The 2023-24 Peoria Journal Star high school sports season officially ended in late June with the crowning of the final spring all-area teams and players of the year.
From all-conference picks to all-staters to state champs — here are each of the Peoria-area players of the year, along with links to our stories and all-area team lists for each of the 19 Illinois High School Association sports for which we choose teams.
Please go to pjstar.com and vote for your pick for 2023-24 Journal Star Athlete of the Year. The poll closes at noon Friday, and we will share the results online and in print.
FALL
Kainon McQueary, Washington
FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: The 5-foot-8, 175-pound senior is the fifth from his school to be named player of the year, leading Washington (11-2) to the Class 6A state semifinals for the fourth time in program history. He rushed 241 times for 1,873 yards for 7.8 yards a carry with 30 touchdowns, while adding 110 receiving yards and two TDs. McQueary added 20 tackles, three fumble recoveries and an interception as a defensive back. He was named all-Mid-Illini Conference first-team RB and Illinois High School Football Coaches Association 6A first-team all-state.
- Meet the team:Player of the year and the all-area team
Graci Junis, Morton
VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: No one continued to develop as the season progressed more than Junis, who is fourth Morton POY since the award began in 1991. The 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter played steady in helping the Potters (31-9) end a 42-year with a 3A fourth-place state finish. Junis displayed a memorable effort in beating Metamora for the sectional title. She recorded 306 kills, 356 digs, 44 assists, 38 aces and 29 blocks. Her individual accolades include Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association second-team all-state and all-Mid-Illini Conference first team.
- Meet the team:Volleyball player of the year and the all-area team
Isaiah Hill, Elmwood/Brimfield
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE YEAR: The runner of the year finished his career with a personal-best performance. He crossed the finished line on the historic Detweiller Park course in fifth place at 14:49.0, giving him the third-fastest state meet time in Trojan program history. Hill helped Elmwood take home the third-place team trophy with 166 points. He was the regional champ (16:23.8 at Peoria Notre Dame) and sectional winner (14:59.4 at Elmwood), while only finishing outside of the top-five in one meet this season. He was the Prairieland Conference champion in 16:00.4.
- Meet the team:Boys cross country runner of the year and the all-area team
Kennady Anderson, Annawan/Wethersfield
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE YEAR:The 2023 runner of the year dominated her final high school season. Anderson made herself a three-time all-state finisher by taking seventh in a personal best 17:23.6 at the Class 1A state meet. She had been third (19:35.0) at the Oregon Sectional after a runner-up finish (18:35.5) to start her senior postseason at the Bureau Valley Regional. The senior never finished lower than seventh, winning the Lincoln Trail Conference championship (17:39.6) and Galesburg Silver Streak Invitational (18:18.7). Her two runner-up finishes came at the Annawan/Wethersfield Titan Invitational (18:53.0) and Illinois-Iowa Board Wars Invitational (18:49.6).
- Meet the team:Girls cross country runner of the year and the all-area team
Connor Watson, East Peoria
BOYS GOLFER OF THE YEAR:Winning became synonymous with Watson in 2023, earning him Journal Star boys golfer of the year honors. In a span of three weeks during August and September, he won seven events including three invitationals at Limestone, Monmouth-Roseville and Metamora. He also took third at the Mid-Illini Conference tournament. The junior then made a big leap at the Class 2A state meet with a tied for 24th place finish to improve by 20 places from last season. His final-round 8-over 79 came with two birdies on Weibring Golf Club in Normal.
- Meet the team:Boys golfer of the year and the all-area team
Ella Coulter, Peoria Notre Dame
GIRLS GOLFER OF THE YEAR: Coulter picks up back-to-back Journal Star girls golfer of the year honors following a stellar senior season. She finished eighth at the Class 1A state meet, shooting a second-round 4-over 76. Her final prep round was highlighted by two birdies and 10 pars at Decatur's Red Tail Run Golf Course. Coulter helped the Irish take third place as a team. She was also a regional and sectional medalist for the Irish, who were also regional and sectional team champs. In the Big 12 Conference tournament, Coulter was the individual medalist.
- Meet the team:Girls golfer of the year and the all-area team
Kayden Hudson, Peoria Notre Dame
BOYS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Hudson, now a two-time POY and fourth PND repeat selection since the award started in 1991, was a dynamic goal scorer in his second season with the state powerhouse program. The junior forward helped lead the Irish to back-to-back 2A state title match appearances, finishing 22-2-3 as the 2A state runner-up. He scored 40 goals and dished out 15 assists. His individual accolades include all-American, Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association all-state and all-Big 12 Conference first team.
- Meet the team:Boys soccer player of the year and the all-area team
Ava Salverson, Dunlap
GIRLS SWIMMING AND DIVING ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: The now two-time Journal Star girls swimmer of the year showed consistency all season. She won a pair of sectional titles, claiming crowns in the 100-yard freestyle (:52.73) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.29) at the East Moline Sectional. Salverson then headed to the FMC Natatorium in Westmont for the state prelims. Although not advancing to the finals, the senior boasted times of :53.19 in the 100-yard free for a 36th-place finish. Her prelim time of 1:06.77 in the 100-yard breaststroke tied her for 23rd place.
- Meet the team:Girls swimmer of the year and the all-area team
Julia Wojtowicz, Richwoods
GIRLS TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: The senior reached 100 career wins in her decorated career, while playing from the No. 1 slot in singles and with Olivia Reynolds in doubles. She put together a 40-12 combined record this season and is the 2023 Journal Star Player of the Year for successive seasons; she shared the honor with Reynolds last year. Wojtowicz teamed with Reynolds to finish third in doubles at state last season. Bumped up to Class 2A, their 2023 run together produced a 3-2 mark at state to reach the fourth round of consolation. They were dropped into a first-round bracket matchup against No. 1 seeds Maia and Estela Loureiro of Orland Park Sandburg, who went on to win the state title.
- Meet the team:Girls tennis players of the year and the all-area team
WINTER
Lathan Sommerville, Richwoods
BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: The 2024 player of the year and Rutgers commit guided Richwoods to statewide prominence again, capturing the Class 3A third-place trophy. He averaged 26.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.0 blocks for the Knights, who finished 30-5 overall and took second in the Big 12 Conference at 9-1. The 6-foot-10 senior center's individual accolades include all-Big 12 Conference first team, Big 12 co-player of the year, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state first team and Illinois Media all-state first team. Sommerville joins his dad, Marcellus Sommerville (2001), to become the first father-son duo to earn the honor in the award's 33-year history.
- Meet the team:Boys basketball player of the year and all-area team
Mya Wardle, Peoria Notre Dame
GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR:The 2024 player of the year and Eastern Kentucky recruit led PND to new heights, guiding the Irish to the Class 2A state championship. Wardle averaged 13.2 points, 6.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds for PND, which went 34-4 overall and won the Big 12 Conference at 10-0. The 5-foot-7 senior guard's individual accolades include all-Big 12 Conference first team, Big 12 player of the year, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state first team and Illinois Media all-state first team.
- Meet the team:Girls basketball player of the year and all-area team
Wyatt Medlin, Washington
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: The 2024 Journal Star wrestler of the year broke through for his first state championship, running Washington's individual state title streak to 10 state finals in a row. His Class 2A 138-pound title bout victory came in beating Mt. Vernon junior Dillon White, 10-3. The sophom*ore (45-4) won the Metamora Regional along with a title at the Sycamore Sectional. Medlin was also 3-0 during Washington's run to winning back-to-back Class 2A dual-team state championships. He also becomes the sixth Washington WOY since 2014.
- Meet the team:Wrestler of the year and the all-area team
Riley Stevenson, Galesburg
BOYS SWIMMER OF THE YEAR:The 2024 Journal Star swimmer of the year was the lone Peoria-area state medalist. His eighth-place 50-yard freestyle finish came in 20.71 seconds at the IHSA state finals. This ended an 18-year medal drought for Galesburg. The senior swam a 20.78-second state prelim after winning the sectional (21.59 seconds). He was also a state qualifier in the the 200-yard medley relay, 200-yard freestyle relay and 100-yard freestyle. Stevenson joins Jared Hallam (2004) as the second Silver Streak SOY in the award's 25-year history.
- Meet the team:Boys swimmer of the year and all-area team
SPRING
Jack Piper, Dunlap
BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR:The 2024 Journal Star Player of the Year pitched for the Eagles, who went 28-7, were a Class 3A sectional semifinalist and the Mid-Illini Conference co-champions. He went 7-2 with 74 strikeouts and a 0.63 ERA in 67 innings. Piper hit .308 on 20 hits with seven doubles and 17 RBIs. The senior scored nine runs, drew seven walks and posted a .871 fielding percentage. His individual accolades include all-Mid-Illini Conference first team and Peoria McDonald's all-star selection.
- Meet the team:Baseball player of the year and all-area team
Kaidance Till, Metamora
SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR:The 2024 Journal Star Player of the Year played shortstop for the Redbirds, who went 30-7 and were a Class 3A sectional finalist. She hit .509 on 56 hits with 23 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 39 RBIs. The Ole Miss commit scored 44 runs, drew 32 walks (15 intentionally), stole 10 bases and posted a .954 fielding percentage. Her individual accolades include all-Mid-Illini Conference first team, Peoria McDonald's all-star and Illinois Coaches Association first-team all-state.
- Meet the team:Softball player of the year and all-area team
Isaiah Hill, Elmwood/Brimfield
BOYS TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETEOF THE YEAR: The 2024 Journal Star Boys Track Athlete of the Year came home from the Class 1A state meet with gold and silver medals. Hill, who was the 2023 JS Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year, won the 1600-meter run in a personal best 4:17.02, becoming the first Elmwood/Brimfield runner to win a state title in 102 years (Clyde Hendrix, 880-yard run, 1922). Hill also took second in the 800-meter run, clocking in at 1:53.82. The senior was also a state qualifier in the 400-meter dash at 50.47 seconds and went undefeated in four races of the 3200-meter run.
- Meet the team:Boys track and field athlete of the year and all-area team
Mya Strahm, Elmwood/Brimfield
GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: The 2024 Journal Star girls track athlete of the year put on a performance for the ages during the Class 1A pole vault state finals. Her vault of 14 feet, 1.25 inches helped secure her back-to-back state championships, also setting the all-class IHSA record. The Brimfield junior, who will graduate in December and head to Tennessee to vault, ended her outdoor season with the third-best height in the nation. Strahm was also a state qualifier in the 300-meter hurdles, running a personal-best 46.54 seconds during a meet in April.
- Meet the team:Girls track athlete of the year and the all-area team
Mya Wardle, Peoria Notre Dame
GIRLS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR:The senior forward is a repeat pick for Journal Star Girls Soccer Player of the Year off a campaign in which she notched 17 goals, added 22 assists, was at the heart of the team's leadership and stressed out opponents with her plus-level speed. The Eastern Kentucky-bound basketball player probably could have been an NCAA Division-I soccer player if she'd chosen. She earned Big 12 Conference first-team honors and Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association all-state honors. She was named Journal Star Girls Basketball Player of the Year earlier this season.
- Meet the team:Girls soccer player of the year and all-area team
Shaan Kashyap and Ethan McRaven, Dunlap
BOYS TENNIS PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: The Journal Star boys tennis Player of the Year was a doubles tandem that won 17 straight matches and 29 of 30 before losing in the state championship match. Kashyap, a senior, and McRaven, a junior, led all doubles teams in the state with 37 wins, and did not lose a match to a Peoria-area foe all season. Both players earned IHSA all-state first-team honors and were Mid-Illini Conference first-team selections. They qualified for state by winning the Dunlap Sectional championship.
- Meet the team:Boys tennis player of the year and the all-area team
