NAPERVILLE –- North Park has secured the top spot in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men’s soccer preseason coaches’ poll for the seventh consecutive season, the league office announced Wednesday morning with its 2025 version of the poll.
2025 CCIW Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Team (First-place votes) |
Points |
| 1. North Park (8) |
64 |
| 2. Wheaton |
55 |
| 3. North Central |
48 |
| 4. Carroll (1) |
45 |
| 5. Illinois Wesleyan |
31 |
| 6. Carthage |
28 |
| 7. Millikin |
25 |
| T8. Augustana |
14 |
| T8. Elmhurst |
14 |
The Vikings were at the top of eight ballots, earning the maximum possible point total of 64. NPU went 13-3-5 overall last season, finishing second in the CCIW regular-season standings and advancing to the championship match of the league tournament. The Vikings received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, their fifth trip to the national postseason since 2017.
Wheaton was next in second place in Wednesday’s poll, securing 55 points. The Thunder won the CCIW’s regular-season crown in 2024 with a 6-2-0 record, their first title since 2015 and the program’s 21st championship overall.
North Central, which won the 2024 CCIW Tournament as the #5 seed, was placed third in the 2025 poll. The Cardinals ousted both of the top two seeds in last season’s league tournament and earned 48 points on Wednesday. NCC’s national postseason bid last fall was its fourth in a row, capping a 10-win season.
The final first-place vote went to Carroll, which landed fourth in the poll with 45 points. The Pioneers finished third (5-2-1) in the league standings last season, their highest CCIW finish in program history.
In the fifth spot is Illinois Wesleyan with 31 points. The Titans have been in the CCIW Tournament semifinals in each of the last two seasons, including a title win in 2023. Carthage was voted sixth (28 points), while Millikin was seventh (25 points) and Augustana and Elmhurst tied for eighth (14 points apiece).
The men’s soccer season opens up Friday, Aug. 29 with all nine teams on the pitch in non-conference action. League competition opens up Saturday, Sept. 27.
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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.).