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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
Champaign Central’s Gwen Ellis (8) and Rylie Schulze (26), along with Centennial’s Melany Gonzalez (4) and Payton Kaiser (2) during their match at the 2024 C-U girls’ soccer showcase at Demirjian Park in Champaign. The event is back this year and takes place Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening at the UI’s home venue.
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. Get ready for plenty of Champaign Central against Centennial rivalry matchups in the next five days.
➜ 2. The girls’ soccer teams from the two Unit 4 schools play at 6 p.m. Sunday at Demirjian Park on the University of Illinois campus before the two baseball teams play a two-game series next week. The first baseball game is at 6 p.m. on Monday at Spalding Park in Champaign before the second baseball game is at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Centennial.
➜ 3. Also on tap Sunday afternoon at Demirjian Park for the third annual girls’ soccer showcase: Monticello against Danville at 2 p.m., followed by Uni High against Urbana at 4 p.m. Really cool to see this event continue to take place.
Former Michigan and now Bears tight end Colston Loveland thrived against Illinois last season.
Numbers game: 7
catches for 83 yards new Bears tight end Colston Loveland produced in Champaign against Illinois during the 2024 season. The former Michigan standout, who the Bears selected with the 10th pick in Thursday night’s first round of the NFL draft, had the most catches and most receiving yards when the Illini beat the Wolverines 21-7 last October in front of a sold-out crowd to honor the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium.
Max Herendeen is trying to lead the Illinois men’s golf team to another Big Ten title this weekend in Baltimore.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Illini Twilight track and field meet. The first of two straight weekends where both Illinois track and field teams are in action at Demirjian Park, with the Gary Wieneke Memorial set for May 2-3. This 12-team meet begins at 1 p.m. Saturday in Champaign.
➜ 2. Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Former Illini Thomas Detry and Nick Hardy, along with partners Robert MacIntyre for Detry and Davis Riley for Hardy, are in the Top 20 at the PGA Tour team event heading into Saturday’s third round.
➜ 3. Big Ten men’s golf championship. Coverage begins at noon Sunday on BTN for the third and final round from Baltimore as the Illini vie for another Big Ten title.
The Lindsey family, clockwise from the top: Morgan, Nick, Kendon and Macklin.
Ask an AD
Three questions with Arcola athletic director Nick Lindsey:
➜ 1. My favorite sports team is … the Pittsburgh Steelers.
➜ 2. Three coaches I’d like to have dinner with are … Scott Hamilton, Nick Saban and Byron Bradford.
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … negativity. We have so many things to be thankful for. We just have to be looking for the positive.
