McLean County Times

Illinois Wesleyan University's men's track and field team has tied for second place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Pre-Championships coaches' poll. Both Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana garnered 53 points in the poll, with Augustana securing one first-place vote. The CCIW Championships will occur on May 2-3 at Naperville's North Central College.

Leading the poll is North Central College, which received 64 points and all eight available first-place votes. Carthage, Millikin, Wheaton, North Park, Elmhurst, and Carroll followed in subsequent positions.

The Illinois Wesleyan team aims to follow up on their runner-up finish at the 2025 indoor championships, where they achieved the highest point total in their history. Juniors Evan Lowder and Reece Dusek are noteworthy competitors, ranking first in the 4x400 meter relay team along with their teammates Carson Green and Alex Harvey. Lowder holds the conference's fastest 400m time, 47.30 seconds, and ranks 13th in Division III.

In field events, Matt Lindberg and Nick Walker share the third spot in high jump standings, and junior Isaac Whitaker and Jahari Scott hold the third positions in pole vault and long jump respectively.

The 4x100m team, which includes Nyamedze Maison, Cole Marshall, Muhammad Freeman, and Joe Freedman, posted the third-fastest CCIW time earlier in the season at 42.09 seconds.

The CCIW Championships will be held at the Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium on Friday and Saturday, with events starting at 10 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., respectively. Admission is set at $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, students, and children aged 6-14, while children under 5 and CCIW institution students with ID enter free.