NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State senior men's basketball standout Tony Wills and football junior quarterback Jake Kolbe were among several students honored over the weekend at the Illinois State School of Kinesiology and Recreation (KNR) Esther Larson McGinnis Academic Achievement and Service Awards ceremony.
Wills, a recreation management major, was honored with the Howard Hancock Athletic Achievement Award. A 2016-17 Missouri Valley Conference All-Defensive Team selection, Wills ranked second on the team and ninth in the MVC with 1.2 steals per game. He also ranked third on the team and 11th in the MVC with 0.7 blocks per game.Â
The Indianapolis, Indiana, native played in all 35 games, with 32 starts, to help the Illinois State men's basketball team win a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship while setting program records for total victories (28), regular-season wins (25) and MVC triumphs (17). Wills recorded double-digit scoring six times and forced three or more steals in five games during the 2016-17 season.
Kolbe, a physical education major, was awarded with the Clifford E. Horton Scholarship Award. He started 11 of ISU's 12 games in 2016 and tied for second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in touchdowns passes with 22. He also ranked No. 5 in passing average with 225.2 yards per contest in MVFC play and became just the seventh Redbird to surpass 2,000 passing yards in a single season with 2,703, the sixth-best single-season mark in school history.
The Naperville, Illinois, was named MVFC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing four touchdown passes in a win over Western Illinois. That performance helped the Redbirds secure their third-consecutive FCS playoff berth, and the fourth in the past five seasons overall.
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