NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) announced the winners of the Merle Chapman Leadership Award Tuesday.
The award, which began during the 2002-03 academic year, is named after the longtime football coach/athletics director at Millikin University and the second commissioner of the CCIW. Chapman served in that capacity from 1997-2002. The award identifies the student-athletes from the eight member institutions that best exemplify the traits that Chapman displayed and encouraged during his three-plus decades of service as teacher, coach and mentor to the athletes, coaches and administrators of the CCIW. Those traits are loyalty, enthusiasm, and commitment to academic, athletic and personal excellence, leadership and sportsmanship.
Each school is allowed to name one male and one female student-athlete from its Student-Athlete Advisory Council. The winners were honored on Monday, April 14 at the CCIW’s year-end SAAC luncheon.
2007-08 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Merle Chapman Award Winners
Augustana
Keri Hess (Schaumburg, Ill./H.S.) - Women's Soccer
Matt Young (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) - Men's Soccer
Carthage
Michelle Jorwic (Elmhurst, Ill./York) - Women's Soccer
Michael White (New Lennox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) - Men's Cross Country & Track & Field
Elmhurst
Maggie McTeague (Oak Forest, Ill./H.S.) - W. Cross Country & Track & Field, Women's Basketball
Ryan Burks (Manito, Ill./Midwest Central) - Men's Basketball
Illinois Wesleyan
Jenna Passananti (Western Springs, Ill./LaGrange Lyons) - Volleyball
Bryan Duling (Clinton, Ill./H.S.) - Men's Track & Field
Millikin
Ally James (Oak Forest, Ill./Seton Academy) - Women's Basketball
Gilbert White (Chicago, Ill./Leo) - Football
North Central
Lisa Link (Springfield, Ill./Southeast) - Women's Soccer
Chris Toy (Niles, Ill./West) - Baseball
North Park
Natalie Darcy (Chicago, Ill./Queen of Peace) - Volleyball
Isaac Birdsall (Apple Valley, Minn./Huntington North) - Men's Soccer
Wheaton
Lauren Hein (Greenville, Ohio/H.S.) - Softball
Josh Williams (Naperville, Ill.) - Men's Tennis