Vote: CSM Fall Athletes of the Week, Sept. 14-20, 2026
A long list of strong performers in Peoria and Bloomington/Normal last week were whittled down to 10 nominees for Clutch Sports Media Fall Athletes of the Week as they all helped their respective teams string together wins.
This week’s nominees include milestone and record-setting athletes in football and tennis, a pair of Normal U-High golf stars, two small-school volleyball players leading their teams to big seasons and more.
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Check out all of our nominees with information on their standout performances below, vote for who you think should win and spread the word to vote before polls close on Friday at 11:59 PM!
CSM Boys Athlete of the Week nominees
Bray Kormah, Pekin football
Kormah put on a show for Pekin in a 36-19 over Washington as he displayed a strong connection with Pekin quarterback Matthew Stropes II. The senior wide receiver caught 11 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns, including one to take the lead in the second quarter. He also booted several kickoffs for touchbacks and kicked four extra points.
Jack Quinn, Normal U-High boys golf
Quinn was nearly unbeatable last week and powered Normal U-High to an outstanding four tournament victories. He shot 73 to finish third at the Ottawa Pirate Invite on Sept. 14, then went low with a 65 to win the Intercity title the next day. He carded a 70 to lead the way at the Livingston County Invitational on Sept. 17 and shot a 137 across two rounds at the Pekin Dragon Classic on Sept. 18-19 to tie for second in a field of over 100 golfers.
Jack Wyse, Bloomington Central Catholic soccer
Wyse performed consistently in four games, leading BCC to a trio of wins with two of them coming in Illini Prairie Conference play. He scored the Saints’ lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Yorkville on Sept. 14, then scored twice with an assist in a 9-0 win over Tolono Unity on Sept. 15. Wyse kept it going with a goal in a 3-2 win over St. Joseph-Ogden on Sept. 17 and chipped in two more goals in a 6-0 victory over Decatur St. Teresa on Sept. 19.
Adam Perry, Eureka boys cross country
Perry led Eureka to a first-place showing at the Dunlap Invitational on Sept. 19. He ran the course in 15:22.7 to place second and his time beat his previous best season time by nearly 18 seconds. It also marked a new personal best for the Hornets sophomore.
Cody Muhlbauer, Normal West football
Muhlbauer rushed to the top of the Wildcats’ all-time rushing leaderboard in Friday’s 41-13 win over Peoria Notre Dame that kept the Wildcats undefeated. The senior running back had 14 carries for 139 yards and three touchdowns to become the program’s all-time leading rusher with 2,900 yards and counting. He is also tied for the most rushing touchdowns in program history (34) heading into a Week 6 contest at Urbana.
Vote here!
CSM Boys Athlete of the Week poll
Bray Kormah, Pekin football
Jack Quinn, Normal U-High boys golf
Jack Wyse, Bloomington Central Catholic boys soccer
Adam Perry, Eureka boys cross country
CSM Girls Athlete of the Week nominees
Emerson Eeten, Illini Bluffs volleyball
Eeten headlined a big week for Illini Bluffs that included a handful of victories. The outside hitter went for 20 kills, three digs and two aces against Midwest Central on Sept. 14, had 10 kills and three aces against Illini Central on Sept. 15 and put up 30 kills across three games at a tournament at Knoxville on Sept. 19, led by a 12-kill, six-dig performance against Kewanee Wethersfield. Eeten’s performances helped the Tigers win all those matches in two sets.
Anna Yu, Dunlap girls tennis
Yu accomplished a big milestone with her 100th career varsity win midway despite just being midway through her junior season. She reached triple digits in a 9-0 sweep over East Peoria on Sept. 15. Later in the week, she led Dunlap to winning the Dunlap Invite by taking the No. 1 singles title with 6-0, 6-0 and 6-1, 6-4 wins.
Bristol Schmidgall, Elmwood/Brimfield girls cross country
Schmidgall led the Trojans to a team victory at Bureau Valley’s Dale Donner Invite on Sept. 19. The junior finished the course in 20:03.0, placing her sixth overall to lead four E/B runners that finished in the top 12.
Audrey Hitt, Normal U-High girls golf
Hitt turned in multiple strong rounds to lead her team to multiple victories, starting with a 66 at the Olympia Scramble alongside her teammate and sister Hadley Hitt on Sept. 14. She later fired a 75 to lead Normal U-High’s victorious effort at the Livingston County Invitational on Sept. 17 and placed second individually.
Anja Nelson, Brimfield volleyball
Nelson had a busy week doing it all for Brimfield, starting with nine kills, five aces, and 15 digs in a win over Kewanee Wethersfield on Sept. 15. The senior and Bradley commit added eight kills, three aces, and five digs in a loss to IVC on Sept. 17. Across four games at a tournament in Knoxville on Sept. 19, she tallied 26 kills, 11 aces and 30 digs, highlighted by a 10-kill, 10-dig match in a win over the host Blue Bullets.
Vote here!
CSM Girls Athlete of the Week poll
Emerson Eeten, Illini Bluffs volleyball
Anna Yu, Dunlap girls tennis
Bristol Schmidgall, Elmwood/Brimfield girls cross country
Audrey Hitt, Normal U-High girls golf
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