Millikin Women’s Basketball standout Elyce Knudsen has committed to Illinois State for her fifth and final year of basketball.
The senior has undoubtedly made her mark on Millikin’s campus, leaving as a four time all American, 2023 Josten’s Trophy winner, countless conference player of the week honors, three-time CCIW player of the year, and holds the school’s all-time scoring record with 2,046 career points.
The point guard from Philo, IL, shared what she is looking forward to most about the switch.
“I think it will be nice to get out of my comfort zone and be in a different environment,” Knudsen said. “I’m excited to play at the Division 1 level, with lots of new people and close enough to home that my family will be able to watch.”
Knudsen will not be a stranger to the rigorous workload, as the women’s basketball program here at Millikin has prepared her for success in the future. She expressed that she would not have grown so much as a leader if she had not had the people around her throughout her time at Millikin that helped her feel comfortable in a leadership role.
Coach Olivia Lett is no stranger to the Division 1 level. She played at Southern Illinois University for a short time before transferring to Illinois Wesleyan University, leading them to a division III championship in 2012.
“Coach Lett played at both of these levels and even won a national championship, so she knows how to be successful in that arena and has helped push me to a higher level. She never stopped being hard on me even when I was doing well,” Elyce said about her head coach.
The Women’s Basketball program at Millikin has an impressive history. It is the only sport in the history of the school to have won a team national championship, in 2005. The basketball court in Griswold Gym is named after former head coach Lori Kerans, who led the 2005 team to that national title. The team has made 17 national tournament appearances and have won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season crown a total of 14 times. Three of those conference titles were claimed in Elyce’s time at Millikin.
Knudsen spoke on her decision to play at ISU for her last remaining year of eligibility.
“Illinois State was set apart because it’s so close to home, and they had seen me play in person for many years because one of Illinois Wesleyan’s coaches used to coach there, so the ISU coaching staff was regularly at our games against Wesleyan,” she said.
She also noted how close the team seemed to be, saying that “everyone was really comfortable around each other and very welcoming to me on my visit.”
Elyce will attend ISU on a full ride for two years, earning her MBA in data analytics. She also has the opportunity to be a graduate assistant for the basketball program during her second year there, and she is excited to try her hand at coaching.
“The coaching staff is amazing; family is really important to them. I think I could gain some good experience from them and see if I really enjoy coaching or not as the grad assistant in my second year there,” Knudsen said.
Elyce’s time at Millikin will come to a close at the graduation ceremony on May 19, 2024. She has left a lasting mark on the school and the basketball program, with countless records and accolades to her name.
