ATLANTA - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team appeared in both national polls released Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 28-29. The Titans are 20th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coaches Poll and are receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top-25. The Green and White enter the 2026-27 season with a retooled roster, with 14 of 18 on the roster underclassmen.
IWU is ranked 20th in the WBCA rendition of the top-25, garnering 57 points. The reigning national champion, Denison, tops the poll with nine first-place votes and 240 points. NYU, which hauled in the other top-spot nod, is second with 236 points. Bates sits third (192), while Scranton and UW-Oshkosh are tied for fourth with 190 points apiece. College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Carroll is slotted 24th.
Illinois Wesleyan tips off the season in Holland, Mich. Friday-Saturday, Nov. 6-7, as part of the Hope Tipoff Tournament. IWU will tangle with Ohio Wesleyan University Friday, Nov. 6 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Titans will then face either Hope or UW-Platteville Saturday, Nov. 7.
WBCA 2026-27 Preseason Poll
|
Rank
|
School (Record)
|
Points
|
Last season's final rank
|
First-Place Votes
|
|
1
|
Denison (30-2)
|
240
|
1
|
9
|
|
2
|
NYU (29-1)
|
236
|
3
|
1
|
|
3
|
Bates (26-4)
|
192
|
6
|
0
|
|
4t
|
Scranton (32-1)
|
190
|
2
|
0
|
|
4t
|
UW-Oshkosh (28-4)
|
190
|
4
|
0
|
|
6
|
Smith (28-2)
|
186
|
10
|
0
|
|
7
|
Johns Hopkins (27-2)
|
184
|
7
|
0
|
|
8
|
Hope (26-4)
|
169
|
8
|
0
|
|
9
|
Bowdoin (25-3)
|
160
|
11
|
0
|
|
10
|
Washington-St. Louis (21-7)
|
149
|
14
|
0
|
|
11
|
Chicago (20-8)
|
144
|
9
|
0
|
|
12
|
Washington and Lee (31-1)
|
138
|
5
|
0
|
|
13
|
Christopher Newport (24-5)
|
125
|
16
|
0
|
|
14
|
Baldwin-Wallace (25-4)
|
118
|
15
|
0
|
|
15
|
John Carroll (26-5)
|
101
|
12
|
0
|
|
16
|
Concordia-Moorhead (26-5)
|
74
|
13
|
0
|
|
17
|
Ohio Wesleyan (21-6)
|
70
|
21
|
0
|
|
18
|
Hardin-Simmons (24-6)
|
59
|
24t
|
0
|
|
19
|
UW-La Crosse (21-10)
|
58
|
18
|
0
|
|
20
|
Illinois Wesleyan (23-6)
|
57
|
20
|
0
|
|
21
|
Ripon (26-3)
|
56
|
17
|
0
|
|
22
|
Southern Maine (27-3)
|
53
|
19
|
0
|
|
23
|
Trine (23-6)
|
50
|
24t
|
0
|
|
24
|
Carroll (WI) (23-6)
|
33
|
22
|
0
|
|
25
|
UW-Whitewater (20-9)
|
30
|
RV
|
0
|
Dropped Out: No. 23 Bethel, MN (24-7).
Others receiving votes: SUNY- Cortland (23-5) 23; Bethel (MN) (24-7) 22; William Paterson (25-3) 21; Wisconsin Lutheran (24-6) 18; Otterbein (23-6) 17; Transylvania (24-5) 17; Whitman (21-8) 17; Brooklyn (24-5) 13; Johnson & Wales (23-5) 9; SUNY-New Paltz (26-3) 7; Gettysburg (21-7) 6; UW-River Falls (16-12) 4; Calvin (16-11) 3; Messiah (24-5) 3; Merchant Marine (23-5) 2; Randolph-Macon (21-8) 2; Rochester Institute (20-7) 2; Washington and Jefferson (22-7) 2.
The WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches Poll Committee is composed of one head coach from each of the 10 NCAA Division III regions. The committee for the 2026-27 season: Keri Carollo, UW-Whitewater; Samantha Crough, Regis (MA); Eric Harrison, Lehman; Jasen Jonus, Oglethorpe; Melissa Kolbe, Wittenberg; Casey Kushiyama, Puget Sound; Bobbi Morgan, Ursinus; Mia Smith, Illinois Wesleyan; Daphne Thompson, SUNY Oneonta; Kelly Thompson, Roger Williams.
D3hoops.com women's Top 25, 2026-27
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin Lutheran 90; Illinois Wesleyan 87; UW-Whitewater 71; Emory 66; Bethel 42; Gustavus Adolphus 38; St. Mary's (Minn.) 37; Cortland 31; Calvin 29; Southern Maine 24; Carroll 21; Coe 17; Messiah 12; Johnson and Wales 11; Merchant Marine 9; UW-Eau Claire 9; William Paterson 9; DePauw 7; UW-River Falls 3; Washington and Jefferson 2; Emmanuel 1; Millsaps 1; Randolph-Macon 1
The D3hoops.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly. Points are awarded on a 25-24-23-22-etc. basis.
