, Poulter was fresh off a gold medal win for USA Volleyball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Adding a silver medal this summer made her the first Illinois volleyball player to earn multiple Olympic medals.
August (Sahil): August was a slow month for Illinois sports, but the 2024 football season kicked off at the month’s end. The Illini hosted the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Memorial Stadium to kick off what has been a historic season for the team.
Illinois shut out EIU 45-0 in a completely one-sided affair. Junior quarterback Luke Altmyer threw four touchdowns for 213 yards, a strong start to what ended up being a very impressive season by Altmyer.
The Illinois men’s basketball nonconference schedule was also released in August, creating a buzz around the high level of competition head coach Brad Underwood had scheduled.
The schedule was highlighted by a late nonconference game against basketball powerhouse Duke at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 22, 2025. Four SEC schools were also on the nonconference schedule, including a home game against Tennessee, which was ranked No. 1 when visiting Champaign.
September (Ben): FamILLy Weekend brought good times and redemption to Memorial Stadium for Illinois football. Most outlets didn’t predict that the Illini would win five games this year, and some predicted even fewer. The 2024 roster challenged those predictions early and jumped to a 2-0 start.
Week 1 was a given, and it destroyed Eastern Illinois by 45. Then, No. 19 Kansas came to Champaign after beating Illinois last year in Lawrence, Kansas. It was a hard-fought battle, but Illinois conquered its opponent and won 23-17.
After the win, fans stormed the field. Altmyer was hoisted onto the shoulders of fans as the rest of the team celebrated with the thousands who made their way onto Zuppke Field. It had proved the doubtful analysts wrong. The win was just the beginning of a nine-win season for the Illini that exceeded all expectations and placed them in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
October (Tess): Junior Kenta Miyoshi controlled the courts during the ITA Midwest Regional Championship and secured a spot in the NCAA Singles Championship. Miyoshi showed up and showed out in East Lansing, Michigan, beating competitor after competitor in the singles competitions.
His ITA run was nothing short of impressive, especially since he defeated two ranked opponents in the championship. Miyoshi completed his 2023-24 campaign with a remarkable 27-9 singles record and an undefeated 6-0 Big Ten singles record. After that, he obtained two more ranked wins in the NCAA singles championship in November. If his dominance continues in 2025, teams may fear the competition from Illinois tennis very soon.
November (Conor): Plenty of sports were in motion this November. Season openers for both basketball teams fell in the same month as the football and volleyball seasons ended. Both programs earned postseason spots — football in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and volleyball in the NCAA tournament.
The basketball teams also combined for three ranked wins in November. The women’s team started things off against No. 19 Florida State before the men’s team picked up wins over No. 19 Arkansas and No. 20 Wisconsin.
Postseason action was also underway for the tennis teams, with Miyoshi earning his first All-American thanks to a third-round finish at the NCAA Singles Championship.
December (Sahil): Illinois men’s basketball brought Braggin’ Rights back to Champaign for the second year in a row with a three-point win over Missouri in St. Louis. It was the first time the Illini won back-to-back Braggin’ Rights games since a five-game streak from 2013-2017.
Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis put on a masterclass in December, moving himself into position to be a top-10 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Four of Jakucionis’ six straight 20-point games came in December, including a career-high 24-point outing in a win over No. 20 Wisconsin.
No. 1 Tennessees’ visit to State Farm Center also created waves in December. Illinois had not hosted a No. 1 team since 2013 when they knocked off No. 1 Indiana on a buzzer-beater. This year, however, the Illini were on the losing end, falling by two points on a heartbreaking buzzer-beating layup. Nevertheless, the energy in State Farm Center was at an all-time high for the historic matchup.
