2002 PRESEASON WOMEN'S SOCCER POLL

ROCK ISLAND, Illinois - Last year the Wheaton College Thunder lost a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin women's soccer game for the first time in history, by a score of 1-0 to Elmhurst on October 2. The loss did not prevent Pete Felske's team from winning a seventh consecutive league title, actually a tie with Carthage, and the conference coaches think that the Thunder are once again the team to beat.

In 2002 Wheaton posted a 6-1 record in the CCIW and went 19-3 overall en route to advancing all the way to the NCAA Division III semi-finals before falling to Amherst 1-0.

The conference coaches placed the Thunder in first place on every ballot in the annual pre-season poll for a perfect 49 points (coaches do not vote for their own teams). Illinois Wesleyan, which went 5-2 in the CCIW and 14-4 overall, was picked for second with 41 points and the Titans had the lone first place vote that did not go to Wheaton. Elmhurst (5-2; 13-6) and Carthage (6-1; 17-2) were locked in a tight battle for third with the Bluejays tipping the Lady Reds 36 to 34. Augustana, 3-4 and 10-10 in 2001, was tabbed for fifth place with 23 points. Millikin (1-6; 5-14-1) and North Park (1-6; 5-12-1) tied for sixth with 15 points and North Central (1-6; 6-13) was eighth with 11.

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

2002 CCIW PRESEASON COACHES POLL

(First place votes in parenthesis)

49. Wheaton (7)
41. Illinois Wesleyan (1)
36. Elmhurst
34. Carthage
23. Augustana
15. North Park
15. Millikin
11. North Central

2001 COLLEGE CONFERENCE OF ILLINOIS & WISCONSIN FINAL WOMEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS