CCIW Release

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - As the Illinois Wesleyan University men's cross country team prepares for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin meet, the conference announced its annual Pre-Championship Coaches Poll, Oct. 26. The Titans were picked to finish seventh with 21 points. Elmhurst University will serve as the hosts for the championship that is set for Saturday, Oct. 29 at St. James Forest Preserve in Warrenville, Ill. Directions to the preserve can be found by clicking here. The Green and White will tackle the 8k course with a start time of 12:45 p.m. The "open" race will be ran at 2:15 p.m., right after the women's "open" competition. 

North Central, who received eight first-place votes, topped the list with 64 points. Millikin (one first-place vote) received 57 points, while Carthage (49 points) rounds out the top three. Wheaton (42 points), Augustana (34 points), and Carroll (33 points) earned the fourth-sixth positions, respectively. To complete the rankings, Elmhurst secured 16 points, while North Park notched eight. 

1. North Central (8 first-place votes), 64 points
2. Millikin (1 first-place vote), 57 points
3. Carthage, 49 points
4. Wheaton, 42 points
5. Augustana, 34 points
6. Carroll, 33 points
7. Illinois Wesleyan, 21 points
8. Elmhurst, 16 points
9. North Park, 8 points

In 2021, North Central took home the CCIW crown by securing 18 points, while Augustana earned a second place nod with 75 points.

Each institution is allowed to have up to 10 runners in the varsity race, for a maximum field of 90 athletes. However, only five times from each school will be recorded and counted towards the team score. The top 10 finishers will be named to the first-team All-CCIW, while the 11-20 place runners will be a part of the second All-CCIW team. 

Senior J.D. Barrett (Tuscola, Ill.-Tuscola) assembled a solid performance at the team's most recent meet at the Augustana Interregional Invitational, Oct. 15. Barrett secured a time of 25:56.0, which gave him the 20th-fastest 8k mark in Illinois Wesleyan University history. 

In the conference rankings, the North Central men's team currently owns nine of the fastest 10 marks this season for the 8k distance. Connor Riss sits at the top of the list with his time of 23:49.2 that was produced at the Augustana Invite on Oct. 15.

Results from the meet will be posted to IWUsports.com upon the conclusion of both races.

To stay up-to-date on all things IWU cross country be sure to follow the team on social media @IWU_XCTF on Twitter and @IllinoisWesleyanXCTF on Instagram.