Sangamon Sun

Football's Collin Brunstein and track and field's Deja Anderson have been named the winners of the William J. Downer and Doris B. Hopper Awards, respectively, for the 2023-24 athletic year.

Beginning in 1967, Illinois College began awarding the William J. Downer Award to recognize the outstanding male student-athlete of the year at IC. The award was established by Robert "Bob" Edward Downer '64 and James "Jim" Mitchell Downer '66 in honor of their father.

In 1978, IC added the Doris B. Hopper Award to recognize the outstanding female student-athlete of the year at IC. This award was established by Dean Doris Broehl Hopper '41, who played a significant role in developing the women's intercollegiate athletic program.

Brunstein, a senior wide receiver from Jacksonville, Ill., was a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association, a second-team pick by the Associated Press, and a fourth-team selection by D3football.com. A first-team All-Midwest Conference honoree, he helped lead an offense that set Midwest Conference records for total yards (6,147 – 558.8 yards per game) and points (522 – 47.5 points per game). The Blueboys won their first Midwest Conference championship and made their second NCAA Division III Playoff appearance.

Brunstein's 91 catches for 2,200 yards and 31 touchdowns led the nation at all levels and were Midwest Conference and Illinois College single-season records. His 313 receiving yards against the University of Chicago was a single-game school record as were his five receiving touchdowns at Lawrence.

Anderson, a freshman from Springfield, Ill., was an eight-time All-Midwest Conference performer during both indoor and outdoor seasons. For her efforts, she was named Midwest Conference Newcomer of the Year at both championships.

A sprinter and long jumper, Anderson was a two-time Midwest Conference Champion helping her team take gold in both indoor 4x200m relay and outdoor 4x100m relay events. She also contributed to setting school records with these relay squads while shattering the Midwest Conference outdoor record with her teammates in the 4x100 relay. Additionally, Anderson recorded notable performances with third-best times in school history for outdoor 100m dash along with fifth-best efforts in indoor 60m dash and long jump events.

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