Jeff Huth's Illini Insider

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WHAT TO WATCH

Three Illini events to keep an eye on this weekend:

WOMEN'S SOCCER, 7 p.m. Friday vs. Michigan State

This visit by the Spartans kicks off the Illini's final weekend at home, with Michigan to follow at 1 p.m. Sunday. Who would have guessed that Illinois – picked to finish third in the Big Ten preseason poll – would enter its final three regular season matches tied for ninth place at 1-4-2. Even the Illini's recent history of homefield dominance hasn't held up during this Big Ten race. Entering its 2009 conference home opener, Illinois had a 41-6-3 record against all visiting teams since 2004. With two home matches left, the Illini are 0-2-1 on their own turf against Big Ten foes. That said, the stretch-run schedule offers Illinois (6-7-3) an opportunity to finish strong. All three of the Illini's remaining opponents enter the weekend in sixth place or lower.

MEN'S TENNIS, Friday-Monday, Big Ten Singles

Brad Dancer's Illini might be short on roster numbers, but the guys taking the court have been standing tall. The four Illini to see action are a combined 21-8 in singles and 11-1 in doubles. Two of them – senior Marek Czerwinski and junior Abe Souza – are headed to East Lansing, Mich., this weekend for the Big Ten Singles Championships. The last Illini to win a Big Ten singles title was Michael Calkins in 2001. Meanwhile, sophomore Dennis Nevolo and junior Connor Roth will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the Crimson Tide Fall Championships. The 24th-ranked Nevolo leads Illinois with a 7-2 singles record, including 3-1 against ranked opponents. Earlier, he advanced to the semifinals of the ITA Midwest Regional Championships and combined with Czerwinski to win the regional doubles crown. Illinois' other player, senior Meedo El Tabakh, remains sidelined with a shoulder injury.

CROSS-COUNTRY, Sunday, Big Ten Championships

Every cross-country race has a stretch run. So does every season. For the 2009 Illini men's and women's teams, it begins with this conference meet at State College, Pa. Jeremy Rasmussen's women will look to improve upon fourth-place finishes each of the last two years. There's reason to expect Illinois to be in the mix for its first Big Ten team title. At No. 13, the Illini are the league's highest-ranked team, two spots in front of two-time defending Big Ten champion Minnesota. Illinois also has an individual title hopeful in Angela Bizzarri. Rasmussen views Bizzarri, Penn State's Bridget Franek and Minnesota's Megan Duwell as the top contenders to finish first. Illini men's coach Wendel McRaven remains committed to building his program around a sophomore class that saw plenty of action last year, too. Of Illinois' nine Big Ten entrants, seven are sophomores. A freshman-dominated Illini team finished ninth in the Big Ten last year. "Our focus is ... climbing back up the ladder," McRaven said. "It appears wide open in the middle of the Big Ten. ... If we simply run the way we have throughout the month of October, we will be right in there battling for an upper-division finish. The men's 5.2-mile race starts at 9:45 a.m., the women's 6-kilometer race at 1:45 p.m.

ILLINI OF THE WEEK

LAUREN WISMER, diving

It took this freshman four meets to break school records in both diving events. The second fell Saturday, when Wismer eclipsed a 6-year-old UI mark in the 3-meter dive with a score of 304.8 against Iowa State at the ARC Pool. That feat came 14 days after the two-time Kansas high school state champion set an Illini record in the 1 meter (290.47). UI diving coach Chris Waters expects her to continue raising the bar because of her work ethic and attention to detail. "She is incredibly diligent in her approach to the sport," Waters said, "and willing to put in the work it takes to get herself stronger physically and competitively."

NEWS & VIEWS

Masar's moment

Ella Masar isn't sure whether she'll get on the field today with the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team in Augsburg, Germany. Either way, the former Illini All-American is thrilled to be on the roster of the reigning Olympic champions for their match against defending FIFA World Cup champ Germany.

"With this being my first rostered trip and us playing the second-best team in the world, I doubt my chances of playing will be high," Masar said this week via e-mail from Germany. "However, how can I really complain? I'll be sitting in the front row watching some of the best players in the world play. I am just happy to be here and to see my name for this first time on the back of a U.S. jersey."

The Urbana native, who trained with the team last January, was a late addition to the travel roster. Masar has previous experience with the U.S. Under-23 Women's National Team but has yet to play for the Senior National Team.

If Masar gets the call today, the forward doesn't expect to experience butterflies.

"It has not been difficult to stay calm because I know that I could not have trained harder to be ready," she said.

Does Masar think this opportunity might determine whether she receives future invitations from the team?

"I cannot say if this camp will dictate whether or not I get called back," she said. "All I can do is enjoy the moment of me living a part of my dream since I was a little girl."

The match starts at noon CDT and can be followed online via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.

Holding out hope

Janet Rayfield hasn't given up on this Illini soccer season. Or on a potential NCAA at-large bid. "Yes, I still think it's possible," the UI coach said. But only if Illinois wins its remaining three regular season matches to improve to 9-7-3. Last year, the Illini got into the tournament with an 11-8-1 record. "With some bad losses," Rayfield added. This year, Illinois has played a demanding enough schedule – and avoided losses to weak foes – to rate a No. 39 ranking in the RPI. If the Illini can win out, Rayfield thinks her team deserves a strong look from the NCAA selection committee. "Our RPI is high, our strength of schedule very good, and our losses are to ranked teams and teams doing well in their conference." That means, with three matches left, she won't make personnel decisions necessarily geared toward developing next season's team. "It is still very much about this season," Rayfield said. "So we are going to go after it through the home stretch, and if that means using players who will also take us into the future, we will certainly do that."

Careful approach

Three surgeries in two years. That's the trip-to-the-operating-room tally for Lauren Wismer. As you've already read, the freshman diver's past physical ailments haven't prevented her from making a major splash at the start of her Illini career.

They have, however, prompted her coach to place limitations on the Overland Park, Kan., native in practice.

"I've been training her much like a baseball coach would do with a pitcher returning to the game," Chris Waters said. "We've been limiting her reps and keeping her at a manageable workload. Once she gets stronger, we'll up the pitch count. As that improves, we'll start adding to the actual difficulty level. It'll take time, but it'll be worth it."

Before arriving at Illinois, Wismer underwent arthroscopic procedures to repair a torn labrum in one shoulder and to tighten a tendon in the other. Wismer also had surgery for a dislocated kneecap.

EDDLEMAN AWARD WATCH

Each week, we'll rank our top three candidates for the 2009-10 Dike Eddleman Award, which annually goes to the top male and female athletes at the University of Illinois:

MALE

1. Dennis Nevolo, tennis. Soph has won 18 of last 24 singles matches dating to last season.

2. Mikel Leshoure, football. Soph rushed for career-high 122 yards in 15 carries at Purdue.

3. Mike Davis, basketball. Weber hoping junior's scrimmage double-double sign of more to come.

FEMALE

1. Johannah Bangert, volleyball. Junior middle blocker on a tear with 22 more blocks last weekend.

2. Angela Bizzarri, cross-country. Has finished as high as third in three previous Big Ten meets.

3. Lauren Wismer, diving. Freshman already tops all-time school charts in both diving events.

THE LIST

After setting the Illini 3-meter diving record Saturday, freshman Lauren Wismer now owns both school records. The all-time top five UI performers in both events:

1 Meter

NAME SCORE DATE

Lauren Wismer 290.47 Oct. 10, 2009

Lisa Fish 288.25 Jan. 10, 2004

Allison Prather 285.90 Jan. 17, 2003

Britni Fisher 277.65 Oct. 24, 2009

Andrea Powelski 268.58 Feb. 8, 2002

3 Meter

NAME SCORE DATE

Lauren Wismer 304.88 Oct. 24, 2009

Lisa Fish 301.27 Oct. 26, 2003

Robin Duffy 296.70 Jan. 29, 1982

Karen Walling 290.45 Feb. 8, 1985

Britni Fisher 287.93 Oct. 24, 2009

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