IWU’s Goergen, Stephens Earn CCIW Academic Honors

March 5, 2007
CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, (309) 556-3206

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Seniors Ashley Goergen and Mike Stephens are the Illinois Wesleyan fall sport winners of the Jack Swartz Award, presented by the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
A women’s soccer player, Goergen (Geneva, Ill., HS) is a psychology major with a 3.59 grade-point average and was a third team academic all-district selection. She was a second team all-CCIW selection as a defensive player in 2006 after being named to the first team in 2005, when she was also the Titans’ “Most Valuable Player” on a squad that advanced to the NCAA playoffs.
A defensive end in football, Stephens (Orland Park, Providence Catholic HS) has a 3.75 grade-point average as an international business major and also won the IWU Jack Swartz honor last fall. A first team all-CCIW selection in 2006 and 2005, he was named to the first team of the all-District V academic squad and was on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. In 2006, Stephens made 49 total tackles with five quarterback sacks totaling -33 yards. He also broke up six passes, forced a fumble and blocked two kicks.
The conference honor, named after the former CCIW commissioner and long-time Wheaton College coach and athletic director, goes to one male and one female athlete at each of the eight CCIW member institutions.
Under the criteria established by the league, the winners must carry a GPA of at least a 3.50 and have played in one of the fall sports (football, volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, women’s tennis or women’s golf). In addition, they must have earned a letter in one of those sports during the past season.

Academic All-Conference

A total of 48 Illinois Wesleyan student-athletes, including Goergen and Stephens, were named to the academic all-conference team in the CCIW for the fall. In order to earn academic all-conference recognition, the honorees have to have a minimum 3.30 GPA and have earned a varsity letter during the past season.

Sport Athlete (Hometown, High School) Year
Football Marcus Dunlop (Maywood, Proviso East HS) Jr.
Football Eric Esch (Bloomington, HS) Sr.
Football Brandin Heidbreder (Lincoln, HS) Sr.
Football Josh Rundle (Mt. Vernon, Iowa, HS) Jr.
Football Mike Stephens (Orland Park, Providence Catholic HS) Sr.
Men’s Cross Country Jordan Bartle (Wheaton, Wheaton-Warrenville South HS) Sr.
Men’s Cross Country Lane Coonrod (Quincy, HS) Jr.
Men’s Cross Country William Hanzel (Glenview, Glenbrook South HS) Fr.
Men’s Cross Country Adam Wentland (Lake Zurich, HS) Jr.
Men’s Soccer Colin Aubin (Orland Park, Sandburg HS) Jr.
Men’s Soccer Ben Clemens (Wheaton, Benet Academy) Sr.
Men’s Soccer Matas Cyvas (Downers Grove, Benet Academy) So.
Men’s Soccer Andrew Kloepper (Naperville, Benet Academy) Sr.
Men’s Soccer Josh Lacey (Eldridge, Iowa, North Scott HS) Sr.
Men’s Soccer Jason Lopez  (Naperville, Neuqua Valley HS) So.
Men’s Soccer Ikenna Odinaka (Lagos, Nigeria) Jr.
Men’s Soccer Mark Opal (Wheaton, Benet Academy) Sr.
Men’s Soccer Steve Perona (Western Springs, Lyons Township HS) Sr.
Men’s Soccer Andrew Schmitz (Arlington Heights, Hersey HS) Sr.
Men’s Soccer Brad Shearn (Wheeling, Buffalo Grove HS) Sr.
Men’s Soccer Jason Somogyi (Mapleton, Illini Bluffs HS) Sr.
Volleyball Jenna Passananti (Western Springs, LaGrange Lyons) Jr.
Volleyball Ashley Reed (Lemont, HS) Jr.
Volleyball Amy VanDerVoorn (Morton, HS) Fr.
Volleyball Jaclyn Verticchio (Jacksonville, HS) Sr.
Volleyball Katie Windsor (Midlothian, Bremen HS) So.
Women’s Cross Country Jennifer Baugh (Normal, Normal West HS) Jr.
Women’s Cross Country Amy Burns (Bartlett, HS) So.
Women’s Cross Country Megan Byrne (Des Plaines, Maine West HS) Sr.
Women’s Cross Country Kerry Devitt (Tower Lakes, Carmel HS) Fr.
Women’s Cross Country MaryKate Gergel (Glenwood, Marian Catholic HS) Sr.
Women’s Cross Country Vanessa Jones (Grand Forks, N. Dak., Red River HS) Fr.
Women’s Cross Country Emily Willenbring (Shoreview, Mounds View HS) So.
Women’s Soccer Ashley Goergen (Geneva, HS) Sr.
Women’s Soccer Erin Kugler (Peoria, Notre Dame HS) Fr.
Women’s Soccer Caroline Leighton (Bloomington, Normal Community HS) So.
Women’s Soccer Emily Marcheschi (Hinsdale, Nazareth Academy) Fr.
Women’s Soccer Eileen Ouska (Skokie, Niles West HS) Sr.
Women’s Soccer Elizabeth Sinclair (Peoria, Richwoods HS) Fr.
Women’s Soccer Amy Slott (Oswego, HS) Sr.
Women’s Soccer Christine Szukalla (Mt. Prospect, Prospect HS) Fr.
Women’s Soccer Beth Talentowski (LaGrange, Lyons Township HS) Fr.
Women’s Soccer Patty Troxell (Lakewood, Crystal Lake Central HS) Fr.
Women’s Tennis Mary Heaney (Shoreview, Mounds View HS) So.
Women’s Tennis Alison Heim (Decatur, Mt. Zion HS) So.
Women’s Tennis Colleen McShane (Roselle, Wheaton St. Francis) So.
Women’s Tennis Sarah Rusch (Naperville, Neuqua Valley HS) Jr.
Women’s Tennis Kristina Sawyer (Batavia, HS) Sr.