4/12/05

The winners of the third annual 2004-05 “Merle Chapman Leadership Award” in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin have been released today by Chris Martin, commissioner of the conference. The award, which began in the 2002-03 school year, is named after Merle Chapman, longtime football coach/athletic director at Millikin University and the second commissioner of the CCIW. Chapman served in that capacity from 1997 until 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 nominate one male and one female student-athlete from its Student Athlete Advisory Committee. The winners will be honored on Monday, April 18 at the CCIW’s year-end S.A.A.C. banquet. The nominees for 2004-05 are as follows.

AUGUSTANA
Nick Johnson…senior…cross country and track & field
Marie Reimers…junior…cross country and track & field

CARTHAGE
John Sosnowski…senior…track & field
Andrea Frey…senior…cross country and track & field

ELMHURST
Mark Heintz…senior…cross country and track & field
Katherine Baker…junior…cross country and track & field

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN
Alan Mila…senior…soccer
Ashley Patten…senior…softball

MILLIKIN
Nathan Chandler…junior…football
Lori Landacre…senior…cross country and track & field

NORTH CENTRAL
Ben Hare…junior…football
Molly Morrison…senior…cross country and track & field

NORTH PARK
Jon Schwan…junior…football
Lucia Abel…senior…track & field

WHEATON
Jon Neilson…senior…basketball
Jessica Elsen…senior…soccer