McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's cross country team is gearing up for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) championship meet. According to the Pre-Championship Coaches Poll released on October 26, the Titans are predicted to finish in seventh place with 21 points. Elmhurst University will host the event on Saturday, October 29, at St. James Forest Preserve in Warrenville, Illinois.

North Central College leads the poll with eight first-place votes and a total of 64 points. Millikin University follows with one first-place vote and 57 points, while Carthage College rounds out the top three with 49 points. The remaining rankings include Wheaton College (42 points), Augustana College (34 points), Carroll University (33 points), Elmhurst University (16 points), and North Park University (8 points).

"North Central received eight first-place votes," as noted in the poll results. In last year's championship, North Central claimed victory with 18 points, while Augustana finished second with 75 points.

The varsity race will feature up to ten runners from each institution, creating a potential field of 90 athletes. Only five times per school will count towards their team score. The top ten finishers will earn spots on the first-team All-CCIW, and those placing between eleventh and twentieth will be named to the second All-CCIW team.

Senior J.D. Barrett from Tuscola secured a time of 25:56.0 at the recent Augustana Interregional Invitational on October 15, marking it as one of the fastest times in Illinois Wesleyan University's history.

In conference rankings this season for the men's 8k distance, North Central holds nine of the ten fastest times. Connor Riss achieved the leading time of 23:49.2 at the Augustana Invite.

Results from Saturday's meet will be available on IWUsports.com after both races conclude.

For more updates on IWU cross country events, follow them on Twitter @IWU_XCTF and Instagram @IllinoisWesleyanXCTF.