CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois Varsity "I" Association will host the 2026 Illinois women's basketball reunion on Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, in Champaign. The reunion weekend will coincide with the Illinois football home game against Nebraska on Friday night and a TBA women's basketball nonconference game on Saturday.
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A highlight of this year's gathering will be a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the 1996-97 Fighting Illini women's basketball team, which captured the program's first Big Ten regular season championship. The squad finished with a then-program-best record of 24-8 overall and 12-4 in conference play before advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, where they pushed top-ranked UConn before falling, 78-73.Â
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The Illini started that season unranked but finished No. 16 in the AP Top 25, powered by a standout roster that included Big Ten Player of the Year Ashley Berggren, freshman standout Tauja Catchings, team captain Nicole Vasey, and a supporting cast of Kelly Bond, Krista Reinking, Melissa Parker, Casey Leonhardt, Katie Coleman, as well as Lauren Sanderson, Sally Albers, Marchoe Dill, Ann Henderson, Kelly Dexter, Sara Vandertop, Aimee Smith, Elizabeth Zurek, Alicia Sheeler, and Bonnie Apsey. Head coach Theresa Grentz earned co-Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for guiding the historic run. The excitement that season extended to the stands, with the regular season finale against Purdue drawing the first sold-out Assembly Hall/State Farm Center crowd in program history.
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A full itinerary, hotel information and RSVP details for alumni will be shared in the coming weeks.Â
