McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's golf team, currently ranked No. 12 nationally, is preparing to compete in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship from October 6-8 at Metamora Fields Golf Club in Metamora, Illinois. The tournament will be played over 54 holes on a par-71 course measuring 5,793 yards. This marks the third consecutive year that Metamora Fields has hosted the championship.

According to the CCIW's pre-championship coaches' poll released Friday, Illinois Wesleyan leads the rankings with eight first-place votes and a total of 64 points. Carthage follows in second place with one first-place vote and 53 points. Augustana is ranked third with 46 points, while North Central and Millikin round out the top five with 41 and 36 points respectively. Elmhurst, Carroll, Wheaton, and North Park complete the nine-team field.

Illinois Wesleyan will be represented by senior Brooke Erhard, juniors Emily Gastrau and Nora Cerroni, sophomores Gigi Zera and Grace Fagan, and freshman Julia Henry at this year's championship. Zera and Cerroni return as members of last season’s conference championship team; Erhard, Gastrau, Fagan, and Henry are set to make their CCIW Championship debuts.

Last year, Illinois Wesleyan secured its third consecutive league title by defeating Elmhurst by a record margin of 67 strokes—setting a new standard for victory margin in CCIW history. Macy Ludwig won the individual title after leading from start to finish with a record-low score of 216 over three rounds. All six Titans golfers earned all-conference honors last season; Zera finished third and Cerroni sixth in their debut appearances at the league championship.

The opening round of this year's CCIW Championship begins Monday morning at 9 a.m., with Illinois Wesleyan teeing off alongside Elmhurst and North Central. Live scoring will be available via Scoreboard powered by Clippd.