Vote: CSM Fall Athletes of the Week, Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2026
With the end of the regular season in most fall sports being not far off, many stars in the Central Illinois area have been making big impacts all season long. However, several of them took it to the next level last week and earned nominations for Clutch Sports Media Fall Athletes of the Week.
This week’s nominees include football players who put up eye-popping performances, regional champions in golf, volleyball players that reached career milestones, a record-setting swimmer and standouts from cross country and soccer.
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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 at 11:59 PM Friday!
CSM Boys Athlete of the Week nominees
Jeeter Schweigert, Metamora football
Schweigert put up his best game against his former team Washington in Week 7 as the Metamora quarterback led his team to a 41-7 win. The senior threw for 468 yards and five touchdowns, helping Briggs Bucy reach nearly 300 receiving yards and three touchdowns and Braydon Cox exceeding 100 yards and two touchdowns.
Jackson Orris, Dunlap soccer
Orris was once again a scoring maestro for Dunlap, netting 11 goals and having three hat tricks in four wins. The Northern Illinois commit had three goals and two assists in a 9-0 win over East Peoria on Sept. 29 and scored three more times with an assist in a 5-1 win over East Moline United on Sept. 30. He duplicated that scoreline in a 9-0 win over IVC on Oct. 1 and scored both of the Eagles’ goals in a 2-0 win over Normal U-High on Oct. 3.
Maxwell Carter, Morton boys cross country
Carter led all area runners at the Peoria High Invitational on Oct. 3 by placing third in the Class 1A/2A race at Detweiller Park. The senior put up a time of 14:33.4, which was a personal best and helped the Potters finish second overall. Carter’s time was also the 10th best by any high school boys runner in Illinois this season.
Jack Coulter, Peoria Notre Dame boys golf
Coulter came home with two pieces of hardware from the Class 2A Galesburg Regional on Oct. 2, leading the Irish to a team title and winning the individual medalist honors with a two-under-par 70. The senior carded five birdies at Bunker Links Golf Course and won the individual title in a playoff over Galesburg’s Aidan Nelson.
Luke Potts, Normal Community football
Potts was unguardable in Normal Community’s 46-13 win over Naperville Neuqua Valley that moved the Ironmen to 7-0. The star wide receiver caught nine passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns, hauling in scores from 33 and 56 yards out in the first half and 35 and 11 yards in the second half.
Vote here!
CSM Boys Athlete of the Week poll
Jeeter Schweigert, Metamora football
Jackson Orris, Dunlap boys soccer
Maxwell Carter, Morton boys cross country
Jack Coulter, Peoria Notre Dame boys golf
CSM Girls Athlete of the Week nominees
Ellie Payne, Eureka volleyball
Payne recorded her 1,000th assist and led the Hornets to several wins, including a runner-up finish at the Pekin Volleyball Invite. Payne put up 20 assists plus three kills and three digs in a win over El Paso-Gridley on Sept. 29 before adding 16 assists, seven digs and three aces in a win over Dee-Mack on Oct. 1. She led her team to four wins at the Pekin Volleyball Invite, including a three-set win over IVC where she put up her 1,000th career assist and earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
Kam Gardiner, Peoria Notre Dame girls swimming
Gardiner set a Richwoods pool record in a dual against the Knights on Oct. 1, swimming the 100 fly in 55.92 seconds. That broke a record held by former PND state champion Becky Stoughton. She also won the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.27 and helped PND win the 200 medley relay (1:57.40) and 400 free relay (4:01.87) in the Irish’s 78-71 win.
Addie Mitchell, Metamora girls golf
Mitchell finished with a flourish at the Class 1A Metamora Regional on Sept. 29, winning the individual title with a 70 and powering the Redbirds to their first regional team title since 2016. The junior’s two-under-par round started with a two-over 37 on the front nine at Metamora Fields Golf Club before she birdied the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes coming in to take the win.
Kayt Miller, IVC volleyball
Miller reached a big milestone with her 1,000th career kill, which came as part of a nine-kill performance in a win over Tolono Unity on Sept. 29. She helped IVC stay undefeated in Illini Prairie Conference play with 14 kills in a win over Monticello on Oct. 1. She earned all-tournament honors at the Pekin Volleyball Invite on Oct. 3, where she tallied 47 kills, 20 digs, five blocks and three aces.
Haven Miller, El Paso-Gridley girls cross country
Miller took first place at the challenging “The Beast” course at the El Paso-Gridley Invitational on Sept. 9 with a time of 19:51.1. Her performance helped the Titans’ girls team win the team title. She later ran a season-best 18:59.5 at the Elmwood Invitational on Oct. 3 to place 10th and lead EPG to second place overall.
Vote here!
CSM Girls Athlete of the Week poll
Ellie Payne, Eureka volleyball
Kam Gardiner, Peoria Notre Dame girls swimming
Addie Mitchell, Metamora girls golf
Kayt Miller, IVC volleyball
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