April 15, 2009

Minneapolis, Minn. - At the annual NCAA Awards Banquet held this evening at the Radisson hotel in Minneapolis, Illinois head coach Yoshi Hayasaki was named the Central Region Head Coach of the Year, while assistant coaches Justin Spring and Ivan Ivankov garnered Central Region Assistant Coaches of the Year honors. This marks the first time Illinois has swept the prestigious Central Regional Awards.

"This is a tribute to the hard work our entire team has put forth this season," head coach Yoshi Hayasaki said of the honor. "Everyone has come together and worked hard to achieve our team goals. I'd like to give credit to not only the team, but the entire coaching staff. Justin returned from the Olympics and jumped right back into coaching like he'd never left, and Ivan joined us in January and it's as if we've had him around for several years."

The No. 3-ranked Illini begin the 2009 NCAA Championships in the evening qualifying session on Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m. CT.