McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University women's golf team won its fourth consecutive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship on Wednesday, October 8, at Metamora Fields Golf Club. The Titans finished with a final round score of 303, winning by a margin of 43 strokes over North Central College. This victory marks the program's 20th all-time CCIW championship.

Junior Emily Gastrau led the tournament from start to finish and claimed the individual title with a career-best total score of 222 over 54 holes. Gastrau is now the fourth consecutive Titan to win medalist honors at the CCIW Championship, following Macy Ludwig in 2024, Emma Thorman in 2023, and Lexi Onsrud in 2022.

Gastrau was joined by four teammates—freshman Julia Henry, sophomore Gigi Zera, junior Nora Cerroni, and junior Grace Fagan—in finishing among the top eight individually. All five earned All-CCIW First Team honors. Zera and Henry tied for third place with scores of 227. In her first CCIW Championship appearance, Henry also tied Fagan for Illinois Wesleyan's best round of the day at four-over-par 75.

Cerroni improved on her previous season's result to tie for fifth place with a total score of 228. Fagan placed eighth in her debut at the championship.

Both Gastrau and Fagan received the CCIW Elite 26 Award, which recognizes all-conference student-athletes with the highest grade point average. Gastrau is majoring in finance while Fagan studies psychology and Hispanic studies; both have maintained a GPA of 4.00. According to the university, an Illinois Wesleyan player has received this distinction every year since its inception in 2021.

Senior Brooke Erhard was named as Illinois Wesleyan’s recipient of the CCIW RESPECT Award.

By securing first place at this event, Illinois Wesleyan earned an automatic bid to compete in the NCAA Division III National Championship scheduled for May 19-22, 2026 at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, California.

The team will conclude its fall season at the Golfweek October Classic held at Sandestin Golf Resort in Miramar Beach, Florida from October 12-14.