NAPERVILLE - The Carthage women's cross country team has been selected to finish sixth in the 2025 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Pre-Championship Poll, the league announced Thursday. The CCIW Championships are set for Saturday, November 1, in Rock Island, Illinois, hosted by Augustana College.
POLL RESULTS
1. Wheaton (7 first-place votes) - 63 points
2. Illinois Wesleyan (2 first-place votes) - 57 points
3. Elmhurst - 49 points
4. North Central - 38 points
5. Millikin - 33 points
6. Carthage - 32 points
7. Augustana - 28 points
8. Carroll - 16 points
9. North Park - 8 points
The Firebirds head into this year's CCIW Championships following a season of consistent pack running, with the top five finishing within just over a minute and a half of one another. Carthage will look to build on that pack strength and improved depth through the middle of the lineup—two key elements that could help the Firebirds climb the standings. A promising first-year class adds additional upside as the team aims to make a strong postseason push.
Returning to the championships, Kylie Florance,
Jessie Pakaski, and
Virginia Litwiller continue to anchor the lineup. Florence, a junior from Gurnee, Illinois, has consistently finished within the Firebirds' top five, posting a season-best time of 24:06.3 at the Interregional Invitational (Oct. 18). Pakaski, a senior from Wauconda, Illinois, has regularly led the Firebirds throughout the fall and recorded a season-best time of 23:55.5 at the Gill Dodds Invitational. Litwiller, a sophomore from Berne, Indiana, has emerged as a key returner and notched a personal record of 25:29.4 on the challenging UW-Eau Claire course at the Blugold Invitational.
Making first-time championship appearances, Natalie Forward and Camryn Lau have added valuable depth to the roster. Forward, a freshman from Gurnee, Illinois, recorded a season-best 24:58.1 at the Interregional Invitational, while Lau, a freshman from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, ran a season-best 24:03.2 at the Gill Dodds Invitational.
With steady improvement throughout the season and a balanced mix of veteran leadership and emerging first-year talent, Carthage enters the CCIW Championships poised to make an impact. The squad is set to toe the line at 12:45 p.m. at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Illinois.
