CCIW Student-Athlete Spotlight (April 2020)
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 Illinois senior men's golfer Skylar LeVine.

Story by Mike Krizman, CCIW Assistant Executive Director

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan senior Skylar LeVine didn’t give up when obstacles were put in his way.
 
The Morton Grove, Illinois native was part of the Titans’ NCAA Division III championship team last year – the first men’s golf title for both the institution and the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW).
 
But LeVine’s journey to that moment was anything but smooth. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, LeVine was an all-conference performer, placing third at the 2017 CCIW Championship and ninth at the 2018 Championship. Illinois Wesleyan claimed the conference titles both seasons and earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship. However, LeVine was on the sidelines for both NCAA events.
 
“It was definitely the right decision,” LeVine said of head coach Jim Ott’s lineup choices. “We had some guys in the lineup during my freshman and sophomore years who had national championship experience. Plus, my game just wasn’t in good enough shape at the time.”
 
By his junior year, LeVine re-focused his energy on improving an area of his game that had been a struggle early on in his collegiate career.
 
“I had always had a good short game, which helped me score in rounds where I didn’t hit the ball so well,” he said. “But I just became a better ball striker. I started hitting more greens in regulation on a consistent basis. Because of that, I didn’t have to grind so much. It felt easier because I wasn’t scrambling to get back up the leaderboard.”
 
A sixth place finish at the 2019 CCIW Championship earned LeVine his third-straight all-conference medal, helping his team win another conference title and an NCAA bid. This time, LeVine got the call to the final event.
 
He tied for 32nd in the individual standings, but more importantly, his first round score of 71, third round score of 76 and final round score of 74 all counted towards the team’s overall score those days.
 
“Skylar is the epitome of what happens when you never give up and persevere,” Ott said. “He chose to work harder, keep his head up, keep a smile on his face and be a leader by example. When he finally got his chance, he excelled beyond expectations. We definitely would not have won the NCAA Championship without him.”
 
LeVine also carried a heavy burden following the death of his father from cancer in the summer of 2018. The national title season was LeVine’s first without his biggest cheerleader, but his dad was never far from his mind.
 
LeVine carried his memory with him into his junior year, all the way up to the national championship victory.
 
“My dad wasn’t the biggest golfer, but he was always the loudest person cheering for me at my tournaments,” LeVine said. “I know he would have been so excited and through the roof to see us win the national title.”
 
He took a methodical approach to each round of the national championship, choosing not to follow the scores on the final day until he was off the course.
 
“I didn’t check scores that whole last round,” LeVine said. “I had no idea where we were at on the leaderboard until I walked off the 18th green. Then when I saw that we were up by about three or four strokes, watching everyone come in off the course was so nerve racking.”
 
When the last putt was made and Illinois Wesleyan officially won, LeVine couldn’t contain his emotions.
 
“It was the only time I cried after an athletic competition,” he said. “I try to do my best to not think about what we were playing for that weekend and just try to take it shot by shot. It was such an incredible feeling to know you finished at the top of your sport for the year.”
 
“As proud as I was of him for how he performed in the national championship, I was even more proud of how he taught us all a lesson about the importance of a positive attitude in overcoming adversity and persevering,” Ott said. 
 
Illinois Wesleyan men’s golf has been one of the most successful programs under Ott’s leadership. Since 2001, the Titans have won 16 CCIW titles, and since 2007, have made 13-straight NCAA Championship appearances including the team’s previous best finish of second in 2011.
 
LeVine is quick to credit his coach for establishing and maintaining the successful atmosphere.
 
“It’s all about the culture he (Ott) creates,” LeVine said. “He’s very clear about how fortunate we all are to be playing for a program that’s well funded and has a lot of support from alumni. He’s a coach that really cares. He’s a true coach in all aspects of the game.”
 
Going forward, LeVine plans to put his finance degree in action following graduation this spring. He currently has a job lined up as a commercial banking analyst for Fifth Third Bank in Chicago, but may consider returning for an additional year following the cancellation of the 2020 spring season due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
 
“That’s in the back of my head,” LeVine said about playing an additional year. “But it would be tough to turn down a job right now considering everything that’s going on. There’s a lot of details that would have to be worked out in order to return.”
 
Whatever plans LeVine has going forward, Ott is fully confident that his student-athlete will excel.
 
“Skylar is one of the most positive minded guys that I’ve coached in 20 years,” Ott said. “He excels in the classroom, on the golf course, and most importantly, as a person. His incredibly positive demeanor is genuinely contagious to others.”

CCIW Student-Athlete Spotlight
Skylar LeVine - Illinois Wesleyan (April 2020)
Emily Clausen - Elmhurst (March 2020)
Colton Klein - Carthage (February 2020)
Michaela Johnson - Carroll (January 2020)
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.