NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- North Central was picked to win the 2012 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) softball title in a poll conducted Wednesday.
The Cardinals (26-14, 9-5) placed first in the poll with 47 points including six first place votes after advancing to the NCAA Regional last season.
Carthage (23-17, 10-4) placed second in the poll with 38 points and two first place votes. Defending CCIW champion Millikin (23-15, 11-3) finished third with 34 points while Illinois Wesleyan (21-15, 6-8) was fourth with 33 points.
Augustana (19-19, 5-9) was fifth with 25 points, followed by Wheaton (23-17, 7-7) (23 points), Elmhurst (15-23, 7-7) (17 points) and North Park (17-19, 1-13) (7 points).
Voting is done by the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin's head softball coaches. Each coach votes for the seven other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (seven points for first, six for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.
2012 CCIW Softball Poll
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
First Place
Votes |
| 1 |
North Central |
47 |
6 |
| 2 |
Carthage |
38 |
2 |
| 3 |
Millikin |
34 |
|
| 4 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
33 |
|
| 5 |
Augustana |
25 |
|
| 6 |
Wheaton |
23 |
|
| 7 |
Elmhurst |
17 |
|
| 8 |
North Park |
7 |
|