2000 PRESEASON WOMEN'S SOCCER POLL

ROCK ISLAND, Illinois - Head coach Pete Felske and the Wheaton Crusaders have been perfect in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin women's soccer wars ever since the league began sponsoring the sport in 1995. According to a vote of the league coaches in the annual preseason poll, things don't figure to change much this year. Not only has Wheaton claimed all five CCIW titles in 1995, but also the Crusaders have yet to lose a league game. They head into the 2000 season with a 33 game conference winning streak intact.

Wheaton, which was 19-3-1 and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III playoffs in 1999, received seven first place votes and 49 points to outdistance Elmhurst in the poll. The Bluejays were 10-8-2 overall in 1999 but finished a fine 6-1 in the league with the lone loss coming at the hands of Wheaton. Elmhurst, under the direction of head coach David DiTomasso, picked up 43 points and one first place vote.

Augustana, which boasts the leading scorer in NCAA Division III from a year ago in the person of senior Cherie Peterson, was tabbed for third with 30 points. Carthage was fourth with 28 and Illinois Wesleyan was fifth with 25. North Park checked in at sixth with 23 points while North Central was seventh with 17 and Millikin eighth with nine.

Each coach votes for the seven other schools in the league but is not allowed to vote for his or her own team.

2000 CCIW PRESEASON COACHES POLL

(First place votes in parenthesis)

49. Wheaton (7)
43. Elmhurst (1)
30. Augustana
28. Carthage
25. Illinois Wesleyan
23. North Park
17. North Central
09. Millikin

FINAL 1999 CCIW WOMEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS