In the 15 years since the annual event started, the Bloomington-Normal Sports Commission had never had anyone win Male or Female Athlete of the Year more than once.
But they never had an Ali Ince — until now.
Normal Community's athletic director called Ince arguably the best female athlete ever to walk the halls at NCHS. But you'll rarely see her walk. Ince prefers a faster pace. And few are faster than the 13-time state medalist in track. Ince won 10 Illinois High School Association gold medals and set state records for the fastest times in two events, the 800 meters and the 1,600 meters.
Ince was named Female Athlete of the Year at the commission’s annual banquet in Bloomington. She also won the award in 2023.
Ince's reputation as an elite runner was cemented well before her senior season, but she still found ways to grow as a student athlete in her final year at Normal Community.
“Being a senior this year, I’ve taken a step back from looking at my success and looked at the team success as a whole and getting to know the girls a little bit more and focusing on those moments I’m not going to have in college,” Ince said.
Ince will run track at Oregon, which is joining the Big Ten conference next season. Ince says running in college seems more individualized than in high school. One way college athletes can step out on their own is through Name, Image and Likeness, which allows athletes to make money through endorsement deals.
Ince signed her first NIL deal last fall with the shoe and athletic wear company New Balance, but she doesn't plan to let that take away from the sport she loves.
“I don’t want NIL to become a thing where that takes away job from the sport and I’m playing the sport to make money and to see all the opportunities I can get,” Ince said. “I think the main thing is just to play the sport because you love it and because of the people around you.”
Male athlete of the year
It doesn't matter what sport Dominic Martin of Lexington is playing. He just loves the competition. Martin was named the Male Athlete of the Year.
“I love the competitive feel of it,” Martin said. “(My) teammates are always pushing you to be better, friendly competition, nothing ever bad,” Martin said.
That's what Martin enjoyed most about football. He played tight end on the Ridgeview-Lexington co-op team that advanced to the state semifinals in 2022. He played for Lexington's basketball team too, but decided to focus his senior season more on track.
“I transitioned (to track) because I realized that I just had more natural talent in track than in football, so I just put more of me effort into that to try to improve faster,” Martin said.
Those efforts paid off. Martin won the state title in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles. He tied for first in the state in the long jump and finished fourth in the 200-meter dash. He helped lead Ridgeview-Lexington to third place overall at the state meet.
Martin plans to run track at Southern Illinois University Carbondale next year.
“Some part of it, I’m not going to lie, is to get some scholarship money, but I love sports, I love being outside. I love running and just having fun,” he said.
Top scholar athletes
Playing sports in high school may be fun for these student-athletes, but it's only possible when they put in the work in the classroom. Few have done that as well as Brynn Hoder from Bloomington High School, the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Hoder played volleyball and softball all four year at BHS, and also went out for golf in the spring after COVID. She finished the year with a grade point average of 5.28 on a 5.0 scale.
She says grades have always been her primary focus, going back to the seventh grade, when she started racking up high school credits.
“I definitely did a lot more than I needed to, but grades have always been really important to me,” said Hoder, adding the push to achieve academically comes in part from her parents. coaches and order sister. She also played multiple sports in high school.
Hoder was an all-conference honoree in volleyball and softball, where she also grew into a leadership role as team captain for both. Hoder said she's tried to lead in the same way as those who came before her.
“They are people who can get along with everyone and that is what I tried to do,” she said. “I wanted to be on everyone’s side and I wanted to help people.”
Hoder also left her mark on Bloomington High School's Fine Arts building. She and another student designed the “BHS Raider Nation” logo that's splashed across the front doors of the building. For that, Hoder received the school's Purple Pride Award. It's given to students for their kindness, hard work, and respect.
Hoder plans to study graphic design at the University of Missouri next fall.
This year's Male Scholar Athlete of the Year is also headed to the Show Me State to study software engineering.
BHS graduate Noah Misukonis will compete in the pole vault for Missouri Science and Technology. Misukonis was a state finalist in the pole vault for Bloomington last month. Misukonis also wrestled in high school. He didn't enjoy that as much, but he says it sure taught him discipline.
“My dad always puts it this way, ‘Wrestling is like long distance, but someone is trying to punch you the whole time.’ You learn a lot of valuable lessons about grit and hard work,” Misukonis said.
Misukonis, who finished his senior year with a 5.12 grade point average, says sports have also taught him about sacrifice. They can mean giving up time with friends or playing an instrument — or just having a veg day.
“When you want breaks, those are the days you have to work the hardest,” he said.
Noah Misukonis, Brynn Hoder, Dominic Martin and Ali Ince have all shown they have the discipline to succeed on the field, on their court and in the classroom.
The Bloomington-Normal Sports Commission also handed out awards for Teams of the Year and Coaches of the Year. Team honors went to the state champion University High track and field squad, and the state runners-up boys basketball team from Normal Community.
U-High girls track coach Randy Anderson and Jason Drengwitz from Normal Community’s state semifinalist football team won Coach of the Year honors.
