The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin announced the 2025 recipients of the Merle Chapman Leadership Award this week. The award is named after former Millikin Atheltics Director and the CCIW's second commissioner, who served in that capacity from 1997-2002.
The 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 women's winner this year is Kyleigh Block. Block is a senior physical education major hailing from Philo, Ill. and a graduate of Villa Grove High School. She was the glue for the women's basketball team this season, exemplifying what it means to be a student-athlete. She balanced going to class, substitute teaching, and being a full-time student-athlete. She participated in numerous community outreach opportunities, and she was always willing to get in the gym or weight room extra with her teammates if they needed it and always led team bonding activities for the women's basketball team. She is a great person on and off the court, has a relentless work ethic and leads both vocally and by example - someone we can trust and rely on in the same way we do a member of the staff.
The men's honoree for the Big Blue is fifth-year senior Dejon Glaster. Glaster, a wrestler out of Murfreesboo, Tenn. and graduate of Oakland High School, majored in sport and recreation management at Millikin. He is a four-time CCIW champion at the 174 lb weight class and a two-time NCAA All-American. Dejon has been a two-year captain for the Big Blue Wrestling team. Dejon has been a leader for all the guys on the team with workouts, training and believing in themselves. Millikin wrestling culture starts with Dejon- in the Fall, he is leading our guys during work study at soccer games and football games- our community volunteer events as well as locking them into pre-season training. During season giving our team a daily example of what hard work and effort can give them.
To view the entire list of conference recipients of the Merle Chapman Leadership Award, click here.
