NAPERVILLE, Ill. – North Central’s Nick Kukuc, Augustana’s Erik Westerberg and Wheaton’s Sam Cote were named the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Football Players of the Week Monday.

Kukuc, a senior running back from Naperville, Illinois and Naperville Central High School (Physical Education major), established a season high in rushing yards during the Cardinals’ 52-0 shutout of Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday. Kukuc rushed for 131 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns despite only carrying the ball once the entire second half. His 60-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage is the longest running play by the Cardinals this season.

Westerberg, a junior linebacker from Elmhurst, Illinois and York High School (Applied Mathematics major), totaled 15 tackles (12 solo) during Augustana’s 38-13 win over Carthage on Saturday. Westerberg also finished with a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble as the Vikings held the Red Men to just 53 yards in net rushing on 27 attempts for an average of 2.0 yards per rush.

Cote, a sophomore kicker/punter from Wheaton, Illinois and Wheaton Academy (Applied Health Science major), was 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on PATs during the Thunder’s 27-17 win over Millikin on Saturday. He kicked a 28-yard field goal with 2:41 remaining in regulation to give Wheaton a 10-point lead and a two-possession advantage. Cote also completed a 20-yard pass on a fake punt to extend Wheaton’s drive that allowed the Thunder to score its first touchdown seven plays later. His 36-yard field goal with 12:31 left in the fourth quarter increased his team’s lead to seven. With Wheaton leading by seven with 8:12 left in the game, he booted a punt to the Millikin six-yard line, setting up the Wheaton defense for a three-and-out series and Cote’s eventual field goal for the game’s final score.

2012 CCIW Football Players of the Week

Offensive Players of the Week
Nick Kukuc – North Central (10/29/12)
Scottie Williams - Elmhurst (10/22/12)
Scottie Williams - Elmhurst (10/15/12)
Jordan Roberts – Wheaton (10/8/12)
Pete Djurickovic – Carthage (10/1/12)
Tyler Krebs – North Park (9/24/12)
Nick Welch – Augustana (9/17/12)
Nick Kukuc – North Central (9/10/12)
Scottie Williams - Elmhurst (9/5/12)

Defensive Players of the Week
Erik Westerberg – Augustana (10/29/12)
Shane Dierking – North Central (10/22/12)
Wayne Tuckson – Elmhurst (10/15/12)
Dan Vicari – Elmhurst (10/8/12)
Pat Dansdill – Wheaton (10/1/12)
Marquette Moore – Millikin (9/24/12)
Joey Michals – North Central (9/17/12)
Marquette Moore – Millikin (9/10/12)
Connor Klein - Illinois Wesleyan (9/5/12)

Special Teams Players of the Week
Sam Cote – Wheaton (10/29/12)
David Tomis – Elmhurst (10/22/12)
Tyrell Bolden – Illinois Wesleyan (10/15/12)
David Tomis – Elmhurst (10/8/12)
Nick Dace – North Central (10/1/12)
Brett Bukari - Carthage (9/24/12)
Nick Dace – North Central (9/17/12)
Michael Kelley – Illinois Wesleyan (9/10/12)
Brett Bukari - Carthage (9/5/12)


The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services eight member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). During the 2011-12 academic year, the CCIW honored 1,323 academic all-conference recipients, 16 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 1 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, 89 all-Americans and three national championship teams.