National Titles List | Conference Titles List | Academic All-Americans
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) enters 2025-26 as its 80th season of competition, 40th for women’s sports.
CCIW schools have accounted for 60 national championships in NCAA Division III competition, including 19 in men’s cross country, seven in football, six in men’s basketball, six in men’s outdoor track & field, six in men's indoor track & field, three in women's soccer, three in women's outdoor track & field, two in women's basketball, men's volleyball, men’s soccer and men's golf, and one each in baseball and women's indoor track & field.
Wheaton College won a men’s basketball title under the NCAA College Division in 1957, while North Central College won four National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics titles in men’s swimming (1958, 1961, 1962, 1963), four USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in women's triathlon (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) and a National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship (2023).
Additionally, Elmhurst University won a pair of NCAA Division III Volleyball Championships (1983 and 1985), and North Central College won a women’s basketball title (1983) before the conference began sponsorship of women’s athletics in 1986-87.
The conference was formed with nine charter members (Augustana, Carthage, Elmhurst, Illinois College, Illinois Wesleyan, Lake Forest, Millikin, North Central and Wheaton) on April 26, 1946, in Jacksonville, Illinois, and opened competition in the 1946-47 academic year as the College Conference of Illinois. In 1967, the name was changed to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, to recognize Carthage, which moved to Kenosha, Wis., in 1962 and Carroll, which entered the conference in 1955.
The CCIW sponsors 26 sports, including baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, men's and women's volleyball, softball, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor track & field, men’s and women’s outdoor track & field, men's and women's wrestling and women's bowling.
CCIW membership has experienced several changes since its inception. After Carthage left in 1952, Illinois College withdrew the following year. Elmhurst and Wheaton withdrew following the 1959-60 academic year. Wheaton rejoined for all sports but football in 1967 and for football in 1970. Elmhurst rejoined in the fall of 1967 for all sports but football and for football in the 1968 season. Carroll joined during the 1955 spring sports season. Carthage returned in the fall of 1961 and North Park entered the following fall. Lake Forest dropped out at the end of the 1962-63 academic year. The last member to leave the CCIW was Carroll following the 1991-92 academic year, but returned to the CCIW as a full member in 2016-17.
In 2015, Concordia University Wisconsin, located in Mequon, Wisconsin and the Milwaukee School of Engineering, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, joined the CCIW as associate members for men's wrestling and began competition in the fall of 2016.
Washington University in St. Louis began competing as an associate member in football beginning in 2018. Loras College, located in Dubuque, Iowa, joined as associate members for the conference's inaugural men's volleyball season in 2019-20.
In 2020, Aurora University, located in Aurora, Illinois and Marian University, located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin joined as associate members for the conference's inaugural women's bowling season in 2020-21. The CCIW is just the second NCAA Division III conference to sponsor women's bowling and the only one in the Midwest.
The CCIW began sponsoring women’s wrestling in 2022-23 as the league’s 26th sport, becoming the first NCAA Division III conference to sponsor women’s wrestling. Aurora and MSOE participate in the sport as associate members.
Now nine core members and eight associate members strong, the CCIW continues its tradition of athletic and academic excellence.