NAPERVILLE – For the ninth consecutive season, College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men’s lacrosse head coaches have voted Illinois Wesleyan the league’s preseason favorite, according to the results of a poll conducted earlier this month.

2025 CCIW Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll

Team (First-place votes)	Points
1. Illinois Wesleyan (5)	25
2. Elmhurst (1)	21
T3. Carthage	15
T3. North Central	15
5. Carroll	9
6. Augustana	5

IWU, which has won 37 straight regular-season conference games, six consecutive regular-season league championships and six of the last seven CCIW Tournament crowns, earned the maximum point total of 25 on Friday on the strength of five first-place votes.
 
Elmhurst was second in the 2025 poll. The Bluejays were the regular-season runner up last spring and advanced to the CCIW Tournament championship game for the first time since 2019. EU had 21 points Friday and one first-place vote.
 
Carthage and North Central tied for third position in the 2025 poll with 15 points apiece. NCC – which won the CCIW Tournament in 2022 – was the third-place team in last season’s standings. Both squads were CCIW Tournament semifinalists. 
 
The team slotted in fifth position was Carroll (nine points), followed by Augustana (five points).
 
Carthage will begin the campaign on Saturday in a 1 p.m. start against Hendrix in St. Louis. The 15-game league slate kicks off on Saturday, April 5. 
 
The CCIW Tournament will feature the top four teams in the final regular-season standings with semifinals on Wednesday, April 30 and the championship game on Saturday, May 3.