Story by Mike Krizman, CCIW Assistant Executive Director
NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- North Park's Jake Reinhardt has been selected as the 2021 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Man of the Year as announced by the CCIW on Friday.
A shortstop on the Vikings' baseball team, Reinhardt becomes the third North Park student-athlete to be named CCIW Man of the Year since the award's inception in 2008. He is also the first-ever baseball student-athlete to win this award.
Reinhardt was chosen through a voting process conducted by the CCIW's Senior Woman Administrators and Faculty Athletics Representatives.
The CCIW Man of the Year award honors senior men's student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. The award was established in 2008 to recognize the conference's top men's student-athlete, similar to the NCAA's recognition of its top women's student-athlete, which the CCIW participates in by submitting a women's nominee at the end of each academic year.
Reinhardt was named a First Team All-American by both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) this past season. He batted .424 with 50 runs, 11 doubles, seven triples, 15 home runs and 61 RBI this season. His 15 home runs broke a North Park record that held for 34 years. Reinhardt became the first North Park student-athlete since 1992 to be named the CCIW Hitter of the Year, while being named a First Team All-CCIW recipient.
He received a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and holds a grade-point average of 3.914. Reinhardt was a CoSIDA Academic All-American, made the Dean's List all eight semesters, was a two-time Academic All-CCIW member and was the CCIW's Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference recipient in the spring of 2020.
Reinhardt served as his team's representative on North Park's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), took part in North Park game-day duties including scoreboard operation, security and other game management duties over four years, and volunteered at Chicago Bears games as a guest escort. He's also spent the past four years as an instructor for the North Park Baseball Kids Camp.
CCIW Man of the Year Winners
2020-21 – Jake Reinhardt – North Park (Baseball)
2019-20 – Corey Kennedy – Wheaton (Football)
2018-19 – Leif Van Grinsven – Wheaton (Men's Track & Field)
2017-18 – Sam Totten – Augustana (Men's Tennis)
2016-17 – Eric Rydell – Illinois Wesleyan (Men's Track & Field)
2015-16 – Max Leonard – Illinois Wesleyan (Men's Track & Field)
2014-15 – David Voland – Augustana (Men's Track & Field)
2013-14 – Erik Westerberg – Augustana (Football)
2012-13 – Tim Ahlberg – North Park (Men's Soccer)
2011-12 – Josh Startup – North Park (Football)
2010-11 – Steve Djurickovic – Carthage (Men's Basketball)
2009-10 – Alex Knobloch – North Central (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field)
2008-09 – Ben Youel – North Central (Men's Wrestling)
2007-08 – Adam Johnson – North Central (Men's Wrestling)
