The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) proudly announces Chico State's Brennan Wheeler as the winner of the 2022-23 CCAA Impact Award for demonstrating outstanding citizenship and engagement throughout his campus and community. It is the second straight year that a Chico State student-athlete has been selected to this honor (Taylor Stewart, women's golf).
 
Created in 2015-16, the Impact Award recognizes a single CCAA student-athlete who has exemplified leadership through participation in community service and engagement activities while maintaining a dedication to academics and athletics. Selections are made by the conference's 12 Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC).
 
"Brennan made a huge impact on our program, our department, the university, and the community of Chico," said Wildcats head men's basketball coach Greg Clink. "He was always the first one to volunteer, take action and push others towards excellence."
 
Wheeler was a leader among his peers on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, representing the Chico State student-athletes at the conference level since 2017. He was instrumental to the inception of the Wildcats' mental health campaign as he shared a personal story on video about his medical hardships, overcoming two injuries, and how that influenced his mental outlook on life. During the pandemic year of 2020-21, Wheeler served as the social media manager, organizing campaigns for various thematic months, including Women's History Month, National Nutrition Month, and others, to promote diversity within the athletic program, university, and the community.
 
A key highlight of his service as social media manager was creating the "I Value" video in alignment with the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion social media campaign. The video was created to showcase how, collectively, we make up something more powerful and exquisite than we ever could on our own. As SAAC participated in the NCAA social media campaign, they pledged to continue to listen, learn from one another, and value our differences and similarities.
 
"Brennan was a significant role model in his position in SAAC, where he was a representative for his entire athletic career since he started in 2017," added coach Clink. "He was instrumental to the inception of our mental health campaign and had a major hand in many other campus and community initiatives. Brennan's work here will continue to make an impact on our university and community."
 
Wheeler was a six-year member of the Chico State men's basketball team earning his bachelor's (Exercise Physiology) and master's degrees (Kinesiology) in the process. After redshirting his first year, an injury wiped out his next season, but he battled back to become a significant contributor on some of the best teams in Wildcats' history. Wheeler shot .553 percent from the field, including .429 percent from 3-point range, in 2021-22 to help Chico State win the NCAA West Regional and advance to the NCAA Elite Eight. He scored eight points in the regional championship and followed it up with a season-high 10 points in the Elite Eight against Augusta. This past season he served as a team captain, helping Chico reach the CCAA semifinals while scoring a career-high 22 points against Cal Poly Pomona.
 
Throughout his time in the Cardinal, Grey, and White, Wheeler has served as a Campus Captain he Hidden Opponent via the Victoria Gerrick Foundation. The organization focuses on creating a culture open to talking about student-athlete mental health by putting on educational events and spreading positivity. Thanks to Wheeler's efforts, Chico State is now incorporating these practices in its programming.
 
In the summer of 2022, he came to the Student Success Coordinator with an idea to promote wellness to student-athletes and helped create the Wellness Initiative Intern. In the first year of the program, he engaged in research and transparency of support services to the student-athlete and general student population. In spring 2023, he single-handedly created a wellness resource video that highlighted six different support services on campus (health center, relaxation station, student recreation center, safe place, food pantry, and counseling center) in a two-minute video to help de-stigmatize utilizing these support services.
 
"Brennan truly leads by example; his fellow student-athletes trust and believe in him. His dedication to Chico State athletics for six years is unparalleled," said Chico State's former Compliance Coordinator/SWA Shannon Hall. "His passion for inspiring, supporting, and motivating others was evident in his role as the inaugural Wellness Initiative Intern in 2022-23."
 
Through his work as a Campus Captain and Wellness Initiative intern, Wheeler has organized our culminating event in May 2023 (mental health awareness month). He reached out to multiple student-athlete alums to serve on a panel to discuss the importance of taking care of oneself as a student and professional. With his strong communication skills, he partnered with University Advancement and the Alumni Association for support with the event that will take place on May 3rd. This student contacted all speakers, engaged in various communications regarding the session's content, and logistically organized the event.
 
"Brennan has always been passionate about the mental health of all student-athletes and played a pivotal role in excelling our 'Scratch the Stigma" initiative in 2022-23," continued Hall. "He is a natural-born leader with an inquisitive and creative mind. Brennan's dedication and tenacity bring those creative ideas to fruition; without that, we would not have had such a successful event in May 2023 for our Scratch the Stigma initiative with over 175 student-athletes in attendance."
 
Wheeler has also gone into the town of Chico, volunteering at various community service events on campus, including assisting in enrollment efforts of the university by supporting yield events for the office of admissions. He has tabled to collect canned foods for the conference food drive, engaged in the Walk to End Alzheimer's foundation for three years, participated in various jog-a-thons at local elementary schools, and served as a critical leader for three years at youth summer camps.
 
To be considered for the CCAA Impact Award, candidates must participate in community service and engagement activities as a member of their team as well as outside of team activities and demonstrate actions that exemplify leadership.
 
Past CCAA Impact Award Winners
2021-22: Taylor Stewart, Chico State (women's golf)
2020-21: Faith Baumgartner, Cal State LA (women's soccer)
2019-20: Nadia Torkman, Chico State (women's track & field)
2018-19: Claire Wayne, Chico State (softball)
2017-18: Andrew Dirks, UC San Diego (men's track & field)
2016-17: Haley Kroll, Chico State (women's cross country/track & field)                
2015-16: Lindsey Armstrong, Cal State Dominguez Hills (women's soccer)