College Achievers: Familiarity breeds success for Stevenson graduate Bardic, Illinois Wesleyan
As its final women’s player of the week for the regular season, the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin chose Illinois Wesleyan University’s Ava Bardic.
In a pair of wins the senior guard from Stevenson High School scored 16 and 26 points and secured 7 steals in one game to help Wesleyan capture a share of the CCIW regular-season title with Wisconsin’s Carroll University, both at 15-1.
Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball makes periodic appearances in this article because they’re typically strong — at least 20 wins in six of the last seven non-COVID seasons — and they’re a magnet for local players.
This season, 11 of the 19 players rostered played for high schools in the Daily Herald coverage area: Sara Balli (Lake Park), Alyssa Epps (Montini), Kaidyn King (Batavia), Asia Kobylarczyk (Maine South), Caitlin Leyden (Maine South), Ashley Mahlum (Barrington), Laura Mahlum (Barrington), Leah Palmer (Geneva), Madison Sears (Libertyville), and co-captains Bardic and Sawyer White (Montini).
Proximity to the Bloomington campus helps.
“I would say the distance from home is definitely important, and I know a lot of people choose Wesleyan because you’re able to go home often, but also at the same time our coaches do a really good job recruiting,” Bardic said.
“They spend a lot of time in the Chicago suburbs, so I would say that’s why we get so many Chicago girls.”
“Also, people say all the time when they come on these recruiting visits … and when they commit, Wesleyan truly does feel like a second home. Our coaches do a really good job portraying that on a visit.”
Bardic leads Illinois Wesleyan in scoring at 19.5 points a game followed by White at 13.4. Leyden, Kobylarczyk and Balli all average between 9.3 and 7.7 points among the other regular starters.
Building relationships off the court helps facilitate solid play on it. These women have a built-in head start.
Balli, Bardic, Laura Mahlum and White all live together, and whether they’re playing a murder mystery game, inviting the entire team over to watch a game, or on their daily coffee run it generates a closeness that translates to games.
“Our coach (Mia Smith) pushes us to do team-building activities, but at the same time we’re so open to it because we seriously are together so often,” Bardic said.
“That is something that has made us so successful on the basketball court. Being able to have those relationships that are separate from basketball has definitely helped this season.”
Still going strong
Speaking of Illinois Wesleyan, in the 2024-25 basketball season Lauren Huber (Glenbard East) led the Titans to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Division III tournament. She set the program scoring record and earned the national coaches’ vote as first-team All-American.
She duplicated that honor in Titans track and field, placing fourth in the heptathlon at the 2025 Division III outdoor championships. Huber was Wesleyan’s first women’s two-sport Academic All-American in school history.
Now a graduate student, Huber is at Notre Dame and competing in track and field. Last Thursday at the Atlantic Coast Conference indoor championships in Boston, she earned a personal-best score of 3,968 points in the pentathlon to place second in the multidiscipline event and earn first-team ACC honors.
Huber finished first overall in pentathlon shot put and the 800-meter run, and added a new PR in the long jump.
In like a Lamb
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced its all-league teams on Feb. 26.
Honorees such as Abbey Murphy of Evergreen Park, Laila Edwards, Joy Dunne and Caroline Harvey became household names while winning gold for Team USA at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Perhaps in four years All-Rookie Team defender Sydney Lamb (Glenbard East) will make a similar statement.
The St. Cloud State freshman earned the WCHA honor after playing in 31 of the Huskies’ 34 games entering Friday’s WCHA Tournament. She’s scored 6 goals with 9 assists for 15 points, sixth on the team. Out of the Chicago Mission program, Lamb has blocked 26 shots and has taken just two penalties on the season. Her plus-6 mark leads St. Cloud State in plus-minus ratings.