NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Wheaton College was selected as the 2026 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin women’s tennis preseason favorite in a poll voted on by the league’s nine head coaches. The Thunder received all eight possible first-place votes, totaling 64 points.

Wheaton enters the 2026 regular season following a strong showing at the CCIW Women’s Tennis Tournament last spring. The Thunder defeated 2025 regular season champion North Central College, 4-1, to earn the conference’s automatic qualifying bid. Wheaton is led by ten-time Coach of the Year Jane Nelson, who enters their 41st year at the helm of the Thunder tennis program. Returning in 2026 for Wheaton is All-Conference honoree Tatum Thurstone, who looks to follow up on a strong junior season by leading Wheaton to its 24th CCIW title while making a strong postseason run. 

Led by first-year head coach Mike Strydom, Augustana College was picked to finish second overall with 55 points and one first-place vote. The Vikings finished tied for third last year with Carthage College in the regular season standings with a record of 5-3. Augustana returns All-CCIW honoree Maripaz Ramirez and welcomes a pair of first-year student-athletes to look out for in Estefi Casillas and Analia Parmano as the Vikings make a push for the conference title. 

Carthage and North Park University are tied for the third spot in the rankings, each totaling 42 points. Head coach Brady Lindsley enters his 30th year leading the Firebirds. The three-time Coach of the Year and his squad look to return to the top of the conference and capture their first CCIW Women’s Tennis Regular Season Championship since 2004.

North Park is led by second-year head coach Alice Copland and returns All-CCIW honoree Alexandra Pugachova. The Vikings finished sixth in the regular season standings last season after sharing the title in 2024 and finishing as the conference tournament runner-up, but look to return to the top of the rankings this fall. 

The 2025 regular season champion, North Central, was selected to finish fifth. Second-year head coach Joey Leto returns a core of three seniors: Kate Herlihy, Meghan McSweeney and Anais Gerard. The Cardinals ended last season with a runner-up finish at the conference tournament but look to challenge their preseason ranking, return to the top of the standings and position themselves for another strong postseason showing. 

Carroll was selected to finish sixth with 30 points. Head coach Craig Mours, in his 18th season, returns a pair of All-CCIW honorees in Natasa Pupovac and Katherine Trifilio. After going 4-4 in conference play and earning a fifth-place tournament finish last season, the Pioneers look to take another step forward and establish themselves as a contender in 2026.

Just one point behind Carroll and projected to finish seventh is Illinois Wesleyan University. The Titans are led by fifth-year head coach Jason Van Heuklon and return All-CCIW honoree Amber Ehrlich along with an experienced group of seven players who competed in the majority of possible matches last season. With that experience returning, Illinois Wesleyan looks to outperform its preseason ranking and climb the conference standings in 2026.

Millikin University earned 17 points for a projected eighth-place finish. Head coach Connor Barnard enters his first season leading the Big Blue and looks to build momentum with a young squad throughout their upcoming campaign.

Elmhurst University earned eight points for a projected ninth-place finish. Led by second-year head coach Max O'Malley, the Blue Jays look to continue building positively and challenge their preseason ranking in 2026.

The season officially got underway earlier this week, but conference action continues this Saturday with Carroll hosting North Central and Wheaton hosting Elmhurst.

Projected Place	Team	Points	Votes for First	Votes for Second	Votes for Third
1	Wheaton	64	8	-	-
2	Augustana	55	1	5	2
T3	Carthage	42	-	-	3
T3	North Park	42	-	2	2
5	North Central	37	-	2	1
6	Carroll	30	-	-	1
7	Illinois Wesleyan	29	-	-	-
8	Millikin	17	-	-	-
9	Elmhurst	8	-	-	-

 

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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.).