NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Wheaton was picked to win the 2017 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) women’s soccer title according to a preseason coaches’ poll announced Wednesday.
 
The Thunder (12-8-0, 7-1-0) won the poll with 61 points and five first place votes after claiming a share of the CCIW regular season title last season. It was the program’s conference-leading 18th title in school history.
 
Illinois Wesleyan (12-6-3, 7-1-0) was second in the poll with 56 points and one first place vote. The Titans won a share of the CCIW regular season title in 2016, their third in school history and second-straight. The program also advanced to their fourth-straight NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship after winning the conference tournament for the second time in school history.
 
Carroll (14-4-2, 5-2-1) placed third with 48 points and one first place vote after the Pioneers qualified for the CCIW Tournament in their first year back in the conference. Augustana (9-8-0, 3-5-0) finished fourth with 40 points and one first place vote.
 
North Central (5-11-2, 4-4-0), following a CCIW Tournament berth last season, was fifth with 38 points, while Carthage (10-7-0, 4-4-0) was sixth with 33 points.
 
Elmhurst (10-7-0, 2-6-0), Millikin (8-8-1, 2-6-0) and North Park (5-11-1, 1-6-1) rounded out the poll with 22, 13 and 13 points respectively.
 
Voting is done by the CCIW's head women’s soccer coaches. Each coach votes for the eight other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (eight points for first, seven for second, etc.). Coaches do not vote for their own teams.
 
The CCIW women’s soccer season begins Friday, September 1. The CCIW Preseason Football Poll will be announced Thursday, August 10. Additionally, the CCIW will announce four new conference polls this fall including women’s tennis (August 22), men’s & women’s cross country (August 23) and women’s golf (August 24).

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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carroll University (Waukesha, WI), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). During the 2016-17 academic year, the CCIW honored over 1,900 academic all-conference recipients, 10 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 33 CoSIDA Academic All-District recipients, one CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year and over 100 all-Americans.