NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- As the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) continues its 75th anniversary celebration, the conference honors the past student-athletes, coaches and administrators who helped shaped the CCIW during its seven-plus decades of competition.
Each week during the 2020-21 season, CCIW.org will spotlight student-athletes through its Conference Legacy Series.
Today, we highlight the career of former Elmhurst University student-athlete Joe Rau.
Joe Rau
Sport - Wrestling
Class - 2013
- NCAA Division III National Champion at 184 pounds (2013)
- Third place finisher and NCAA Division III All-American at 184 pounds (2012)
- Seventh place finisher and NCAA Division III All-American at 184 pounds (2011)
- Competed at the 2014 World Wrestling Championships
- Won the Olympic Trials in Iowa City, Iowa in 2016
- Finished 121-22 during his collegiate career
- One of only six Elmhurst wrestlers to finish with 100 wins or more in a career
- Tied for the second-most wins in program history
- Three-time CCIW champion at 184 pounds (2011-2013)
- CCIW champion at 197 pounds as a freshman (2010)
- CCIW Most Outstanding Wrestler (2013)
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 University (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).