Vote: CSM Winter Athletes of the Week, Dec. 8-14, 2025

There are plenty of talented Central Illinois athletes who can win a CSM Winter Athletes of the Week honor over the next two to three months of the season. Ten area stars will have a chance to do so this week after nailing down high-level performances on the hardwood, mats and in the pool. 

This week’s nominees include three of the top girls basketball players in the greater Peoria area, a trio of boys hoopers who averaged well over 15 points per game, wrestlers who stood on top of the podium and a talented swimmer from the Twin Cities.

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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 on Friday!

CSM Girls Athlete of the Week nominees

Emy Wardle, Peoria Notre Dame girls basketball 

PND’s floor general took the scoring lead when she had to and led the Irish to a pair of wins. Wardle scored a team-high 15 to go with six assists and six rebounds in a 50-37 win over Mahomet-Seymour on Dec. 9 and followed it up with a clutch 21-point, three-assist outing in a 51-45 win over Dunlap on Dec. 12. 

Calli Wilman, Metamora girls wrestling 

Wilman swept her way through The Munch Invitational at Pontiac on Dec. 12 and won the 125-pound bracket via four pins. As the No. 5 seed, Wilman pinned opponents from Kankakee and St. Joseph-Ogden in less than three minutes before pinning Edwardsville’s Brooklyn Alldredge in 5:12. Wilman took down Kankakee’s Taniyah Sherman in 1:14 in the championship match. 

Keyaira Haywood, Dunlap girls basketball

Haywood put up a pair of strong performances for the Eagles by scoring 53 points in a pair of games. The star sophomore dropped a team-high 32 points to go with six steals and a trio of rebounds and assists in a 68-50 win over Limestone on Dec. 9. She added 21 points and seven boards while going 4-for-7 from deep in close loss to Peoria Notre Dame on Dec. 12. 

Bri Harms, Roanoke-Benson girls basketball 

Roanoke-Benson was thankful to help Harms as she led a well-balanced Rockets team in two narrow victories that extended their current win streak. Harms poured in 17 points in a 44-43 win over Pontiac on Dec. 9 and her 15 points were a big difference in a 38-35 victory over Peru St. Bede on Dec. 12. 

Tessa Donaldson, Pekin girls wrestling 

Donaldson took home the 105-pound title at The Munch Invitational at Pontiac, pinning all three of her opponents on Dec. 12. The No. 2 seed in the bracket, Donaldson pinned Ottawa Marquette’s Lily Deibel and Richwoods’ Leah White before taking down Edwardsville’s Leah Rogers in 1:41 in the title match. Her result helped Pekin finish sixth out of 42 teams at the event.

Vote here!

CSM Girls Athlete of the Week poll

• Emy Wardle, Peoria Notre Dame girls basketball
• Calli Wilman, Metamora girls wrestling
• Keyaira Haywood, Dunlap girls basketball
• Bri Harms, Roanoke-Benson girls basketball

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CSM Boys Athlete of the Week nominees 

Jerry Hahn, Dee-Mack boys basketball 

Hahn was unstoppable last week as he set a career-high point total early in the week, only to beat it one game later. The Dee-Mack forward dominated a 75-30 win over Olympia on Dec. 9 with 31 points and seven rebounds and added 36 points and 11 rebounds on 14-for-24 shooting from the floor in a 59-39 triumph over Midwest Central on Dec. 12. 

Wyatt Medlin, Washington boys wrestling

One of Illinois’ top grapplers proved his strength on the national stage, winning the 157-pound bracket at the Ironman Invite hosted by Walsh Jesuit in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Medlin defeated five opponents, including Lockport’s Justin Wardlow in a 2-0 quarterfinal decision and Broken Arrow’s (OK) Jake Miller 4-2 in the semifinal. Medlin then hung on to beat New Lenox Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg 2-1 in the championship match. 

Dallas Marshall Jr., Bloomington boys basketball

Bloomington’s star freshman continued to turn heads for a Purple Raiders team that’s experiencing a nice turnaround to start the season. Marshall Jr. delivered clutch free throws and scored a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds in a 63-60 win over Prairie Central on Dec. 9. He again led Bloomington with 18 points as his team defeated Big 12 foe Danville 71-66 on Dec. 12.

Logan Goss, Bloomington Central Catholic boys swimming 

Goss keyed BCC to beating crosstown rival Bloomington in the pool on Dec. 10 by winning four of the 12 events in a 121-43 Saints win. He took first in the 50 free (24.35), 100 back (59.09) and helpedBCC to wins in the 400 free relay (4:04.52) and 200 medley relay (1:52.73). 

Brady Ward, IVC boys basketball 

Ward played well for the Grey Ghosts, who finished 2-1 at Spring Valley Hall’s Colmone Classic last week, averaging 18 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest. Ward had 11 points and six boards in a 59-51 win over Bureau Valley on Dec. 8 and helped the Grey Ghosts take down Princeton the next day with 18 points and seven rebounds. His best performance came in a 67-60 loss to Mendota on Dec. 12 where he put up 25 points and nine rebounds. 

Vote here!

CSM Boys Athlete of the Week poll

• Jerry Hahn, Dee-Mack boys basketball
• Wyatt Medlin, Washington boys wrestling
• Dallas Marshall Jr., Bloomington boys basketball
• Logan Goss, Bloomington Central Catholic boys swimming

See All Options