NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- For the sixth consecutive year and seventh time since 2012, the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) hosted Special Olympics Illinois for a game of bocce during the CCIW SAAC’s spring workshop on Wednesday.

CCIW student-athletes and Special Olympics Illinois athletes gathered at North Central College for a friendly game of bocce, followed by a joint luncheon.

In 2012, Special Olympics Illinois and the CCIW SAAC participated in a bocce ball exercise during a two-day leadership workshop at the Hyatt in Lisle, Illinois, eventually leading to the current six-year partnership that began in 2014.

Before participating in the bocce event, CCIW SAAC student-athletes took part in a Question & Answer session with three former CCIW student-athletes (Pictured Right) including 2015 Augustana alum Stephanie (Petkovsek) Kolosky (women's volleyball), 2011 Carthage alum Amanda (Croix) Patzke (women's swimming), and 2006 Illinois Wesleyan alum Adam Dauksas (men's basketball).

This marked the first time the CCIW has ever conducted a panel featuring former conference student-athletes. All three shared their experiences on how their participation in athletics shaped their lives and professional careers. 

Visit this LINK for complete biographical information on the three panelists. 
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 2017-18 academic year, the CCIW honored over 2,100 academic all-conference recipients, 15 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 28 CoSIDA Academic All-District recipients, and over 100 all-Americans.