Illinois’ highest athletic accolade — the Dike Eddleman Athlete of the Year — had new names go up in the rafters this season. An honor given to the top male and female Illini athletes of the year, wrestling national champion Lucas Byrd and track and field All-American Tacoria Humphrey earned their first of such honors.
Lucas Byrd – Wrestling
Byrd has had one of the most dominant seasons for an Illini athlete in recent memory. He went 23-1 in duals, smoking almost every opponent he faced. He held down the fort at 133 pounds for Illinois all season long, but took his game to the next level in the postseason.
Starting with the Big Ten championships, Byrd flew through all his opponents to be crowned the champion. This earned him the top seed at the NCAA championship. He defeated a familiar rival in Iowa’s Drake Ayala to be crowned Illinois’ first-ever 133 pound national champion.
This was a season for the ages for Byrd. He had to take a redshirt season for 2023-24 as he dealt with a wrist injury. Byrd resiliently fought through to produce a campaign that Huff Hall will remember for years to come. He became the 12th wrestler in program history to win both Big Ten and NCAA championships in the same season.
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Byrd’s Midas touch unequivocally made him the best male athlete this season, and the Dike Eddleman award rewards his historic campaign. He became the 11th wrestler to earn this honor and the first since Isaiah Martinez who won back-to-back in 2016-17. With this award, Byrd automatically becomes Illinois’ nominee for the Big Ten Athlete of the Year honor.
Tacoria Humphrey – Track and Field
Humphrey’s record-breaking season added another laurel to her ever-expanding resume with the Dike Eddleman award. Both indoor and outdoor Big Ten champion in long jump this season, becoming the program’s first long jump Big Ten champion since 2007. Humphrey is also the fifth consecutive track and field athlete to earn this honor.
She set the Big Ten and program record with a 6.94 indoor long jump, which was also the third-furthest in NCAA championship history. Humphrey earned All-American honors, becoming the fourth Illini in program history to do so. She was also the national runner-up in long jump.
At the outdoor championships, Humphrey won her second consecutive Big Ten long jump title. Her fourth-place finish at the NCAA outdoor championship earned her All-American honors, becoming only the second Illini to do so.
Humphrey put together a masterful campaign in her final season at Illinois, making her an Illini legend. Like Byrd, she automatically becomes Illinois’ nominee for the Big Ten Athlete of the Year honor, concluding her collegiate career with a special sign-off.
