Official CCIW Release
 
NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin announced Thursday, on the eve of the Red Men returning to campus for preseason camp, that the Carthage College football team has been picked by the CCIW head coaches in the preseason poll to tie for third in 2017.
 
After dropping the head-to-head matchup a year ago, the Red Men find themselves tied for third in the preseason poll with Illinois Wesleyan University as they both received 46 points.  Carthage improved by two games for the third-straight year a season ago with a 7-3 overall record and 5-3 record in the CCIW.
 
Despite a second place finish a season ago, the Wheaton College Thunder received the nod as favorites this season with 61 points and five first place votes, narrowly edging out the 2016 CCIW champion North Central College, who received 60 points and four first place votes.
 
Now entering his fifth full season, head coach Mike Yeager will see a lot of experience return in 2017 with a trio all-conference honorees on both sides of the ball.  Defensively, Carthage returns Pete Laughlin, Connor Calvert and Cedrick Fry, while the offense brings back James Cobbs, Isaiah Trussell and Chris Goldschmidt.
 
Behind Carthage the rest of the CCIW finished with Elmhurst in fifth with 31 points, Augustana in sixth with 29 points, Millikin in seventh with 27 points, North Park in eighth with 14 points and Carroll in ninth with 10.
 
The Red Men will open 2017 with a pair of home-and-home return games as Carthage visits Aurora University for the season opener on September 2^nd before returning to the new Art Keller Field for their home opener against Bethel University on September 9^th.