Illinois
Women’s March Madness 2025: 35 players from Illinois who are part of the NCAA tournament
The NCAA women’s basketball tournament begins in earnest on Friday.
The women’s March Madness field of 68 includes just one team from Illinois, with the Fighting Illini of the Big Ten Conference joining their men’s team in the NCAAs.
But what about those athletes who played high school hoops in Illinois? We have you covered.
Below are the at least 35 NCAA women’s tournament players who are from Illinois, listed by conference starting with the Big Ten and the Missouri Valley, followed by other major conferences and mid-majors.
Big Ten
- Sydney Affolter, Iowa: 5-11 senior from Chicago Marist.
- Lenee Beaumont, Indiana: 6-1 sophomore from Lisle Benet.
- Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Illinois: 5-9 sophomore played part of her high school career at Joliet Catholic.
- Angela Dugalic, UCLA: 6-4 senior from Des Plaines Maine West.
- Kyle Feuerbach, Iowa: 6-0 senior from Sycamore.
- Emily Fisher, Maryland: 6-0 sophomore from Libertyville.
- Aaliyah Guyton, Iowa: 5-7 freshman from Peoria High.
- Amiah Hargrove, Nebraska: 6-2 freshman from Christopher
- Greta Kampschroeder, Michigan: 6-1 senior from Naperville North.
- Bri McDaniel, Maryland: 5-10 junior from Chicago Kenwood.
- Kendall Moriarty, Nebraska: 6-1 senior from Lisle Benet.
- Hayden Smith, Illinois: 6-6 freshman from Frankfort Lincoln-Way East.
- Mia Zenere, Illinois: 5-11 freshman played part of her high school career at Lincoln-Way Central.
Missouri Valley
- Katelyn Young, Murray State: 6-1 senior from Fithian Oakwood.
ACC
- Lorena Awou, NC State: 6-5 freshman from East Moline United.
- Sarah Cernugel, Notre Dame: 5-4 senior from Hinsdale Central.
- Jordan Wood, Duke: 6-4 sophomore from Mundelein Carmel.
Big 12
- Kenzie Hare, Iowa State: 5-9 junior from Bartlett.
- Sydney Harris, Iowa State: 6-1 junior from Edwardsville.
SEC
- Alyssa Latham, Tennessee: 6-2 sophomore from Homewood-Flossmoor.
- Aneesah Morrow, LSU: 5-1 senior from Chicago Simeon.
Mid-major
- Addie Budnik, Richmond: 6-2 senior from Highland Park.
- Taylor Charles, Princeton: 6-2 junior from Burlington Central.
- Peyton Gerdes, High Point: 6-0 freshman from Grayslake North.
- Anna Griffin, Arkansas State: 6-1 senior from Aurora Christian.
- Erin Houpt, San Diego State: 5-6 junior from Danville.
- Quincenia Jackson, Arkansas State: 6-1 junior from Decatur MacArthur.
- Lexi Kerstein, Vermont: 5-6 sophomore from Deerfield.
- Katie Krupa, Harvard: 6-1 junior from Morton.
- Annika Manthy, Richmond: 6-3 freshman from Arlington Heights Hersey.
- Jessie Ozzauto, Lehigh: 5-10 sophomore from Huntley.
- Zuri Ransom, Ball State: 5-10 freshman from Evanston.
- Maddy Saracco, Tennessee Tech: 5-10 sophomore played part of her high school career at Lombard Montini.
- Taris Thornton, Tennessee Tech: 6-0 senior played in high school at Willowbrook and Lombard Montini.
- Tessa Towers, Ball State: 6-5 junior from Batavia.
Illinois
Illinois State Police release video of deadly shooting involving ISP troopers on South Side
CHICAGO (WLS) — Illinois State Police have released videos showing a deadly shooting involving state troopers last month in Chicago.
The video in the player above may be difficult to watch.
The shooting happened around 10:50 p.m. April 15 in the 6500-block of South Champlain Avenue in the city’s Woodlawn neighborhood.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Officers got a call for a domestic battery from a passenger in a vehicle on I-57.
That passenger led the officers to find her boyfriend, 24-year-old Jalen Carpenter, in the 6500-block of South Champlain Avenue.
That’s where the newly released video picks up.
ABC7 froze the video at the moment it appears Carpenter fires a weapon during a scuffle with the officers.
No one was hit by that bullet, but seconds later, the officers return fire, killing Carpenter, officials said.
The officers are still on administrative status while the Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation investigates the case.
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CHAMPAIGN — Illinois and coach Brad Underwood have agreed to new financial terms on his current six-year contract that runs through 2031-32, and the deal could extend through 2035-36 based on the team’s performance over the next four seasons.
Athletic director Josh Whitman made the announcement Thursday, about six weeks after the Illini’s season ended with the program’s first NCAA Final Four appearance in 21 years. Contract terms were not announced. The agreement requires approval of university trustees.
“Thanks to Brad Underwood’s tireless leadership and relentless pursuit of championships, our men’s basketball program has established itself as one of the nation’s premier programs while rewriting much of our record book,” Whitman said. “He has revitalized a proud fan base and elevated our program to new heights while competing in the most dynamic, high-stakes environment in college sports history.”
The Illini won the fourth-most games in program history with an overall record of 29-8 and they finished in a three-way tie for second in the Big Ten at 15-5. They won each of their first four NCAA Tournament games by double digits before losing 71-62 to UConn in the national semifinals.
“Illinois is a special place, and we’re coming off a special year with a trip to the Final Four,” Underwood said. “But we know there is still more to achieve. Our focus remains competing at the highest level in pursuit of a national championship. I am more motivated than ever to help bring that title home to the University of Illinois.”
Underwood is 193-110 in nine seasons at Illinois with six straight NCAA appearances.
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