CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Parkland College Athletics is pleased to announce its Athletes of the Year for the 2023-2024 academic school year. Sophomore softball player Karley Yergler has been selected as Female Athlete of the Year, and sophomore men's basketball player Jabryn Anderson has been named Male Athlete of the Year. The Cobras both earned NJCAA DII First Team All-American and M-WAC First Team All-Conference honors.
   
This past season, Female Athlete of the Year Karley Yergler helped lead the Parkland College Softball program to a 58-6 record, the second winningest season in program history. The Cobras won the fourth consecutive M-WAC conference title (including the co-champion title in 2022) and their fourth straight Region 24 title, placing top-ten at the NJCAA Softball World Series. Yergler led the nation in wins in 2024 with 31, earning NJCAA All-American recognition, as well as NFCA NJCAA DII All-Midwest Region honors for the second year in a row. Yergler was also the Region 24 Player of the Year and M-WAC Pitcher of the Year two years in a row. 
 
Karley Yergler, sophomore pitcher from Mahomet, Illinois, ranked second nationally in earned run average (0.85), second in WHIP (0.73), and third in strikeouts (278), averaging 11.31 strikeouts per game. The University of Illinois commit also slashed .389/.435/.917 over the year. Yergler hit 22 home runs (11th in the nation) and recorded 66 RBI's (34th in the nation). She finished with a pitching record of 31-4. She is the daughter of Becky Yergler and Paul Yergler.
 
Jabryn Anderson, 2023-24 Male Athlete of the Year, helped lead the Cobras to a 29-6 overall record, including a 9-3 conference record, an M-WAC Conference title, an NJCAA DII Central District Championship, and an appearance in the NJCAA Division II National Championship Elite Eight this past season. Anderson was the 2023-24 M-WAC Co-Conference Player of the Year and the 2023-24 NJCAA DII Region 24 Player of the Year. The Rogers State University commit was the third NJCAA DII First Team All-American in Parkland men's basketball program history.
 
"I am extremely happy for Jabryn in receiving this award," Parkland men's basketball head coach John Bowler said in a statement. "I am proud to see him being rewarded for the hard work and development he put in over the last 2 years. He has been a stellar example of the type of players and people that our program is built on. I look forward to watching him continue to succeed at the next level."
 
Anderson, a Decatur MacArthur High School alumni, appeared in 33 games for the Cobras this past season, starting all 33 and averaging 29.5 minutes per game. Anderson averaged 14.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, compiling a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Decatur-native shot 51 percent from the field, 32 percent from three, and 71 percent from the free throw line, leading the team in scoring. Anderson is the son of Jason Anderson and Robin Anderson.