CCIW Student-Athlete Spotlight (December 2019)
Each month, the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) will highlight the accomplishments of a conference student-athlete. This month, we look into the career of Augustana senior football player Luke Sawicki.
Story by Genevieve Bernardoni, CCIW Intern
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- Two severe season-ending knee injuries almost ended his football career – recruiters stopped recruiting and he thought that his playing days were over.
But for Augustana senior linebacker Luke Sawicki, the setback did not stop him emotionally or physically. In fact, Sawicki says “It gave me a chip on my shoulder, and I wanted to prove them wrong."
Luckily, one coach took notice, and Sawicki is forever thankful that Vikings' head coach Steve Bell took a chance on him. Sawicki first met Bell and his staff on a recruiting visit and immediately fell in love with the family-like atmosphere and how comfortable he felt. He was ready to call the Rock Island campus his new home.
"We are very fortunate that we got him to come here," Bell said following Sawicki's successful four-year career with the Vikings. "Every single coach in the country, Division I through Division III, would want Luke on their team."
Born in Toledo, Ohio and raised in Naperville, Sawicki wouldn't dream of changing his decision to attend Augustana.
In just four short years, Sawicki's been recognized for his work both on and off the field.
He's a CCIW Academic All-Conference recipient with a 3.659 grade-point average (GPA) as a Business Administration major, concentrating in finance and management. Sawicki is also the recipient of the Thomas C. Montgomery Memorial Business Administration Scholarship, the Harold and Louise Lage Swanson Business Administration Department Scholarship, and a Dean's List Scholarship with an annual award of $23,000.
He's been nominated for an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, and was a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, which is given to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance.
Sawicki enjoys volunteering in his free time, assisting a local charity fair to raise money for back-to-school supplies, and has also helped coach high school athletes at college camps. Last spring, he assisted with NFL Draft Day in the latter rounds with the rest of the Augustana football team.
Sawicki is always willing to lend a helping hand or give advice. When asked what the best advice he'd give to an incoming freshman, he turned to the words of an NFL legend.
"My advice is a quote by Walter Payton: 'Never Die Easy'", Sawicki said. "At some point in your career you'll face adversity and at some point, you will fail. But it's about going out and giving everything you have, no matter if the odds aren't stacked in your favor."
Sawicki ended his career with CCIW First Team All-Conference honors in 2019 as he led the Vikings with 87 tackles (50 solo) and was second on the team with 15.5 tackles-for-loss.
He is set to graduate in May 2020 and has already completed his LSAT with goals to attend Law School at DePaul, Loyola, John Marshall or Northern Illinois.
CCIW Student-Athlete Spotlight
Luke Sawicki - Augustana (December 2019)
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carroll University (Waukesha, WI), 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 2018-19 academic year, the CCIW honored over 2,200 academic all-conference recipients, 18 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 43 CoSIDA Academic All-District recipients, and over 100 all-Americans.