Overall Female Standout Athletes (in no particular order):
Macee Rodman, CHBC – Rodman left her mark on CHBC girls sports, finishing off her high school career with three big seasons. In the Fall, Rodman would finish second on the team in digs and third on the team in kills for CHBC volleyball. She tallied 332 digs on the season and teamed with teammate Birgen Schlanser to be one of strongest defensive duos on the area. In the winter, Rodman capped off a big basketball career averaging 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game for the Bobcats. She finished with 1,688 career points for CHBC and was named to the Egyptian Illini All-Conference and National Trail All-Conference teams. Rodman then wrapped up her senior year batting .385 with a .510 on base percentage and .920 OPS with 7 RBI and 9 stolen bases and was named All-Conference for the Egyptian Illini Conference and Honorable Mention for the National Trail Conference.
Madison Lupton, Vandalia – The senior was a steady leader for Lady Vandals basketball this Winter as they finished 16-14 this past season. Lupton led the Lady Vandals with 374 points on the season and averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 1.4 assists this year. She was named a member of the Nokomis Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament Team. In the Spring, Lupton hit .276 for Lady Vandals softball and was second on the team in RBI with 16 and led the team in stolen bases with 18. She will go on to play softball collegiately for Greenville University.
Kylie Osteen, Altamont – Osteen focused on volleyball and basketball for her senior year. ON the volleyball court, she would play in a right side and middle blocker role but would make her impact more on the defensive side with 188 digs for the Lady Indians. On the basketball court, Osteen made a switch in roles her senior year as she moved into a point guard position for the Lady Indians after playing more of a forward role during her junior year and she put together a solid senior season that saw her named to the All-Tournament Team at the National Trail Conference Tournament and after the season was named Honorable Mention All-Conference for the NTC. She has signed to continue her basketball career collegiately at Kaskaskia College.
Dayana Haslett, BSE/SEB – The sophomore added to was a growing legacy that she’ll leave on BSE basketball with a sophomore season that saw her help lead the Lady Bombers to a 26-7 season in which BSE won their second Regional Championship in program history. She racked up 754 points this year, including her 1,000th career point in a January home win. She now stands at 1,294 career points. Haslett would go on to be named Second Team All-State following the season to add to her National Trail Conference All-Conference First Team and being named to the All-Tournament Teams at the NTC Tournament, Dieterich Holiday Tournament and Pana Thanksgiving Tournament. In the spring, Haslett was again called upon to lead off the lineup for the SEB Lady Eagles and hit .396 on the season with a .491 on base percentage and .908 OPS. She led the team in hits with 19, runs scored with 13 and stolen bases with 13. Haslett was named All-Conference for the Egyptian Illini Conference and First Team for the National Trail Conference.
Presley Williams, BSE/SEB – Williams was a three sport threat in her junior year for SEB and BSE. Williams led Lady Eagles volleyball in kills while putting together and was named First Team All-Conference for the Egyptian Illini Conference and was named Second Team All-Conference for the National Trail Conference. In the winter, Williams averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3 steals and 2.7 assists per game, overcoming a mid-January ankle injury to help get the Lady Bombers their second ever Regional Championship title in BSE program history. Williams earned Second Team All-Conference honors in both the National Trail Conference and Egyptian Illini Conference. In the Spring, Williams put together another strong season for BSE track as she would seven top 5 finishes in the 100m Dash, five top 5 finishes in the 200m Dash and anchored the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams.
Jenni Mezo, Mulberry Grove – Mezo again put together a strong year with solid season across three sports. On the volleyball court, Mezo led the Lady Aces in digs and kills and was named First Team All-Conference for the Egyptian Illini Conference. On the basketball court, Mezo led the Ramsey/Mulberry Grove Lady Aces in scoring and was named First Team All-Conference for the Egyptian Illini Conference. Then in a new role for Lady Aces softball Mezo would finish the season with a .429 batting average and led the team in stolen bases with 13. She was named All-Conference for the Egyptian Illini Conference and received Third Team All-State honors.
Mia Waggoner, Ramsey – The sophomore had a big year across three sports for the Lady Rams. ON the volleyball court, she led the team in digs and was second in assists and aces. On the basketball court, Waggoner took a big step up from her freshman year, leading the Lady Rams in assists and steals. And in arguably her strongest sport, Waggoner led Lady Rams softball with a .429 batting average, .484 on base percentage and ,536 slugging percentage. She also had a .960 fielding percentage with just one error. She was named All-Conference for the Egyptian Illini Conference.
Ollie Whitehead, Vandalia – Whitehead continued to show her cross sport athleticism in her junior year. On the volleyball court, Whitehead led the team in aces and was second on the team in kills. On the basketball court, Whitehead averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.4 assists a game for the Lady Vandals. After the season, she was a Third Team All-Conference selection for the South Central Conference. On the softball field, Whitehead played in all 26 games for the Lady Vandals, spending time at multiple infield spots. She would drive in 10 runs and steal 13 bases while drawing a team high 16 walks.
Ellie Miller, CHBC – Miller took another step forward in all three sports she competed in for the Lady Bobcats. In the Fall, Miller was second on the team in kills with 147 and third on the team in digs with 251. On the basketball court, she averaged 3.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals a game. And wrapping up her senior year, Miller focused on jump events as she would set new personal records in the high jump with top 5 finishes throughout the regular season and tuned in all Top 4 finishes for the triple jump.
Grace Lemke, Altamont – Lemke ended her high school athletic career with her best volleyball and softball seasons of her career. She led the Altamont volleyball in digs and kills this season and was second on the team in blocks. Lemke was named First Team All-Conference for the National Trail Conference. In her final softball season for the Lady Indians, Lemke was dominant facing 641 batters and striking out 416 of them including one of them being her 1,000th career and she would go on and finish with 1,165 career strikeouts. Lemke finished the season at 18-9 with a 0.57 ERA giving up just 31 runs in 27 games she pitched in. Lemke was named as Co-MVP of the National Trail Conference this past season after being named MVP in 2024 and also earned the honor of First Team All-State. She will go on to play collegiately for Division I Eastern Illinois University.
Kyra Swift, South Central – Swift wrapped up her high school career taking another step forward on the volleyball and basketball courts while turning in yet another strong season on the softball diamond. In the Fall, Swift saw more time on the volleyball court and tied for second on the team in aces and was second in digs for the Lady Cougars. In the Winter, Swift would st3ep up into a bigger role, especially in the first half of the season, taking on a bigger ball handling role and showing her range with some key perimeter scoring on what was a very young South Central team. The centerfielder then wrapped up her high school softball career hitting .326 from the leadoff spot for the Lady Cougars and was named First Team All-Conference for the NTC and will play collegiately at Olney Central College.
Addie Sasse, SEB/BSE – As a junior, Sasse stepped into a lead role for St. Elmo-Brownstown volleyball and led the team in assists and aces while being second in blocks and third in kills and digs. Sasse ended the season with MVP honors for the Egyptian Illini Conference and was named First All Conference for the National Trail Conference. On the basketball court, Sasse was second on the Lady Bombers in rebounds, assists and steals as she played a key role in helping BSE win their second ever Regional Championship this season. In the Spring, Sasse was a relay specialist and jumper for BSE as the 4×100 and 4×200 teams turned in 17 top 3 finishes this season while Sasse also turned in seven top 3 finishes individually in the long jump.
Kaitlyn Swift, South Central – Despite missing the first month of her senior basketball season recovering from a knee injury, Swift returned to the Lady Cougars lineup for the second half of the season and averaged just under 13 points per game and was named Honorable Mention All-Conference for the National Trail Conference. On the softball field, Swift had a strong a season at the plate with a .352 batting average, .459 on base percentage and .888 OPS. Swift had 19 RBI, scored 28 runs and had 8 stolen bases. She was named First Team All-Conference for the NTC and will play collegiately at Olney Central College.
Lily Johnson, Mulberry Grove – The senior pitcher was once again the steady presence in the circle for the Lady Aces taking on all but three innings of the pitching duties this season. Johnson would end the season with a 12-8 record, striking out 171 while allowing just 37 runs and recording a 2.17 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .190 batting average. At the plate, Johnson hit .403 with a .461 on base percentage and a .627 slugging percentage while racking up 26 RBI. She was named the Egyptian Illini Conference MVP and also named Second Team All-State. Johnson will go on to play collegiately at Missouri Baptist University.
Our “Best Of” is Presented by FNB Community Bank
