ELMHURST, Ill. - Jimmy McAuliffe, a senior on the wrestling team, and Jake Rhode, a senior on the men's basketball team have been selected as Elmhurst University's Men's Sports Co-Athletes of the Year award for the 2021-22 season. 

The Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one men's sports and women's sports student-athlete for their athletic accomplishments over the course of the year.

Jimmy McAullife
McAullife, named Elmhurst's Men's Sports Athlete of the Year in 2021 closed out his collegiate wrestling career by earning the fourth All-America honor of his career by placing fifth in the nation at the 141 pound weight class at the 2022 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. 

He won the CCIW Individual title at 141 pounds, earning the third conference title of his career in the process. He also captured the NCAA Regional Title at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and finished the season with an 18-3 overall record. For his career, he totaled an 89-20 overall record and was the NWCA Division III Champion in 2021. 
 
Jake Rhode
Rhode, named Elmhurst's Men's Sports Athlete of the Year in 2020 ended his collegiate basketball career by earning second-team All-America honors from D3hoops.com while leading the Bluejays to a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. 

This season, Rhode earned first-team all-conference honors for the third time in his career after leading the Bluejays in total points (552), steals (64) and assists (123). He earned first-team all-region accolades from both D3hoops.com and the National Basketball Coaches Association

Rhode helped guide the Bluejays to their second CCIW Tournament Title in three years. The Bluejays then won their first five games of the NCAA Tournament, reaching the championship contest before finishing as the national runner-up. He also broke a pair of long-standing career records at Elmhurst, as he became the first player to score over 2,000 points in a career, finishing with 2,139. He also is the first player in Elmhurst history to total over 500 assists and holds the Bluejays' career record with 510.