CHARLESTON — The Eastern Illinois football and volleyball teams are coming off successful seasons and hoping for even more this year.
Here's a quick look at both teams as they prepare for the 2024 season:
FOOTBALL
Eastern Illinois is just a few weeks away from opening the season on August 29 at Illinois.
The Panthers have been listed among the preseason Top 25 in several preseason polls, and were one of the first teams receiving votes on the STATS Perform FCS Top 25 poll.
EIU was the third team also receiving votes (No. 28) just behind Big South/OVC member UT Martin listed at No. 27. UT Martin was selected first in the preseason Big South/OVC Football poll released at the conference media day in July with Eastern Illinois selected second.
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EIU is coming off an 8-3 season and was one of the first four teams left out of last year's FCS playoffs. EIU finished the year ranked No. 24 in the final FCS Coaches Poll (which will be released closer to the start of the season).
The Panthers had four players named to the Phil Steele Preseason Big South/OVC Football first team. In total 13 Panthers were named to the publication's three preseason teams.
Running back MJ Flowers, wide receiver Eli Mirza, offensive lineman Sebastian Pares and linebacker Elijawah Tolbert were named to the preseason first team.
Leading the second team selections were offensive linemen Drew Wilder and Nic DiSanto along with defensive lineman Joel Barrows, linebacker Anthony Shockey, defensive back Kaleb Lyons and kick returner Mark Aitken.
Quarterback Pierce Holley was listed on the preseason third team with defensive lineman Nicholas Oliveira-Chace and long snapper Jack Valente.
Earlier this week, Holley was named to the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award while Tolbert was named to the preseason watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award.
Holley was also named the Big South/OVC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year as voted on by the league's head coaches and released on Big South/OVC Football Media Day.
VOLLEYBALL
On the heels of an OVC Championship season which culminated in an NCAA Tournament appearance, Eastern Illinois volleyball has reloaded for the 2024 season with addition of eight new players.
Head coach Sara Thomas has added a mixture of veteran and new players adding to the depth of the Panthers roster at several positions. Included in the mix of players are several with international playing experience including freshman Destiny Walker, who has played this summer with the Puerto Rican National Team.
The Panthers open the regular season on August 30 hosting Marquette — the team EIU lost to in last year's NCAA Tournament.
Though EIU lost one of the top players in program history inGiovana Larregui Lopez along with Natalie Mitchem, Christina Martinez Mundo and Kate Dean (transferred to Virginia), the Panthers return outside hitter Kaitlyn Flynn, setterCatalina Rochaix, middle blockerJulia Stanev and defensive specialist Laura Paniagua.
Here's a look at the newcomers:
Ariadna Perelesis a 5-5 libero/defensive specialist from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, who led her high school team to the national championship tournament during both her sophom*ore and senior years.
Destiny Walker is a 5-10 outside hitter fromRio Grande, Puerto Rico, who played for the Puerto Rico Junior and Senior National Teams and has been part of Puerto Rico National Team U19, U21 and Senior National Team since 2022. She has international experience playing at the World Championships, Pan American Cup, Pan American Games, Continental Championship, Challenger Cup and the Olympics
Katie Kopshever, a 5-11 outside hitter fromNewburgh, Indiana, led Castle High to four straight conference championships and Indiana Class 4A State Runners-Up during her sophom*ore and senior years. She was an All-State selection as a junior and senior, and finished her high school career with more than 1,000 kills.
Matilda Dahlstrom, a 6-1 middle blocker fromMalmo, Sweden, is a transfer from Hillsborough College in Florida, where she led the NJCAA in kills per set (4.72) and points per set while ranking fourth in the nation in total kills with 515 as a sophom*ore to earn honorable mention All-American.
Karli Mann is a 5-10 outside hitter from Herrin helped lead her team to regional championships as a freshman and as a senior.. She registered more than 1,000 kills in high school.
Manon Braunsteffer, a 6-2 middle blocker from Paris, France, is a transfer from Monroe College in New York, where she led the NJCAA in attack percentage finishing the season with a .397 hitting clip with 220 kills (2.22).
Julia Udell, a 5-4 libero/defensive specialist from Fullerton, Calif., is a transfer from Iowa Western who began her collegiate career at Cal Baptist. Last year for Iowa Western she was an All-Region selection, ranking sevnenth in the NJCAA in total digs at 657 with a 5.02 digs per set average.
Emma Schroeder is a 6-2 middle blocker from Rockton who is transfering from Kent State, where she appeared in 18 matches over two seasons. She was a multi-time all-conference at Rockton Hononegah.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
EIU announced more games
Eastern Illinois has announced three additional games to its 2024-25 non-conference schedule. The Panthers will play in the four-team DePaul Classic MTE at the end of November.
The event includes road games for EIU at DePaul (Nov. 19), at Valparaiso (Nov. 24) and hosting Northern Illinois (Nov. 29).
The games are the latest non-conference contests announced for EIU which has previous road games at Indiana (Nov. 10), Northwestern (Nov. 15) and Butler (Dec. 3) publicized by those host schools.
The Ohio Valley Conference released its slate of league games in late July with EIU opening OVC play on Dec. 19 at Southeast Missouri. The home OVC opener for EIU will be just after the new year hosting Lindenwood on Jan. 2.
The 2024-25 complete basketball schedule will be released when complete in the coming weeks.
GOLF
Toler hired as new coach
Eastern Illinois Athletics has hired Craig Toler as the Panthers new head coach for men's and women's golf.
Toler joins the EIU staff replacing Mike Moncel, who retired on August 1 after leading the programs for 25 years.
Toler played collegiate golf at both Parkland College and Southern Indiana. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Eastern Illinois and then served as an assistant coach with Moncel for 10 years. During that time EIU produced several All-Ohio Valley Conference performers and top ten performances on the course.
Following his time as an assistant coach at EIU, Toler worked at the high school and junior high levels at both Teutopolis and Sullivan, coaching a number of sports including boys basketball and girls golf. He earned his degree from EIU in 2007.
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