Contact: Sam Fretto, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu

CCIW Preseason Coaches Poll

(Oct. 29, 2025)- The North Central College men's wrestling team has been picked to win the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) for a third year in a row following a coaches' poll release on Wednesday. In the poll, North Central got nine of the 10 possible first-place votes. Entering the new year, the are also Cardinals are ranked 10th according to the National Wrestling Coaches' Association preseason poll. 

The Cardinals enjoyed a successful 2024-25 season where they won the conference outright, finishing 7-0 in conference duals, extending their CCIW duals win streak to 57 in the process, and winning their 11th conference tournament.

At the CCIW Tournament, North Central won six of the 10 weight classes, with Chip Guzman (125 pounds) and Casey Aikman (197 pounds) being the reigning conference champions of their weight classes. Ethan Spacht (133 pounds) and Kenny Siwicki (149 pounds) both reached their first-place matches at the tournament but came up short, earning second place. Luke Christie (157 pounds) and PT Schoolman (174 pounds) both battled to earn a top three spot in their weight class. 

The rest of the poll has Millikin University in second, with the other first-place vote, the Milwaukee School of Engineering at three, Aurora University at four, and Elmhurst University placed fifth. Augustana College, Carthage College, Wheaton College, Concordia University of Wisconsin, and Illinois Wesleyan University round out the sixth through 10th spots. 

North Central begins the season in Stevens Point, Wis., for the Pointer Open on Saturday, Nov. 1. The wrestlers hit the mat at 9 a.m. from Skyward Fieldhouse.