Vote: CSM Winter Athletes of the Week, Feb. 2-8, 2026
- Clutch Sports Staff
- 2 minutes ago
- 4 min read
The month of February kicked off with a crop of outstanding performances from Central Illinois’ top basketball players, wrestlers and boys swimmers as 10 of them are up for Clutch Sports Media’s Winter Athletes of the Week.
This week’s nominees include a trio of Heart of Illinois Conference girls basketball standouts, a pair of regional champions in girls wrestling, three boys basketball players that led their teams to multiple wins down the home stretch, plus clutch performers in boys wrestling and swimming.
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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 Girls Athlete of the Week nominees
Dalia DeJesus, Dee-Mack girls basketball
DeJesus put up two huge performances on the weekend, beginning with a 26-point game that was crucial in a 47-43 win over Havana on Feb. 6. The next day, she poured in 25 to lead Dee-Mack in a 48-39 win over Sullivan. She added 17 points in a 53-23 romp over Heart of Illinois Conference foe Lexington on Feb. 2 as well.
Alyssa Artman, Pekin girls wrestling
Artman’s day at the Geneseo Regional helped lead the Dragons to a second-place finish out of 30 teams. Artman won the 155-pound bracket by defeating Knoxville’s Reese Burford and Limestone’s Talhia Hostetter via second-period pins before beating Geneseo’s Lauren Piquard in the title match.
Myli Ehrhardt, El Paso-Gridley girls basketball
Ehrhardt has been a double-double machine lately for El Paso-Gridley and added two of them to her ledger last week. She erupted for 33 points and 10 rebounds in a 59-46 win over Olympia on Feb. 2 and coupled it with an 18-point, 21-rebound performance in a 61-53 loss to Eureka on Nov. 5. She added nine points and six rebounds in a 72-17 win over Putnam County on Feb. 7.
Paytyn Dykes, Washington girls wrestling
Dykes brought home first place at the Normal West Regional to secure her sectional spot and lead Washington to a third-place finish. She beat Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Lillian Longtin in a 7-1 decision in the quarterfinals, pinned Seneca’s Haiden Lavarier in the semifinals and beat LaSalle-Peru's Audri Plut 4-0 in the championship match.
Mya Edwards, Eureka girls basketball
Edwards has been at the helm of a Eureka offense that’s been playing well as of late. She racked up 28 points to lead the Hornets in a key 61-53 HOIC victory over El Paso-Gridley on Feb. 5 and added 10 points in a 60-39 win against Fisher on Feb. 2.
Vote here!
CSM Girls Athlete of the Week poll
Dalia DeJesus, Dee-Mack girls basketball
Alyssa Artman, Pekin girls wrestling
Myli Ehrhardt, El Paso-Gridley girls basketball
Paytyn Dykes, Washington girls wrestling
CSM Boys Athlete of the Week nominees
Alex McKie, Morton boys basketball
McKie led Morton in taking a big step toward a Mid-Illini title and blazed his way to 26 points in a 67-54 win over East Peoria on Feb. 7, which was the Potters’ 14th straight victory. He also played a role in a 64-49 triumph over Limestone with 16 points.
Grady Read, IVC boys basketball
Read was the epitome of consistency for IVC in a trio of games and began his week with 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals in a 58-54 loss to Bloomington Central Catholic. He duplicated that scoring output and had five rebounds and three assists in a 66-33 win over Champaign St. Thomas More on Feb. 6 and had 19 points, four rebounds and two assists to lead the Grey Ghosts beat Macomb 55-50 in overtime on Feb. 7.
Kenzer Burrell, Olympia boys wrestling
Burrell delivered a huge win for the Spartans in their Class 1A dual team sectional match against Petersburg PORTA, which sent Olympia to the state finals for the second straight season. With his team leading 34-33 through 12 matches, Burrell pinned the Bluejays’ Jaxon Feagans at 138 pounds to clinch six points and the victory.
Drake Shepherdson, Washington boys swimming
Shepherdson ran the table in events that he swam in at the Mid-Illini Conference Meet, winning a total of four races to lead the Panthers to the championship. He won the 100 butterfly in 52.45, the 200 IM in 2:01.51 and swam on Washington’s 400 free relay and 200 medley relay that both touched the wall first.
Devin Fitzgerald, Normal U-High boys basketball
Fitzgerald has been an integral reason why Normal U-High has won 14 straight and averaged over 18 points per game in a trio of victories last week. He set the tone with 23 tallies in a 73-47 triumph over Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin on Feb. 3 and led the Pioneers in scoring again with 17 in a 44-23 win over Chatham Glenwood on Feb. 6. His 15 points helped pave the way for a 66-48 victory over Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin on Feb. 7.
Vote here!
CSM Boys Athlete of the Week poll
Alex McKie, Morton boys basketball
Grady Read, IVC boys basketball
Kenzer Burrell, Olympia boys wrestling
Drake Shepherdson, Washington boys swimming
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