Vote: CSM Spring Athletes of the Week, May 11-17, 2026
- Clutch Sports Staff
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
The end of the regular season in IHSA spring sports brought around a list of fantastic performances from Central Illinois high school athletes with 10 of them earning nominations for Clutch Sports Media’s Spring Athletes of the Week.
This week’s nominees include multi-event conference and sectional champions in track and field, two Mid-Illini standouts in girls soccer, and pairs of baseball and softball players that propelled their teams to a string of wins as the regular season wound down.
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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 Saturday at 11:59 PM!
CSM Boys Athlete of the Week nominees
Griffin Meeker, Tremont baseball
Meeker put up four multi-hit games to help Tremont extend its lengthy winning streak and finish off an undefeated regular season in Heart of Illinois Conference play. Meeker went 3-4 with a double, home run and two RBIs in a 13-2 win over Princeville on May 11 before going 2-2 with an RBI in both a 16-1 win over El Paso-Gridley on May 13 and a 13-1 win over Pekin on May 14. He struck out four batters in 1.1 innings against El Paso-Gridley as well. Meeker closed his week by going 3-4 with a triple, plus 1.2 scoreless innings on the mound in a 9-5 win over Lexington on May 16.
Jayvion Maxon, El Paso-Gridley boys track and field
Maxon helped El Paso-Gridley win two meets, including the Heart of Illinois Conference Meet. Maxon won the high jump at both the HOIC Meet and El Paso-Gridley’s Last Chance Meet, clearing 1.95 and 1.90 meters, respectively. He also ran on the Titans’ winning 4x100 relay and runner-up 4x200 relay at the HOIC Meet to help the Titans win the team title.
Gavin Slayback, Bloomington Central Catholic baseball
Slayback consistently produced at the plate during a strong 4-0 week for BCC. He drove in two runs that proved to be crucial in a 4-2 win over Eureka on May 11 and went 3-3 with a double and an RBI in a 6-3 win over Morton on May 12. Slayback went 1-3 with an RBI and a double in both a 4-0 win over Dwight on May 13 and a 10-3 victory over Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley on May 14.
Jaiduan Cranford, Metamora boys track and field
Cranford put up multiple historic performances that played a large role in giving Metamora the Mid-Illini Conference Meet championship. The Redbirds senior set a new personal best in winning the 100 meters with a time of 10.58, as well as the 200 meters with a time of 21.80. Both of those times were meet records. He also helped Metamora’s 4x100 relay (41.96) and 4x200 relay (1:28.56) win conference championships.
Hayes Hafner, Normal Community boys tennis
Hafner won Big 12 titles in both singles and doubles play at the conference tournament on May 15-16. The Ironmen junior won the No. 6 singles title, beating opponents from Urbana and Champaign Central before downing Normal West’s Grant Marvel 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the title match. Teaming with Arnav Hiremath for doubles, the tandem beat duos from Champaign Centennial and Richwoods before beating Champaign Central’s Garren Barker and Drake Helfer 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 3 doubles championship.
Vote here!
CSM Boys Athlete of the Week poll
Griffin Meeker, Tremont baseball
Jayvion Maxon, El Paso-Gridley boys track and field
Gavin Slayback, Bloomington Central Catholic baseball
Jaiduan Cranford, Metamora boys track and field
CSM Girls Athlete of the Week nominees
Allie Nelson, Metamora softball
Nelson poured in several big games in the circle and at the plate for Metamora, led by a complete game no-hitter with seven strikeouts in a 3-0 win over Canton on May 11. She hit a home run, drove in three runs and pitched four innings of a 6-3 victory over Pekin on May 12 and homered again, driving in two in a 3-1 win over LaSalle-Peru on May 16. She also threw a complete game with 12 strikeouts, two walks, two hits and one run allowed in that game.
Madison Greiner, Morton girls soccer
Greiner delivered in two key games for Morton last week, led by scoring the opening goal that was all the Potters needed in a 3-0 victory over Washington that clinched the Mid-Illini Conference title. Greiner also scored the team’s lone goal in a key 1-0 non-conference win over Mahomet-Seymour on May 14.
Josie Trossen, Tri-Valley girls track and field
Trossen helped lead Tri-Valley to a Class 1A sectional title as the freshman won both hurdles events and anchored a winning relay. Trossen won the Class 1A Maroa-Forsyth Sectional in the 100 hurdles (15.59) and set a new personal-best time to win the 300 hurdles (46.01). She also anchored the Vikings’ 4x400 relay that won in 4:09.25 and ran on their 4x100 relay that also qualified for state.
Paige Werneburg, Limestone girls soccer
Werneburg’s big week landed her atop Limestone’s record books for single-season scoring. The senior scored four goals and had three assists in a 9-0 win over Springfield Southeast on May 12 and scored three goals plus an assist in a 9-0 Class 2A regional quarterfinal win over East Peoria, tying the program’s single-season scoring record.
Natalie Kopp, Heyworth softball
Kopp put up big numbers at the plate and held opponents to little success in the circle in a 4-1 week for the Hornets. She threw a complete game in a 10-2 win over El Paso-Gridley on May 11 and hit an RBI double in a 4-3 loss to Stark County on May 12. However, she ramped it up by going 3-4 with two doubles and three RBIs in a 11-4 win over Decatur St. Teresa on May 13 and 3-4 with three doubles and five RBIs in a 25-3 win over Champaign St. Thomas More on May 14. She also drove in a pair of runs in a 19-6 win over Dee-Mack on May 16.
Vote here!
CSM Girls Athlete of the Week poll
Allie Nelson, Metamora softball
Madison Greiner, Morton girls soccer
Josie Trossen, Tri-Valley girls track and field
Paige Werneburg, Limestone girls soccer
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