The Holiday Classic Scholarship Fund was created by the State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament and currently awards $1,500 scholarships each year to student-athletes from participating schools in our tournament.
Established to recognize and award scholarships to four eligible high school seniors who would have participated in this past year’s tournament, a selection committee of current and former educators choose the winners based on their leadership skills and academic performance. Applicants are asked to demonstrate their experiences in student activities and community service, and are required to submit an essay titled “How my high school sports experience helped prepare me for success in higher education.”
The Holiday Classic Scholarship fund is administered through the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation in Bloomington, IL, and scholarships are made directly to the attending college/university of those winning student. One winner from each of the four tournament brackets (Small School Boys, Small School Girls, Large School Boys and Large School Girls) will be awarded a scholarship.
All eligible applicants must:
- have been on the roster of a participating team in the 2023 State Farm Holiday Classic
- be a graduating senior in Spring/Summer of 2024
- maintain a grade point average of 2.75 or above on a 4.0 scale
- be admitted to and plan to attend a 2- or 4-year college
- have earned a varsity letter in basketball this year
Applications must be submitted by April 1, 2024 and include the following:
- a completed online scholarship application
- brief essay (200-500 words) entitled “How my high school sports experience helped prepare me for success in higher education.”
- two (2) letters of recommendation from those who have worked with you in student activities or community service programs, like a coach, principal, guidance counselor, etc.
- proof (note on school letterhead) from basketball coach that you have or would have been awarded a varsity letter in basketball
Questions can be directed to: scholarship@theclassic.org
Previous Holiday Classic Scholarship recipients:
- Taylor Baucom • Camp Point Central (2006)
- Jordan Christensen • Sherrard (2006)
- Cherelle Gay • Bloomington (2006)
- Matt Pelton • Bloomington Central Catholic (2006)
- Patrick Doggett • CPCI (2007)
- Jack Hainline • Stanford Olympia (2007)
- Kimmy White • East Richland (2007)
- Brandi Branka • Kankakee Bishop Mac (2008)
- Andrew Etheridge • Normal Community (2008)
- Kati Hinshaw • Normal West (2008)
- Randall Koehler • Roanoke-Benson (2008)
- Samantha Reich • Park Ridge Maine South (2008)
- Kristen Baldwin • Normal Community (2009)
- Luke Harbers • Normal U-High (2009)
- Cora Jeffers • Williamsville (2009)
- Ross Munsterman • CPCI (2009)
- Kevin Bischoff • Normal Community (2010)
- Rachael Graham • St. Joseph-Ogden (2010)
- Erin McGinnis • Normal West (2010)
- Andrew Sipes • Grayslake Central (2010)
- Nickolena Coop • Downs Tri-Valley (2011)
- Blake Doane • Quincy Notre Dame (2011)
- Kayla Moore • Sterling Newman Central Catholic (2011)
- Ryan Schmidt • Bloomington Central Catholic (2011)
- Brian Ehresman • El Paso-Gridley (2012)
- Paige Lobdell • Sterling (2012)
- Annie O’Malley • Bloomington Central Catholic (2012)
- Patrick Walsh • Lombard Glenbard East (2012)
- Bradley Dulee • Normal U-High (2013)
- Lauren Frank • Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (2013)
- Cole Hasselbring • Cissna Park (2013)
- Megan O’Donnell • Bloomington Central Catholic (2013)
- Alexa Adams • Belvidere North (2014)
- Rebekah Ehresman • El Paso-Gridley (2014)
- Michael Plecki • Champaign St. Thomas More (2014)
- Trey Sigel • Rock Island (2014)
- Nick Patkunas • Normal U-High (2015)
- Carolyn Peters • Normal West (2015)
- Karalee White • Leroy (2015)
- Nathaniel Wieting • Rockford Lutheran (2015)
- Jake Baughman • Bloomington Central Catholic (2016)
- Brooklyn Crum • Springfield (2016)
- Perry Lim • Normal U-High (2016)
- Courtney Monier • Leroy (2016)
- Andie Bolton • Champaign St. Thomas More (2017)
- Daniel “Will” Costigan • Bloomington Central Catholic (2017)
- Jacob Gillum • Metamora (2017)
- Jasmyne Lawrence • Normal U-High (2017)
- Andrea Kruckenberg • Rockford Lutheran (2018)
- Erin Lenschow • Mahomet-Seymour (2018)
- Zachary Moritz • Minonk Fieldcrest (2018)
- Chase Stebbins • Wheaton Warrenville South (2018)
- Jackson Castleman • Stanford Olympia (2019)
- Bailey Coffman • Bloomington Central Catholic (2019)
- Nicolette McDonald • Chicago St. Ignatius (2019)
- Benjamin Witzig • Normal Community (2019)
- Benjamin Bastian • Wheaton Warrenville South (2020)
- Keeli Frerichs • Geneseo (2020)
- Nicholas Liagridonis • Mahomet-Seymour (2020)
- Lindsey Sapetti • Rochester (2020)
- Joshua Sims • Annawan (2020)
- Ja’Sion Woods • North Chicago (2020)
- Samuel Antonacci • Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (2021)
- Abigail Barickman • Geneseo (2021)
- Rylin Duster • East Dubuque (2021)
- Michael McCann • Wheaton Warrenville South (2021)
- Megan Arnold • Rochester (2022)
- Jordyn Cannon • El Paso-Gridley (2022)
- Tyler Dwinal • Normal Community (2022)
- Matthew Wingate • Normal Calvary Christian (2022)
- Sophia Feeney • Normal Community (2023)
- Chase Fisher • Bloomington Central Catholic (2023)
- Brooke Howard • Rock Falls (2023)
- Max Niesman • Oswego (2023)
