NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- Three-time defending College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) champion Wheaton was predicted to win the 2021 CCIW women's soccer title based upon the results of the conference's preseason coaches' poll announced Wednesday.
The Thunder won the poll with 63 points and seven first place votes. Wheaton has won the most conference titles in CCIW history including 21 under the direction of former head coach Pete Felske, who retired this past spring. Long-time assistant Cesar Gomez was named interim head coach for the upcoming season.
North Central was picked second with 53 points and one first place vote. The Cardinals qualified for the CCIW Tournament in 2019, their first appearance since 2016.
Illinois Wesleyan was third in the poll with 50 points and one first place vote. The Titans also welcome a new coach in 2021 as Keri Sanchez was named the program's head coach in May. Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton are the only two programs who have qualified for the CCIW Tournament every year since its inception in 2002.
Augustana placed fourth with 43 points as the Vikings have qualified for 16 out of the 18 CCIW Tournaments held.
Carthage was fifth with 35 points, followed by Carroll (31 points), Millikin (22 points), North Park (14 points) and Elmhurst (13 points).
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 2021 CCIW women's soccer season begins Wednesday, September 1 and the conference schedule can be found
here.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, the top four teams in the standings will compete in the
2021 CCIW Women's Soccer Tournament. The tournament champion will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.
2021 CCIW Preseason Women's Soccer Poll
| Rank |
Institution |
Points (1st Pl. Votes) |
| 1 |
Wheaton |
63 (7) |
| 2 |
North Central |
53 (1) |
| 3 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
50 (1) |
| 4 |
Augustana |
43 |
| 5 |
Carthage |
35 |
| 6 |
Carroll |
31 |
| 7 |
Millikin |
22 |
| 8 |
North Park |
14 |
| 9 |
Elmhurst |
13 |
2019 CCIW Women's Soccer Standings
| Institution |
CCIW |
Overall |
| Wheaton |
8-0-0 |
18-1-3 |
| Illinois Wesleyan |
7-1-0 |
15-6-0 |
| North Central |
5-3-0 |
9-9-1 |
| Augustana |
5-3-0 |
10-4-3 |
| Carthage |
4-3-1 |
7-8-2 |
| Carroll |
2-4-2 |
8-6-3 |
| Elmhurst |
2-5-1 |
8-8-2 |
| Millikin |
1-7-0 |
3-11-2 |
| North Park |
0-8-0 |
3-15-0 |
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).