NAPERVILLE – Following its first-ever sweep of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) regular-season and tournament championships in 2023, North Central holds the top spot in the league’s 2024 preseason women’s soccer poll released on Wednesday morning.
| CCIW Preseason Women's Soccer Coaches' Poll |
| Team (First-place votes) |
Points |
| 1. North Central (8) |
64 |
| 2. Carroll (1) |
54 |
| 3. Wheaton |
52 |
| 4. Augustana |
42 |
| 5. Millikin |
31 |
| 6. Illinois Wesleyan |
27 |
| 7. North Park |
23 |
| 8. Carthage |
18 |
| 9. Elmhurst |
13 |
The Cardinals netted the maximum possible points from the ballots – 64 points – thanks to eight first-place votes from CCIW head coaches earlier this month. NCC is aiming to repeat as league champion after posting an 8-0-0 record in the regular season in which it didn’t allow a goal. The Cardinals ultimately topped Carroll, 3-1, for the CCIW Tournament title.
Carroll was the recipient of a first-place vote, part of the Pioneers’ point total of 54 in the 2024 poll. CU advanced in the CCIW Tournament for the second consecutive time last season with the Pios’ title match appearance being their first in league history.
Wheaton, a 22-time CCIW champion and last season’s regular-season runner-up, was voted third in the 2024 poll. The Thunder totaled 52 points.
Augustana was slotted fourth with a point total of 42, trailed by Millikin in fifth position with 31 points.
Sixth position with 27 points on the ballot was Illinois Wesleyan, followed by North Park (23 points), Carthage (18 points) and Elmhurst (13 points).
The 2024 season is scheduled to begin Friday, Aug. 30 with eight CCIW teams in action.
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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, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).