Vote: CSM Fall Athletes of the Week, Aug. 18-24, 2025

After hitting the course all summer, Central Illinois golfers carried momentum into the IHSA season and got into the swing of things with several impressive rounds to start their year. 

This week’s nominees include standout golfers from multiple conferences including the Mid-Illini, Big 12 and Heart of Illinois who ensured that par was never safe. 

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UPDATE: Jack Coulter of Peoria Notre Dame and Ryann Graham of Normal Community won CSM Fall Athletes of the Week. Voting closed at 11:59 PM on Thursday.

CSM Boys Athlete of the Week nominees

Jack Coulter, Peoria Notre Dame boys golf

Coulter absolutely tore through Weibring Golf Course at the Raider/Redbird Classic on Aug. 19, shooting a six-under-par 65 to win the event by two strokes. The Irish junior’s round included eight birdies, including four in a row on the back nine. His efforts helped PND finish seventh in the 21-team event. 

Jordan Kerr, Metamora boys golf

Kerr made himself a name to watch in the first full week of the season with multiple strong showings. He shot a 69 at the Raider/Redbird Classic at Weibring Golf Course to place fourth overall and lead his team to an eighth-place finish. His round included six birdies. Kerr ended the week by shooting a 74 with three birdies to place second at Macomb’s Gary Saunders Invite and headlined the Redbirds’ runner-up finish as a team as well. 

Carter Senko, Fieldcrest boys golf

Senko showed early signs why he could be a top player in the area with a pair of top-tier finishes. Fieldcrest’s top golfer shot a 75 to tie for second at Peru St. Bede’s Early Bird Tee-Off Classic on Aug. 19 and two days later, shot a 38 at Tall Oaks Country Club to tie for the top spot and boost his team to a narrow 174-178 dual win over Roanoke-Benson.

Crew Fortin, Illini Bluffs boys golf

Fortin started off the year strong for Illini Bluffs as he shot a 34 to be the medalist at a quad meet hosted by Greenview on Aug. 20 with the Tigers finishing in second, one stroke behind Rochester. He also had IB’s lowest score at the Greenview Bulldog Invite on Aug. 23 by carding a 77 to tie for sixth and help the Tigers finish fifth out of 18 teams. 

Gavin Schreurs, Washington boys golf

Schreurs once again helped lead the Panthers to a key win as they beat out a strong field at Bloomington’s Mia Gordon Memorial Classic on Aug. 20. The Washington senior shot an even-par 72 at The Den at Fox Creek to place third, highest among all area competitors, and spearhead a strong team score of 298. The next day, he and Dominic Yocum placed third as a tandem at East Peoria’s Raider Cup to help the Panthers take second. 

CSM Girls Athlete of the Week nominees

Sydney Hunt, Dunlap girls golf

Hunt defended her title at the Metamora Redbird Classic on Aug. 21 and shot a 72 to win the event and help the Eagles defend their team title from 2024 as well. Hunt won the event by five strokes and posted three birdies during her round. 

Ryann Graham, Normal Community girls golf

Graham and the Iron girls golf team got out to a strong start to the year as she shot a 41 to tie for medalist honors in a dual meet against Pekin at Ironwood Golf Course on Aug. 19. Graham’s score helped Normal Community win 175-191. On Aug. 22, she and teammate Savanna Siegrist shot a 74 to place second at Bloomington’s Best Ball Invite as the Iron took second, five shots behind Normal U-High. 

Elle Filarski, Tri-Valley girls golf

Filarski showcased her game by winning two early-season events against Heart of Illinois Conference foes. The Vikings’ star fired an even-par 37 in a dual match against Heyworth at Highland Park Golf Course to win the event for herself and her team on Aug. 19. The next day, she led Tri-Valley to another win in a triangular against El Paso-Gridley and Fieldcrest, pacing the Vikings and all other golfers with a 40 at El Paso Golf Club.

Leah Brown, Pekin girls golf

For the second year in a row, Brown got off to a good start as she placed first in three events. Her round of 41 tied for first in a match against Normal Community on Aug. 19 and she bettered that mark on Aug. 21 with a 39 to earn medalist honors in a tri-met at Galesburg’s Lake Bracken Country Club. She wrapped up her week with a top finish at the Alleman/Rock Island Invite by way of a 76 and two birdies to win by one stroke and lead the Dragons to a third-place showing. 

Paige Fischer, Normal U-High girls golf

Fischer was part of a big week for the Pioneers girls golfers, winning the Rochester Rocket Invite on Aug. 21 with a 74. Fischer’s score helped the Pioneers to a team win as well after Normal U-High also won the Bloomington Best Ball Tournament on Aug. 20.