NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Two College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin programs are ranked No. 1 nationally this week, as Illinois Wesleyan University women's volleyball and Wheaton College football each earned the top spot in their respective national polls for the first time in program history.
Illinois Wesleyan moved to No. 1 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III poll released Tuesday, Oct. 13, receiving 1,868 points and 51 first-place votes. The ranking marks a program high for the Titans, surpassing their previous best of No. 2.
The Titans (16-1, 5-0 CCIW) have won nine consecutive matches, including a victory over a nationally ranked opponent, and have recorded three straight sweeps. Illinois Wesleyan picked up two conference wins last week over Elmhurst and Augustana, holding its opponents to a combined .039 hitting percentage.
On the football side, Wheaton earned the No. 1 ranking in both the D3football.com and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Top 25 polls following its 13-10 victory over previously top-ranked North Central College on Saturday, Oct. 10, in the Battle for the Little Brass Bell.
The Thunder, previously ranked No. 2 in both polls, received 1,320 points and 50 of 53 first-place votes in the AFCA poll, becoming the 10th program to hold the No. 1 ranking since the poll's inception in 1999.
Wheaton also moved into the top spot in the D3football.com poll with 620 points, becoming the ninth program to reach No. 1 since the poll began in 2003.
North Central remains among the nation's top five following Saturday's matchup, checking in at No. 3 in the D3football.com poll and No. 4 in the AFCA poll.
Wheaton returns home Saturday, Oct. 17, to host Carroll University at 1 p.m., while Illinois Wesleyan travels to Stevens Point, Wis., for its matchup with No. 2 Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Other programs across the CCIW have also earned recognition in their respective national rankings. North Park University men’s soccer, Illinois Wesleyan football and Carthage College women’s volleyball have each received votes in their respective national polls.
North Central College men’s cross country is ranked No. 11 nationally in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll, while Illinois Wesleyan men’s golf holds the No. 6 spot in the Bushnell/Golfweek Division III Coaches Poll. Illinois Wesleyan women’s golf also earned a No. 18 national ranking in the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) poll released Sept. 25.
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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.).