Wheaton, Ill. - Giovanni Weeks was selected as the 2024-25 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men's Student-Athlete of the Year as announced by the league on Monday afternoon. Weeks' selection marks the fourth time that a Wheaton athlete receives the award. He joins 2018-19 award winner Leif Van Grinsven, 2019-20 winner Corey Kennedy, and 2023-24 honoree Anthony Fitzgerald to make up Wheaton's four honorees in the award's 17 years. Four total CCIW Men's Student-Athlete of the Year awards for Wheaton leads the conference. Additionally, Weeks is the first football player from a CCIW school to receive the award since Kennedy in 2020, as Wheaton is now the first football program in the CCIW to produce two recipients of the Men's Student-Athlete of the Year award.

Weeks was chosen through a voting process conducted by the CCIW Senior Woman Administrators and Faculty Athletics Representatives. He is the fourth football student-athlete from among the CCIW's nine member schools to receive the award.

The CCIW Men's Student-Athlete of the Year award honors senior male 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 male student-athlete, similar to the NCAA's recognition of its top female student-athlete with the Woman of the Year award, which the CCIW participates in by submitting a female nominee at the end of each academic year.

Weeks, a three-time All-American and three-time Academic All-American for the Thunder football program says of the honor, "I am blessed and honored to receive this award. I am incredibly thankful for the impact Wheaton College and the football program have had on my life, along with countless friends, teammates, coaches, and family who have encouraged me throughout my career. Ultimately I want to express my gratitude towards my redeemer, 'For Christ and His Kingdom'." 

Weeks graduated cum laude from Wheaton in December of 2023 with a degree in Business/Economics, posting a 3.64 cumulative GPA in his time as an undergraduate at Wheaton. He returned to campus in the fall of 2024 and enrolled in the Leadership MA program in the Wheaton College Graduate School. He twice received the CCIW's Jack Swartz Award for winter student-athletes given to the top male and female student-athletes from each school in each season (fall, winter, spring).

He is a three-time College Sports Communicators Division III Academic All-American, earning Second Team honors in 2022 and First Team recognition in 2021 and 2023. Weeks is the second Wheaton football player ever to be a three-time Academic All-American, joining fellow running back Pedro Arruza (1993, 1994 & 1995). Furthermore, Weeks is just the ninth Thunder student-athlete out of Wheaton's  120 Academic All-America selections to be a three-time honoree, joining: Arruza; Emily Mason - At-Large/Women's Swimming (2001, 2002 & 2003); Justin Risma - Men's Soccer (2003, 2004 & 2005); Stephen Golz - Men's Soccer (2013, 2014 & 2015); Kirsten Nitz - At-Large/Women's Swimming (2014, 2015 & 2016); Kyle Mellinger - Baseball (2014, 2015 & 2016); Leif Van Grinsven - Men's Track & Field (2017, 2018 & 2019); and Favor Ezewuzie - Women's Track & Field (2019, 2020 & 2021).   

Weeks departed the Thunder football program in November with 488 career points, a mark that ranks 10th in NCAA Division III history, while his career scoring average of 10.8 points per game ranks 25th in Division III history. His school record of 6,703 all-purpose yards is 20th in Division III history. Weeks' 4,122 career rushing yards in CCIW play is a new conference record that he set at Millikin in the 2024 campaign. The Thunder great is Wheaton's all-time record holder in career rushing yards (5,324), yards per carry (6.6 YPC), all-purpose yards (6,703), rushing TD's (69), total TD's (81), and scoring (488 points). Additionally, he holds Wheaton's single-season records in: rushing yards (1,687 yards in 2023); rushing TD's (24 in 2022); total touchdowns (25 in 2023) and total points (2023).

Weeks' first All-America season for the Thunder was in 2021 when he was a Third Team All-America pick by D3football.com, and he earned the honor again in 2022 as a Third Team pick by the website. In 2023 he was a unanimous First Team All-American, earning the accolades from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Associated Press (AP) and D3football.com. He earned All-Region recognition from D3football.com four times (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024). He was also a four-time First Team All-CCIW honoree (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024).

Among his ministry and service work in his time at Wheaton, Giovanni spent time as a Young Life leader in Elmhurst. Additionally, he participated in mission trips to Mississippi, Mexico, and Cuba. He spent a summer as a leader and camp counselor at Kanakuk Kamps in Missouri, and he was a Wheaton football small group leader on campus.