Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) has announced the winners of its 2023-24 Newcomer of the Year award. The honors were given to Marcus Domask from basketball and Darja Sopova from track and field. This award, now in its second year, recognizes top male and female non-freshmen athletes competing in their first season for the Fighting Illini. The recipients were chosen by a vote among Illinois head coaches and DIA executive staff.

Marcus Domask joined the Illinois men's basketball team for his final season after a successful four-year stint at Southern Illinois. He was named Big Ten Newcomer of the Year (AP) and was selected for the first team All-Big Ten by both coaches and AP. Domask averaged 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, contributing to 29 victories for the Illini—a record that ranks third in team history—and helped secure a Big Ten Tournament Championship as well as an NCAA Elite Eight appearance, which is their first in 19 years. Additionally, he became the program's first Academic All-America selection since 1975.

Domask hails from Waupun, Wisconsin, and consistently performed well throughout the season with double figures in scoring across 29 games, including eleven games where he scored over 20 points and three games with over 30 points. His career-high was achieved with a 33-point game against No.11 FAU at Madison Square Garden in December. In the Big Ten Tournament Championship victory over Wisconsin, he recorded 26 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. He also achieved a triple-double during Illinois' NCAA Tournament run against Morehead State.

Darja Sopova played a significant role in securing the women's Big Ten Indoor title—their first in eleven years—by being the team's second leading scorer with gold in triple jump (13.39m) and fourth place in long jump (6.12m). She went on to become an All-American triple jumper at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a school record mark of 13.58m earning sixth place.

Sopova concluded her first year impressively by finishing runner-up in triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships setting another school record (14.01m). Prior to this achievement, she earned bronze at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships for triple jump (13.36m) while placing eighth in long jump (6.09m).

This recognition marks Sopova as the first Illini women's track & field athlete to receive Newcomer of the Year honors following Makira Cook from women's basketball who received it last year.