Watson, Rehberger Land on MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams
ST LOUIS – Ava Watson and Jade Rehberger and earned MVC Scholar-Athlete team honors for the first time in their careers, as announced by the league office on Thursday. Watson earned a Second Team selection while Rehberger got a Third Team nod.
Rehberger started all but one game for Illinois State and played all 90 minutes in each of those starts. She tallied a career-high three assists for Illinois State, the first three assists of her collegiate career. Rehberger helped Illinois State post the most shutouts in a single season for the program since 2019 (5) and its first postseason shutout since 2018. She has earned a 3.9 cumulative GPA pursuing an undergraduate degree in biological sciences.
Watson started all 20 matches for Illinois State on the back line, helping Illinois State post its most shutouts in a single season since 2019 (5) and its first postseason shutout since 2018. She tallied a pair of assists in her sophomore campaign. Waston led Illinois State with 1,774 minutes on the pitch and played all 90 minutes in nine consecutive matches to close the year. She earned MVC Defensive Player of the Week Aug. 20 to open the 2024 campaign. She has earned a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average pursuing an undergraduate degree in biological sciences.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
Players Mentioned
- Midfielder/Defender
- 5' 7"
- Junior
- Defender
- 5' 6"
- Sophomore
Players Mentioned
- 5' 7"
- Junior
- Midfielder/Defender
- 5' 6"
- Sophomore
- Defender
Latest Women's Soccer News
- Willie Promoted to Assistant Soccer CoachIllinois State soccer head coach Raleigh DeRose announced Tuesday the promotion of Peyton Willie to assistant coach following her two-year stint on staff as a graduate assistant.
- Naperville Native Joins Redbirds for 2025 CampaignIllinois State soccer head coach Raleigh DeRose announced the addition of transfer defender Sophia Skoubis, who will join the Redbirds for the fall 2025 campaign.
- Four Redbirds Earn CSC Academic All-DistrictAbby Hall, Jade Rehberger, Madi Valenti and Ava Watson landed on the 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Teams, as announced by the CSC office on Tuesday. The honor recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.
- DeRose Inks First Signing Class at Illinois StateNORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State soccer head coach Raleigh DeRose added seven standouts from four different states and two different countries Wednesday on National Signing Day. Sophia Carbone (Danville, Calif.), Delia Garcia (Park Ridge, Ill.), Brooklyn Harding (Rochester Hills, Mich.), Rylann Law (Chatham, Ill.), Sofia Mammoliti (Hamilton, Ontario), Ashley Molinari (Downers Grove, Ill.) and Grace Petrie (Stratford, Conn.) all signed scholarship agreements to join Illinois State in the fall of 2025.
- Henderson Lands on All-MVC Freshman TeamIllinois State soccer standout Eiley Henderson earned All-MVC Freshman Team honors, as announced by the league office on Wednesday.
- Birds Fall to UIC in Wild MVC Quarterfinal, 4-2No.7 seed Illinois State soccer battled but couldn't overcome No.3 seed UIC Sunday in the MVC Tournament Quarterfinal, as UIC took a 4-2 victory at Flames Field.
