Eastern Illinois University held its second Billy’s Award ceremony on April 29 to honor the achievements of Panther student-athletes during the 2025-26 academic year.
The event recognized nominees for three major end-of-year athletic awards: the Athletic Director Award, Athlete of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year. In addition, Brett Galletti received the Dr. Gail Richard Sportsmanship Award, with Genevieve Biberdorf, Liz Galvin, and Shawn Lacy as other finalists.
Academic excellence was also celebrated during the ceremony. Seniors with a cumulative grade point average between 3.50 and 3.74 received University Academic Awards, while those with a GPA between 3.75 and 4.0 were presented Presidential Academic Awards. Senior student-athletes who have completed their eligibility and are graduating this spring were given senior portraits.
Each sport recognized recipients of its Coach’s Award and Team Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. The ceremony highlighted male and female nominees across several sports for each main award category.
The evening concluded with congratulations extended to all winners and nominees by Eastern Illinois Athletics.
