NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- North Central was predicted to win its 41st College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men's outdoor track & field title based upon the results of the conference's annual pre-championship coaches' poll announced Thursday.
The poll predicted how each team would finish at next weekend's
CCIW Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship held May 6-7 at Wheaton College's McCully Stadium.
The Cardinals won the poll with 64 points and eight first place votes. Head coach Frank Gramarosso, who will retire at the end of the season, has led the program to eight conference outdoor titles since 2011. North Central has won 32 of the last 36 conference titles dating back to 1985.
Augustana was second in the poll with 57 points and one first place vote. The Vikings have won the second-most titles in conference history with 18. Augustana has won four recent titles including 2008, 2010, 2016 and 2017.
Wheaton placed third with 48 points. The Thunder have won the third-most CCIW titles with 12, the last coming in 1959.
Carthage finished fourth in the poll with 43 points, followed by Millikin (36), Carroll (31), Elmhurst (21), Illinois Wesleyan (16) and North Park (8).
Voting is done by the CCIW's head men’s track & field 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.
2022 CCIW Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
Institution |
Points (1st Place Votes) |
| 1 |
North Central |
64 (8) |
| 2 |
Augustana |
57 (1) |
| 3 |
Wheaton |
48 |
| 4 |
Carthage |
43 |
| 5 |
Millikin |
36 |
| 6 |
Carroll |
31 |
| 7 |
Elmhurst |
21 |
| 8 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
16 |
| 9 |
North Park |
8 |
2021 CCIW Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championship Standings
| Place |
Institution |
Points |
| 1 |
North Central |
193 |
| 2 |
Wheaton |
171 |
| 3 |
Carroll |
109.5 |
| 4 |
Augustana |
101.5 |
| 5 |
Millikin |
88 |
| 6 |
Carthage |
70 |
| 7 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
61 |
| 8 |
Elmhurst |
20 |
| 9 |
North Park |
2 |
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).