NORMAL, Ill. – The 2025-26 season was certainly a memorable one for Redbird Athletics, as ISU saw record success on and off the field of play. The year was highlighted by tremendous individual and team athletic successes, fantastic academic achievements, and Athletic Department honors that solidified an all-around exciting year for the Redbirds. Included below is a breakdown of each of those achievements, broken down by category to show just how impressive the past year was on the campus of Illinois State.
Student-Athlete Academic/Athletic Success
- 92 All-Conference performers
- 18 individual conference champions
- 9 All-AmericansÂ
- 6 "Of The Year" winners (player, defensive player, freshman, newcomer, etc.)
- 10 regional qualifiers
- 1 individual national qualifier (Macee Rivers - Outdoor Track)
- 80 conference all-academic honors
Department/Team Successes
- 2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference All-Sport Championship
- 18th in program history
- Won back-to-back and six out of last seven crowns
- ISU has finished in top 3 in 32 of past 35 years
- $10.2 million raised by Redbird Athletics during the year
- Three Conference Championships
- Men's Golf, Men's Outdoor Track, Women's Tennis (MVC Tournament Championship)
- Postseason Appearances
- Football Advanced to NCAA FCS National Championship game
- Men's Basketball Advanced to NIT Final 4
- Women's Basketball Advanced to WNIT Championship gameÂ
- Women's Tennis NCAA Regional at Michigan
- Men's Golf NCAA Regional at Ohio State
Department Academic Successes
- Illinois State earned the 2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference All-Academic Award
- First time ISU has won the award
- The MVC All-Academic Award has been presented to the member institution that finishes the school year with the best GPA among its student-athletes who participate in a Valley-sponsored sport
- Redbird student-athletes combined for a spring semester GPA of a 3.48 which is a new departmental record
- 6 teams set new GPA records
- 111 perfect 4.0s
- 320 student-athletes on the honor roll
- Illinois State Athletics earned a new record high single-year Academic Progress Rate score of 996 in the NCAA's latest Division I APR reportÂ
- ISU earned an all-time high 92 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR)Â
- 100+ current/former Redbirds earned or are expected to earn degrees this year
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