NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- Illinois Wesleyan was predicted to win its 23rd College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men's golf title based upon the results of the conference's annual pre-championship coaches' poll announced Friday.
The poll predicted how each team would finish at next weekend's
CCIW Men's Golf Championship held April 29-30 at Brown Deer Golf Course in Milwaukee.
The two-time defending national champion Titans won the poll with 64 points and eight first place votes. Head coach Jim Ott has been at the helm for 17 of the program's 22 titles between 2001 and 2021. Additionally, Illinois Wesleyan has won the last nine CCIW titles.
Carthage placed second in the poll with 55 points and one first place vote following a third place finish at the 2021 CCIW Men's Golf Championship. The Firebirds are a seven-time CCIW champion including their last title in 2007.
North Park was third in the conference voting with 49 points. The Vikings are coming off a fifth place finish in 2021, their best placement since 2013.
Millikin took fourth in the poll with 41 points following a second place finish last season. The Big Blue hold the second-most CCIW men's golf titles with 19 including their last in 2011.
Wheaton placed fifth with 35 points, while Augustana (32 points), North Central (22 points), Elmhurst (19 points) and Carroll (8 points) rounded out the poll.
Voting is done by the CCIW's head men’s golf 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 winner of next weekend's championship will be designated as this year's conference champion and will earn the CCIW's automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship.
2022 CCIW Men's Golf Championship Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
Institution |
Points (1st Place Votes) |
| 1 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
64 (8) |
| 2 |
Carthage |
55 (1) |
| 3 |
North Park |
49 |
| 4 |
Millikin |
41 |
| 5 |
Wheaton |
35 |
| 6 |
Augustana |
32 |
| 7 |
North Central |
22 |
| 8 |
Elmhurst |
19 |
| 9 |
Carroll |
8 |
2021 CCIW Men's Golf Championship Standings
| Place |
Institution |
Score |
| 1 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
894 |
| 2 |
Millikin |
921 |
| 3 |
Carthage |
922 |
| 4 |
Wheaton |
958 |
| 5 |
North Park |
959 |
| 6 |
Augustana |
962 |
| 7 |
Elmhurst |
982 |
| 8 |
Carroll |
993 |
| 9 |
North Central |
1008 |
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 University (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).