By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – The Bloomington-Normal Area Sports Commission hosted the 9th annual State Farm Student-Athlete Recognition Banquet on Tuesday at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Bloomington.
The Female Athlete of the Year is El Paso-Girldey three-sport standout Shelby Fulk, who will play softball at Illinois Wesleyan.
“Up until probably high school or eighth grade even, that’s when I realized softball was my number one, but I’ve enjoyed volleyball and basketball like crazy,” Fulk said. “It’s been awesome. It’s been such a good ride.”
Fulk was All-Heart of Illinois Conference selection in all three sports, while maintaining a 3.8 grade point average and being named to the National Honor Society.
Matt Chastain, who led the LeRoy Panthers boys basketball team to the school’s first state title, was named Male Athlete of the Year.
Chastain said he could not have imagined all the success he and his teammates would have had a year ago.
“This time last year I was rehabbing from knee surgery, so obviously I was thinking about that, so I didn’t think any of this was possible,” Chastain said. “Everyone from coach (Mark Edmundson) to everyone on the team just buckled down and we turned it around and got better as the season went on and started playing well at the end of the season. It was definitely a team effort to get where we got.”
Chastain is headed to Loyola on a basketball scholarship.
The banquet recognized outstanding scholar athletes, coaches, teams, and others in McLean County for their achievements on and off the field. The winners are listed below.
The banquet featured U-High graduate and former Texas A&M soccer star, Ashlee Pistorius-Slayback, as the keynote speaker, as well as a speech by Special Olympics Global Messenger, Drew White.
The event was sponsored by State Farm, WJBC, You Name It Sports and Special Olympics Illinois,
Female Team of the Year – Central Catholic Volleyball
Male Team of the Year – Tri-Valley Football
Coach of the Year, Female Sport – J.R. Banister, Central Catholic Volleyball
Coach of the Year, Male Sport – Mark Edmundson, LeRoy Basketball
Good Neighbor Award – Illinois Wesleyan Athletics
Female Scholar Athlete – Brittney Peden, Bloomington
Male Scholar Athlete – Drew Humphrey, Bloomington
Special Olympics, Female Athlete – Bailey Keiser, Normal West
Special Olympics, Male Athlete – Jamey McCabe – Olympia
Female Athlete – Shelby Fulk, El Paso-Gridley
Male Athlete – Matt Chastain, LeRoy
