Weisbecker Athletic Fund 2023-24 Newsletter Winter Edition

ISU Athletics Accomplishments

The Illinois State Redbirds won the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference All-Sports Championship for the 4th straight year.

Over 20 Redbird student-athletes received diplomas during the December '23 Commencement.

We celebrated 100 career wins for both Coach Brock Spack and Coach Allie Matters.

ISU Men's and Women's Basketball played Illinois Wesleyan University for the first time since 1970. All proceeds were split between Western Avenue Community Center and a mental health partnership between ISU and IWU athletics.

Women's Basketball set an attendance record for the second-consecutive year with 7,581 fans and 26 total schools at the Education Day Game.

Redbirds in Action

Special Projects

The Indoor Practice Facility officially opened for student-athletes this fall. We dedicated the IPF on September 30th and opened it for public viewing. This facility is now available for multiple programs to practice in and utilize as an extra space on campus. Thank you all for your continued support of Illinois State Athletics.

The baseball program's new hitting facility has been open for team use since early December. The 88' long, 55' wide, and 18' tall building is located over the current cages and bullpens at Duffy Bass Field. The building has netting for 3 separate batting cages and includes 2 roll-up doors for field access. In recognition for his financial support of Redbird Athletics, the new facility has been named the Paul DeJong Baseball Training Facility. DeJong was a member of the Redbird Baseball team, graduated in 2015, and is currently playing in the MLB for the Chicago White Sox.

Upcoming Events

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Save the Date for Illinois State University's annual day of giving, Birds Give Back, on February 22, 2024! Click here for more information!
Arch Madness will take place in St. Louis at the Enterprise Center beginning on March 7th, 2024. Hoops in the Heartland will take place in Moline, IL in the Vibrant Arena at the MARK beginning on March 14th. Currently all Arch Madness session passes are $199 . Hoops in the Heartland offers all session passes for $65. To purchase tickets or look at hotel blocks for either of these tournaments select a button below.

Golden Redbird Award

Bob and JoEllen Bahnsen are this year's recipients of our Golden Redbird Award! Their generosity and commitment has made a significant impact on Illinois State Athletics. We are extremely grateful to for their contributions and support of all ISU programs.

Click here to read more about this year's Golden Redbird Award Recipients, Bob & Jo Bahnsen!

2023 ISU Athletics Department Recent Hires

Illinois State Athletics welcomed two new Redbird staff members at the end of 2023. Nathaniel Smith (top left) as the Associate Athletics Director of Revenue Generation and Raleigh DeRose (bottom right) as the Head Women's Soccer Coach!