Illinois athletics beat writer Scott Richey weighs in with his marks for all 19 Illini teams during the 2019-20 season:

Men’s basketball: A

Why an A: It wasn’t a perfect season, but Illinois’ success, including a spot in the final Associated Press Top 25, was in stark contrast to last year’s historic struggles.

High point: Plenty of options here, but the Illini’s 71-70 victory at Wisconsin — complete with Ayo Dosunmu game-winner — snapped a long losing streak in Madison, Wis., and wound up being the first of several key road wins.

Low point: The Miami game would certainly qualify, but the fact the Illini were a legitimate NCAA tournament and still didn’t play in March Madness for a seventh straight year was a disappointment.

Big Ten finish: 4th

Last year’s grade: D

Women’s cross-country: A

Why an A: Pretty straightforward here. The Illini won just their second ever NCAA Midwest regional (and first in more than a decade) to reach the NCAA championship for the first time since 2009.

High point: That Midwest regional championship saw four individual runners finish in the top 25, with junior Allison McGrath leading the way for a second straight year in the event with a 12th place individual finish.

Low point: There must have been something about Terre Haute, Ind. Illinois finished sixth in both the John McNichols Invite on Sept. 21 and at Pre-Nationals on Oct. 19 in its two trips to the Indiana State campus.

Big Ten finish: 6th

Last year’s grade: C

Baseball: A-

Why an A-: Dan Hartleb’s team got in just 13 games before the season was canceled by the pandemic, but among the Illini’s eight wins included one against recent power Coastal Carolina and top-25 wins against Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

High point: Ty Weber outdueled No. 4 overall pick Asa Lacy in Illinois’ 1-0 victory against Texas A&M, and Branden Comia provided the only run the Illini needed with a two-out RBI single in the eighth inning.

Low point: Illinois had to follow up its wins against the Aggies and Cowboys in Frisco, Texas, by facing No. 1 UCLA. The Bruins jumped on the Illini relievers and pulled away for a 14-1 victory.

Big Ten finish: N/A

Last year’s grade: A-

Men’s gymnastics: A-

Why an A-: Illinois had just a single dual meet loss when its season was canceled in March with the team gearing up for postseason action. Odds are success was coming in the Big Ten (and probably) NCAA championships.

High point: Taking down a pair of top-10 teams on Senior Day was the last time the Illini competed in the 2020 season, at least sending them out on a high note in taking down Michigan and Penn State.

Low point: Minnesota would have been standing in Illinois’ way in the Big Ten, though, having already beaten Justin Spring’s squad in less than a week’s time in late January both in the Windy City Invitational and in Minneapolis.

Big Ten finish: N/A

Last year’s grade: B+

Women’s golf: B

Why a B: Renee Slone’s squad took a little time to get going this spring after a solid fall, but looked to be rounding back into form in early March before the season was canceled.

High point: A pair of third-place finishes in the fall was Illinois’ peak, including one at “home” at Medinah Country Club with sophomore Kornkamol Sukaree leading the way in eighth place individually.

Low point: The Illini didn’t exactly burst from the gates when the season resumed in February, finishing a season-worst 11th at the UCF Challenge in Orlando, Fla., with Tristyn Nowlin forced to withdraw in the second round with an injury.

Big Ten finish: N/A

Last year’s grade: A

Men’s golf: B

Why a B: Illinois had something to prove this spring after a rougher than normal fall season. A runner-up finish in its first event in February and a fourth-place finish in a loaded field in Hawaii seemed to have the Illini on the right path.

High point: Five golfers in the top 20 — led by senior Giovanni Tadiotto tying for fourth — helped Illinois claim second place at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate in Alabama in February.

Low point: That rough fall started with a ninth-place finish at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, Ariz., in mid-September and saw just one Illini — freshman Jerry Ji — in the top 20.

Big Ten finish: N/A

Last year’s grade: B+

Football: B-

Why a B-: Illinois went bowling for the first time since 2015, but still couldn’t get over the .500 hump for the first time since 2011.

High point: James McCourt splitting the uprights from 39 yards to beat Wisconsin sent fans streaming onto Zuppke Field in celebration of Illinois’ first win against a top 10 since the 2007 Ohio State victory.

Low point: Maybe a third of the announced crowd of 35,895 was at Memorial Stadium to see Northwestern’s fourth-string quarterback lead the Wildcats to a 29-10 victory in the regular-season finale.

Big Ten finish: 4th, West

Last year’s grade: D

Volleyball: B-

Why a B-: The bar for Illini volleyball is set awfully high. High enough that losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament qualifies as a disappointment.

High point: Marquette might have finished the season ranked outside the top 10, but the Golden Eagles checked in at No. 7 when Illinois went from down 2-0 to a five-set win on Sept. 14 in Normal.

Low point: A Nov. 27 home win against Northwestern pushed Illinois’ streak to 10 straight against the Wildcats in a series that overwhelming favors the Illini. A regular-season finale loss three days later in Evanston pushed Illinois close to the NCAA tournament bubble.

Big Ten finish: 7th

Last year’s grade: A+

Women’s gymnastics: B-

Why a B-: Illinois never got blown out, but just couldn’t quite get over the hump in close loss after close loss against ranked opponents. The team appeared to be hitting its stride, though, with postseason action on the horizon when the season was canceled.

High point: Braggin’ Rights belonged to the Illini after a road win at No. 16 Missouri — their only victory against a ranked team — that saw freshman Mia Takekawa claim the all-around title in her collegiate debut.

Low point: The start of Big Ten action was a bit of a struggle for Illinois with three straight losses to ranked Michigan, Minnesota and Maryland teams.

Big Ten finish: N/A

Last year’s grade: C+

Softball: C+

Why a C+: Hard to tell what a young Illinois team would have accomplished this season if not for the pandemic. As things stood at the forced end, the Illini were sitting at .500 with Big Ten play looming.

High point: Early season wins against top-25 teams Ole Miss and Auburn can’t be overlooked, but in what turned out to be its final game, Illinois topped Missouri 2-1. Braggin’ Rights secured on the diamond, too.

Low point: Tyra Perry has regularly scheduled her team a weekend in California early in the season. This year’s saw Illinois drop four of five games in three days in Fullerton.

Big Ten finish: N/A

Last year’s grade: B

Wrestling: C-

Why a C-: Individual success has continued for Illinois wrestlers (seven NCAA qualifiers), but the team has continued to have its struggles in the Big Ten. A fourth-place regular season conference finish was followed by a disappointing Big Ten championships.

High point: Freshman Luke Luffman delivered in Illinois’ final match against No. 21 Northwestern, with a 14-4 major decision clinching a come-from-behind 19-18 victory at Huff Hall.

Low point: Last year’s 11th-place finish at the Big Ten championship was the program’s worst since 1994 when the Illini placed ninth in a 10-team conference. They repeated it this year.

Big Ten finish: 11th

Last year’s grade: C

Men’s tennis: C-

Why a C-: Illinois coach Brad Dancer doesn’t pull any punches when he schedules. This year the tough slate didn’t favor the Illini, who got dinged up during the nonconference portion of the season.

High point: The Illini lost their first four matches against ranked opponents this season before topping No. 23 Northwestern in their Big Ten opener in Evanston.

Low point: Even home-court advantage didn’t help Illinois in its Feb. 7 showdown with No. 3 Florida at Atkins Tennis Center, as the Gators rolled to a 7-0 victory.

Big Ten finish: N/A

Last year’s grade: B

Soccer: C-

Why a C-: Big Ten play was Illinois’ downfall after a solid start to the season. The nonconference portion of the schedule ultimately yielded twice as many wins.

High point: The Illini’s best win, unsurprisingly, came before conference play started, with junior midfielder Maggie Hillman scoring the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute on the road at No. 22 Pepperdine.

Low point: Take your pick from Big Ten action. The most lopsided came in an early October showdown at Maryland. The Terrapins scored early (first goal in the 5th minute) and often in a 6-2 victory.

Big Ten finish: 11th

Last year’s grade: B-

Women’s tennis: C-

Why a C-: A veteran Illinois squad tested itself in the indoor portion of the season with plenty of high-major opponents and three ranked teams on the schedule. The run-up to Big Ten play, though, yielded just a 4-9 record.

High point: The Illini got just a single conference match in the books before the season was canceled, topping Purdue 4-1 at Atkins Tennis Center behind a mix of its experienced core and talented newcomers.

Low point: February was rough for Evan Clark’s squad, with just two wins — one at home against SIU Edwardsville and the other at Oregon.

Big Ten finish: N/A

Last year’s grade: A

Men’s cross-country: C-

Why a C-: The men’s team wasn’t able to make quite the strides as the Illini women, placing no better than second in any event. The progress for the program was more baby steps than breakout.

High point: The Illini might have used up their best race of the season before postseason action started with a runner-up finish (out of 20 teams) at the regular season finale Bradley Pink Classic. A personal best from Irwin Loud saw the redshirt sophomore finish second individually.

Low point: Loud and Zach Dale finished in the top 25, but the Illini wound up in the bottom third at the Big Ten championship, one spot better than a year ago.

Big Ten finish: 9th

Last year’s grade: C-

Men’s track and field: D+

Why a D+: The Illini had a centerpiece veteran in Jonathan Wells, but it was a mostly young team for coach Mike Turk. There was some growth, but it was incremental and didn’t necessarily show up on the scoreboard.

High point: No team scores were kept, but Illinois claimed seven event titles — including three from sprinter Declan Rustay (two on his own and one relay) — in the team’s last indoor home meet of the year at the Armory.

Low point: Illinois’ only other indoor event that kept team scores was the Larry Wieczorek Invitational at Iowa. The Illini finished last behind the first-place Hawkeyes.

Big Ten finish: 10th (indoor)

Last year’s grade: D

Women’s track and field: D

Why a D: The Illini women’s team found itself in a similar position as the men’s squad, relying on several new contributors as the indoor season ended.

High point: Home track advantage paid off for Illinois at the Armory with seven event titles in the Illini Invitational on Jan. 25, with junior Amira Adams winning the long jump and 60-meter dash and running on the winning 1,600-meter relay team.

Low point: Other than a runner-up finish from Chisom Nwoko in the 400-meter dash, the Illini mostly struggled in the Big Ten championship, finishing 83 points behind conference champs Ohio State.

Big Ten finish: 11th (indoor)

Last year’s grade: D-

Women’s basketball: D-

Why a D-: It was simply more of the same in year three for Nancy Fahey. The Illini might have been in more games, but the win-loss record at the end of the season was basically identical to last season (and the one before that).

High point: Whatever it is about Minnesota, Illinois has the Gophers’ number. This win came at home, with Petra Holešínská dropping a game-high 28 points.

Low point: There were several, mainly in the sheer number of games Illinois was on the wrong side of the final score by 20 or more points. Ten times to be precise.

Big Ten finish: 13th

Last year’s grade: D-

Swimming and diving: D-

Why a D-: The Illini took a step back in 2019-20, with a sub-.500 season after last year’s 7-5 mark while staying at the bottom of the Big Ten.

High point: Half of Illinois’ wins came on the same day with victories in a double dual meet against Illinois State and Southern Illinois on Oct. 17 at the ARC behind a strong day from sophomore Sarah Cano.

Low point: The Illini trimmed its margin behind Michigan State from a year ago, but that didn’t change the final standings at the Big Ten championship. Several new personal bests were set, but it didn’t keep Illinois out of 13th place.

Big Ten finish: 13th

Last year’s grade: D