BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's and women's cross country teams travel to Rock Island, Ill. for the second time this season as Augustana College hosts the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships, Saturday, Nov. 1 at Saukie Golf Course. The men's 8k race is slated to begin at 12 p.m. with the women's race to follow at 12:45 p.m. 

The IWU women's team was predicted, for the third year in a row, to earn runner-up honors, as announced in the CCIW Pre-Championship Coaches Poll released Thursday, Oct. 30. The Titans tallied 57 points and two first-place votes as the Green and White search for its first CCIW Championship since 2012. Defending league champions Wheaton topped the poll, garnering 63 points and seven first-place nods. Elmhurst claimed the third position with 49 points, as North Central (33 points) and Millikin (33 points) rounded out the top-five. 

The Titans and Thunder have remained close all season in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association regional rankings. IWU ranks 10th in the Midwest region, while Wheaton sits eighth in the latest rankings, released by the organization Oct. 21. 

On the men's side, IWU was picked fifth in the CCIW Pre-Championship Poll, one spot ahead of last season's finish, as the Titans racked up 32 points. North Central, who placed seventh in last year's Division III National Championship, topped the poll unanimously with eight first-place votes and 64 points. Carthage garnered 56 points and one first-place vote in the runner-up position, while Wheaton (51 points) and Millikin (39 points) claimed third and fourth place, respectively.

The 2023 individual CCIW Champion, senior Adriana Crabtree (Normal, Ill.-University High) looks to become the first Titan to be a multi-time winner of the event. Earning third-place in the championship a season ago, Crabtree has set herself apart in her senior campaign. Crabtree set a program record time of 21:32.3 at the Redbird Invite Friday Sept. 12, has won three events this season, and earned CCIW Runner of the Week honors five times. 

Crabtree is supported by fellow senior Brooke Nazos (Batavia, Ill.-Batavia) and sophomore Maddie Morgan (Glen Ellyn, Ill.-Glenbard West), who each earned Second Team All-CCIW honors last season. Freshman Alexia Spatz (Spring Grove, Ill.-Richmond Burton) is set to make her CCIW Championship debut, as she has consistently been one of the Titans top-three finishers this season. 

Senior Zack Daniel (Lake Barrington, Ill.-Barrington) has fond memories from the site of the CCIW Championships, as he clocked a career-best 26:26.8 at the Interregional Invitational, Oct. 18 and earned a top-25 finish. Fellow senior Seth Hamerski (Mount Vernon, Ill.-Webber) is the top returner from last season's CCIW Championship meet, as he claimed 36th-place. IWU looks to add another All-CCIW finisher to its tally, as Nick Fisch was the lone Titan men's runner to earn all-conference honors last season. 

Live results from Rock Island, Ill. will be provided and can be accessed here. Official results from the meet will be posted on the cross country page of iwusports.com upon the conclusion of all races. 


2025 CCIW Men's Cross Country Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll
1. North Central (8 first-place votes), 64 points
2. Carthage (1 first-place vote), 56 points
3. Wheaton, 51 points
4. Millikin, 39 points
5. Illinois Wesleyan, 32 points
6. Augustana, 31 points
7. Elmhurst, 24 points
8. Carroll, 19 points
9. North Park, 8 points

2025 CCIW Women's Cross Country Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll
1. Wheaton (7 first-place votes), 63 points
2. Illinois Wesleyan (2 first-place votes), 57 points
3. Elmhurst, 49 points
4. North Central, 38 points
5. Millikin, 33 points
6. Carthage, 32 points
7. Augustana, 28 points
8. Carroll, 16 points
9. North Park, 8 points