NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- The Illinois Wesleyan men's team was picked to finish fifth in the 2018 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men's cross country championships according to the conference's annual coaches' poll announced Thursday, Oct. 18.

The poll predicted how each team would finish when the conference's nine programs compete at the 2018 CCIW Cross Country Championships held Saturday, October 27 at St. James Farm in Warrenville, Illinois.

The North Central Cardinals won the poll with 64 points and eight first place votes as they enter next weekend's championship having won 51 conference titles in program history. Additionally, North Central has won 44-straight CCIW Men's Cross Country Championships dating back to 1974 and is an 18-time national champion including back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.

Augustana was second in the poll with 53 points, followed by Wheaton in third with 52 points and one first place vote. Carthage (40 points), Illinois Wesleyan (35 points), Carroll (32 points), Millikin (22 points), Elmhurst (17 points), and North Park (9 points) rounded out the poll. 

Voting is done by the CCIW's head cross country coaches. Each coach votes for the eight other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (eight points for first, seven for second, etc.). Coaches do not vote for their own teams.

For information on the 2018 CCIW Cross Country Championships, be sure to visit the event page. For a list of past CCIW champions, visit the conference's cross country history page.

Following the conference championship, CCIW teams will take part in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional on Saturday, November 10 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The 2019 NCAA Division III Championships will take place on Saturday, November 17 at the Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wisconsin. 

2018 CCIW Men's Cross Country Championship Coaches' Poll
 

Rank	Institution	Points (1st Pl. Votes)
1	North Central	64 (8)
2	Augustana	53
3	Wheaton	52 (1)
4	Carthage	40
5	Illinois Wesleyan	35
6	Carroll	32
7	Millikin	22
8	Elmhurst	17
9	North Park	9

2017 CCIW Men's Cross Country Championship Standings
 

Place	Institution	Score
1	North Central	15
2	Augustana	74
3	Wheaton	88
4	Carthage	93
5	Illinois Wesleyan	120
6	Elmhurst	219
7	Millikin	228
8	Carroll	249
9	North Park	369

The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carroll University (Waukesha, WI), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). During the 2017-18 academic year, the CCIW honored over 2,100 academic all-conference recipients, 15 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 28 CoSIDA Academic All-District recipients, and over 100 all-Americans.