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1 week ago | 
dailyeasternnews.com | Zaria Flippin
Categories: Redshirt junior quarterback Joey Sprinkle is getting ready to go into his second year with Eastern’s program. Sprinkle, from Monticello, played soccer and baseball growing up and didn’t start playing football in sixth grade. After one year, Sprinkle went back to playing soccer until he got to high school. Sprinkle graduated from Monticello High School and spent two years at St. Ambrose University before transferring to Eastern.
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1 week ago | 
dailyeasternnews.com | Zaria Flippin
Categories: Redshirt sophomore quarterback Cole LaCrue transferred to Eastern from the University of Wisconsin. LaCrue started playing football at the age of 5 years old but has been a multisport athlete throughout his life, playing baseball and basketball. At first, LaCrue thought he would’ve played baseball in college, but after COVID-19 hit, he knew he was going to play football in college. During his senior year of high school, LaCrue’s top three offers were Colorado, Tulane and Wisconsin.
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1 week ago | 
dailyeasternnews.com | Zaria Flippin
The female Panther of the Week is going to Sophia Olman from the softball team. The sophomore catcher from South Elgin recorded her first home run of the season against Southern Indiana on Saturday afternoon. Olman recorded the two-run homer in the eighth inning, securing the 3-1 win in the first game of the double header against the Screaming Eagles. Olman’s home run allowed herself and freshman first base Abby Hatton to score.
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1 week ago | 
dailyeasternnews.com | Zaria Flippin
Eastern’s 4-3 win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Saturday afternoon meant more than just another win for the Panthers’ women’s tennis team. For Luisa Renovales Salazar, this was her last match as a Panther in the regular season before the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. Renovales Salazar is the only senior on the team, and she was recognized before the match.
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2 weeks ago | 
dailyeasternnews.com | Zaria Flippin
Eastern’s beach volleyball team fell just short to the Lindenwood Lions 3-2 on Thursday afternoon at Sister City Park. The pair of redshirt junior Julia Udell and junior Lilli Amettis started strong for the Panthers, securing the first win for the Panthers. The other win for Eastern came from the duo of juniors Sylvia Hasz and Tori Mohesky. “The biggest strength me and Tori had today was our composure,” Hasz said.
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2 weeks ago | 
dailyeasternnews.com | Zaria Flippin
Growing up in a house where his father, Chris Wilkerson, was the head coach of multiple teams including Eastern’s football team, sophomore emergency management and disaster prep major Peyton Wilkerson was around coaching was around on a regular basis. Committing to Eastern to play football for his father was one of the first steps in Peyton Wilkerson’s journey. The second week at summer camp as a freshman in college, Wilkerson tore his labrum, his bicep and fractured a piece of his scapula.
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2 weeks ago | 
dailyeasternnews.com | Zaria Flippin
The EIU Big Blue Classic took place on a cloudy, chilly and rainy afternoon on Friday. Although there was a delay in certain events, the meet went on and continued into Saturday afternoon. The Panthers had 16 first place finishes throughout the two-day meet. Along with the results, 17 seniors were recognized, including hurdler and jumper Taryn Tarquin. Tarquin recorded a first-place finish in the triple jump with a distance of 11.88 meters.
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2 weeks ago | 
dailyeasternnews.com | Zaria Flippin
Redshirt freshman forward Georgia Cox announced she will enter the transfer portal on April 2 after two seasons at Eastern, according to BTN Scouting on X. Cox, from Ballarat, Australia, played in 18 games for the Panthers for 92 minutes and averaged 2.3 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. Cox recorded a career-high 18 points against Morehead State in the 2024-2025 season. Cox also closed out her two years at Eastern with 42 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
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2 weeks ago | 
dailyeasternnews.com | Zaria Flippin
The male Panther of the Week is going to Alex Siatos from the golf team. The freshman from Godfrey recorded a fifth place finish at the Western Illinois Intercollegiate tournament. Siatos tied for fifth place with a final 54-hole total of 219, shooting rounds of 75, 74 and 70 on the Par 71 course. The last time a men’s golfer from Eastern recorded a top five finish in 36 holes was in 2020. The last time a men’s golfer from Eastern recorded a top five finish in 54 holes was in 2017.
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3 weeks ago | 
dailyeasternnews.com | Zaria Flippin
Categories: Sophomore sprinter Taji Mathis-Akinremi is in his second year with Eastern’s track and field team. From Chicago, Mathis-Akinremi attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School and got his start on the track during his freshman year of high school. Throughout his time in high school, Mathis-Akinremi was a state champion at the end of his senior year after his 4×100 meter relay team recorded a final time of 42.03 in 2022.
