NAPERVILLE – Annie Tate, a graduate student-athlete on the women’s basketball team at Wheaton, is the recipient of the fifth annual College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Chris Martin Perseverance Award, the conference office announced Tuesday.
 
Tate, a postseason All-American in 2021, returned to the court this season as an All-CCIW First Team selection after missing the second half of the 2021-22 campaign and all of the 2022-23 season.
 
The Chris Martin Perseverance Award honors a student-athlete who demonstrates an unwavering commitment and perseverance to overcome a physical challenge in order to compete at the highest levels of CCIW athletics. The CCIW Council of Presidents established the award in April 2019.
 
Chris Martin was the first full-time commissioner of the CCIW and served in that capacity from 2002 through 2019. This award recognizes his legacy of perseverance enduring the challenges of a lifelong hearing disability and a highly accomplished tenure leading the CCIW through a period of growth and success.
 
Senior Woman Administrators at each CCIW institution brought forth nominations and voted for Tate to be the award recipient earlier this month.
 
Tate -- a native of Elburn, Ill. -- has battled with chronic pain most of her life due to a tumor that rests under her shoulder blade and wraps around her spine. The effects worsened in the early portion of her junior season and eventually forced Tate to miss the final half of the 2021-22 campaign.
 
After multiple procedures to remove a majority of the tumor, Tate had seemingly put the issue behind her. When sharp pain returned, Tate made a visit to the emergency room to discover she suffered from multiple pulmonary emboli – blood clots in her lung. She was placed on blood thinners and faced several months of recovery with no physical activities that would put her in harm’s way. Her return to the court was officially on hold, every-day tasks became a challenge and she missed the entire 2022-23 season.
 
About a month later, Tate discovered she had developed a case of pneumonia among other risks to her lungs. Tate missed nearly two months of school but was able to finish her studies online from home.
 
She ultimately returned to campus with precautions in place and began working toward a return to basketball. During this time, she discovered that she had a rare genetic mutation that increased her health risks during high-risk situations such as surgery, altitude and elevated hormone levels. With this knowledge in mind, she was cleared to return to basketball by a staff of doctors with caution due to the pace of basketball. But a return to basketball became a legitimate possibility. 
 
On Nov. 10, 2023, she played her first basketball game in nearly two years. She went on to start all 25 games for the Thunder this season, averaging 16.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game to earn All-CCIW First Team honors. On Jan. 13 against Elmhurst at King Arena, Tate made 28 free throws to break the single-game NCAA Division III record.
 
“Losing the ability to play the game you love and nearly losing your life gives you a new perspective,” Tate said in a statement. “I played with a new freedom, joy and appreciation for the game of basketball and life in general, and for that, I am beyond thankful.”

CCIW Chris Martin Perseverance Award Winners
2024: Annie Tate, Wheaton (Women's Basketball)
2023: Delaney Walsh, Augustana (Women’s Bowling)
2022: Hayley Earl, Illinois Wesleyan (Softball)
2021: Gabrielle Coulthard, Millikin (Women's Volleyball)
2020: Sinead Molloy, North Park (Women's Basketball)