Illini athletic events are ingrained into the culture here at Illinois, but much of that is because of men’s basketball and football. Football went through a brutal — and that might be generous — year under then-first-year head coach Tim Beckman, but still managed to get their top prospect selected in the NFL Draft, which the team seems to excel at. On the other hand, John Groce’s team showed promise and optimism for the future.
Yet most of the success Illinois has had comes outside of the two traditional powerhouses. So if you are a sports nut, here are some non-football and non-basketball sports you have to check out on campus.
Take note: Men’s golf — five-time Big Ten champions — and women’s track and field — Big Ten Indoor champions and second at the Big Ten Outdoor Championship — are two programs that are coming off successful seasons, but those teams usually compete away from campus, so it might be hard to attend. Nevertheless, keep an eye on them.
Volleyball
Cheering section: Spike Squad
After following the 2011 run all the way to the national championship game, I finally attended a match this year — Stuff Huff, which was the team’s home-opener and the night when it raised the banner from the run last year. The event encourages Illini fans to fill Huff Hall to capacity to achieve a bedlam-like atmosphere. Even though Huff Hall can get very hot, even with a three-setter like this year, it’s worth it to attend. Also, volleyball is way better to watch in person than on TV.
Soccer
Cheering section: Hot Shots
The Illini soccer team shows potential to be a good team — from time to time, especially when its leader Vanessa DiBernardo is on her game. DiBernardo, who is a midfielder and will be a senior this upcoming year, has won countless awards during her time at Illinois, including taking home first-team all-Big Ten honors all three years and leading the U.S. to a title as a member of the under-20 Women’s World Cup team. This team advanced to the NCAA tournament second round last year; it could go further this year.
Hockey
Cheering section: None, officially
Don’t let the non-NCAA Division I status scare you away. The hockey team is operated like a club on campus, so that means it must find a way to finance its expenses. The Illini hockey team competes in the Illinois Ice Arena and typically has games Friday and Saturday nights on home weekends. The Illini are coming off of a disappointing loss to Arizona State in the second round, but they did win their conference, the CSCHL regular-season championship. Go check them out!
Men’s gymnastics
Cheering section: Flip Crew
This team delivers. The men’s gymnastics team won the last team championships for Illinois behind its then-freshman star C.J. Maestas. But this past year Maestas was out for the year with a torn tricep. Even with that loss, the team finished sixth at the NCAAs and had an individual title. I can’t say I have been to a gymnastics meet, but I want to make it a point to attend Gym Jam, the gymnastic program’s highlight event, next year. You should too.
Men’s tennis
Cheering section: Net Nuts
I love watching tennis on TV, but it’s more fun to watch it live. You should also learn the scoring system and the terminology, like fault or net, because it could be a long day if you don’t know what’s going on. Once you get the hang of it, it’s just a fun sport. Anyway, the team has been up-and-down — mostly up — this season. It fell short of advancing to the third round in which it would’ve returned home for the NCAA Championships, as the tournament is hosted here this year. But the team has qualified a few for individual play.
Darshan is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @drshnpatel.
