PICTURED: North Central sophomore quarterback Broc Rutter (Left) and Illinois Wesleyan senior linebacker Jordan Hassan (Right).
 
NAPERVILLE, Ill. – North Central and Illinois Wesleyan each claimed a share of the 2017 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) football title after both teams won its respective regular season finale on Saturday.
 
The Cardinals (9-1, 7-1) traveled to Elmhurst and defeated the Bluejays 49-7 to win their second-straight title and 13th in program history. This was also the second title under head coach Jeff Thorne. Thorne’s father John coached North Central to eight-straight CCIW titles between 2006 and 2013, which tied a conference record set by Augustana from 1981-1988.
 
The Titans (9-1, 7-1) closed out the regular season with a 31-6 win over Millikin, which clinched a 15th CCIW title in program history and first since 2009. It was also the eighth title under head coach Norm Eash, who is the longest-tenured coach in the conference.
 
North Central earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship by virtue of a 26-13 win over Illinois Wesleyan on September 16. The NCAA will announce the full bracket at 5:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 12 via an NCAA.com Selection Show.

This will be the Cardinals' 10th NCAA postseason appearance as their farthest advancement was the national semifinals in 2013. Illinois Wesleyan will look to earn an at-large bid. The Titans last qualified in 2013. 
 
Twitter & Instagram: CCIW_Athletics
 
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.