With the 2024-25 year coming to a close, the Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced their winners for freshmen of the year.
Men’s sports: Kasparas Jakučionis, basketball
Jakučionis made his mark as an Illini. He averaged 15.0 points per game and 4.7 assists per game, started in over 30 games and scored nearly 500 points in his entire rookie season.
This is not Jakučionis’ first honor of the year. He was also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, All-Big Ten Second Team by the AP and the All-Big Ten Third Team by coaches and media.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Outside the Big Ten awards, he was also named to the NABC All-Great Lakes District First Team and the Freshman All-American team by The Athletic.
With his impressive start at Illinois, he has his eyes set on the NBA and a prospective first round pick.
Women’s Sports: Chloe Cho, gymnastics, and Melissa Wullschleger, track & field
This year, the DIA announced co-winners for the female freshman of the year.
Cho was a powerhouse for the Illini. She competed in all 15 of the squad’s meets this year, racking up 16 event titles. She earned the most event titles in vault and the all-around, with four event titles each.
She also earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times — the most in program history — and won Big Ten Freshman of the Year at the end of the season.
Throughout the season she was able to score above a 9.900 on all of the events with her highest scores of 9.950’s coming on the uneven bars and floor exercise.
Cho’s consistent performance throughout the year means she will only grow during her time as an Illini.
Wullschleger being named freshman of the year comes shortly after she was announced Big Ten Freshman of the Year for track and field.
Her performance at the NCAA championship gave her a fourth place finish and a new program record (5,928 points). At the outdoor Big Ten Championship, she scored 5,749 points in the heptathlon event, improving by more than 150 points. Before that, at the indoor Big Ten Championship, she placed seventh for the pentathlon, showing steady growth and improvement during her first year.
The Illinois DIA is in their 35th year for freshman of the year awards. It is part of the seven awards from the athletic department.
@lauram31
