Also on Tuesday, the CCIW announced its Merle Chapman Leadership Award winners following bocce with Special Olympics Illinois.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – For the fourth consecutive year and fifth time since 2012, the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted Special Olympics Illinois for a game of bocce during the CCIW SAAC’s spring workshop this past Tuesday.
 
CCIW student-athletes and Special Olympics Illinois athletes gathered at North Central College’s practice fields for a friendly game of bocce, followed by a joint luncheon.
 

In 2012, Special Olympics Illinois and the CCIW SAAC participated in a bocce ball exercise during a two-day leadership workshop, eventually leading to the current four-year run that began in 2014.
 
Also on Tuesday, the CCIW recognized its Merle Chapman Leadership Award winners. The award, which began during the 2002-03 academic year, is named after the long time football coach/athletics director at Millikin University and the second commissioner of the CCIW. Chapman served in that capacity from 1997-2002.

This award identifies the student-athletes 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, leadership, sportsmanship, and a commitment to academic, athletic and personal excellence.
 
The Merle Chapman Leadership Award winners were given certificates and recognized by the institutional SAAC advisors during Tuesday’s workshop and luncheon.
 
2016-17 Merle Chapman Award Winners
 
Carroll
Billy Schmid (Football)
Laura Schenk (Softball)
 
Carthage
Morgan Harris (Basketball)
Brad Krueger (Track & Field)

Elmhurst
JD Garnett (Soccer)
Stephanie Sturino (Softball)
 
Illinois Wesleyan
Meg Stanley (Swimming)
Eric Rydell (Track & Field)
 
Millikin
Cathy Lebryk (Softball)
Matthew Brown (Football)
 
North Central
Anicia Mattingly (Lacrosse)
Vincent Pizzo (Wrestling)
 
North Park
Renee Baker (Cross Country/Track & Field)
Josh Smith (Baseball)
 
Wheaton
Rachel Thomson (Track & Field)
Jack O’Connor (Swimming)

Note: Augustana did not select Merle Chapman recipients for 2016-17
 
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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 2015-16 academic year, the CCIW honored over 1,600 academic all-conference recipients, 14 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 36 CoSIDA Academic All-District recipients and over 100 all-Americans.