Who were the best Fighting Illini student-athletes over the past calendar year? There are dozens of great choices, but we received an official answer on Thursday morning. Illinois has announced that Isaiah Martinez (wrestling) and Jocelynn Birks (volleyball) are the 2016 Dike Eddleman Athletes of the Year. The honor, which is presented to the top male and female athletes, was voted on by Illini head coaches and the DIA awards committee.
Martinez's complete domination of the wrestling mat continued during the 2015-16 season. The sophomore won a second-straight NCAA title at 157-pounds while compiling an overall record of 32-1.