NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) announced the winners of the Merle Chapman Leadership Award Monday.
The award, which began during the 2002-03 academic year, is named after the longtime football coach/athletics director at Millikin University and the second commissioner of the CCIW. Chapman served in that capacity from 1997-2002. The award identifies the student-athletes from the eight member institutions that best exemplify the traits that Chapman displayed and encouraged during his three-plus decades of service as teacher, coach and mentor to the athletes, coaches and administrators of the CCIW. Those traits are loyalty, enthusiasm, and commitment to academic, athletic and personal excellence, leadership and sportsmanship.
The winners were honored on Saturday, March 31 at the CCIW’s second-ever Student-Athlete Workshop at the Hyatt in Lisle, Illinois.
2011-12 CCIW Merle Chapman Award Winners
Augustana
Brianna Skeens (Libertyville, Ill./Vernon Hills/Sociology) – Volleyball/Women’s Basketball
Alberto Quiros (Berwyn, Ill./Morton/Psychology) – Wrestling
Carthage
Jensena Paul Wishau (Portage, Wis./H.S./Chemistry) – Women’s Swimming
Chris Czekaj (Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech/Business Admin. & Management) – Men’s Lacrosse
Elmhurst
Erin Thill (Freeport, Ill./Aquin/History) – Volleyball
Chris Kirkpatrick (Elk Grove, Ill./H.S./History) – Football
Illinois Wesleyan
Amanda Kessel (Medina, Ohio/H.S./Biology) – Women’s Soccer/Women’s Track & Field
Tommy Gilbert (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North/History, Secondary Education) – Men’s Swimming
Millikin
Emily Joines (Newman, Ill./Shiloh/Physical Education) – Women’s Basketball
Jordan Rahar (Taylorville, Ill./H.S./Elementary Education) – Men’s Track & Field
North Central
Amy Frazzini (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg/Exercise Science) – Women’s Soccer/Women’s Lacrosse
Peter Bulandr (Long Grove, Ill./Stevenson/Economics & Finance) – Football
North Park
Kristin Gibbs (Marion, Iowa/Carmel/Biology) – Women’s Soccer
Sarah Wilson (Monrovia, Calif./Maranatha/Biology) – Women’s Soccer
Wheaton
Cassie Murphy (Belleville, Ill./East/Applied Health Science) – Volleyball
Tim McCrary (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier/Business & Christian Formation) – Men’s Basketball