ATLANTA – The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team appeared in both national polls released Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 28-29. The Titans are 20th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coaches Poll and are receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top-25. The Green and White enter the 2026-27 season with a retooled roster, with 14 of 18 on the roster underclassmen.
IWU is ranked 20th in the WBCA rendition of the top-25, garnering 57 points. The reigning national champion, Denison, tops the poll with nine first-place votes and 240 points. NYU, which hauled in the other top-spot nod, is second with 236 points. Bates sits third (192), while Scranton and UW-Oshkosh are tied for fourth with 190 points apiece. College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Carroll is slotted 24th.
Illinois Wesleyan tips off the season in Holland, Mich., Friday-Saturday, Nov. 6-7, as part of the Hope Tipoff Tournament. IWU will tangle with Ohio Wesleyan University Friday, Nov. 6 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Titans will then face either Hope or UW-Platteville Saturday, Nov. 7.
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WBCA 2026-27 preseason poll
| Rank | School (Record) | Points | Last season's final rank | First-Place Votes |
| 1 | Denison (30-2) | 240 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | NYU (29-1) | 236 | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Bates (26-4) | 192 | 6 | 0 |
| 4t | Scranton (32-1) | 190 | 2 | 0 |
| 4t | UW-Oshkosh (28-4) | 190 | 4 | 0 |
| 6 | Smith (28-2) | 186 | 10 | 0 |
| 7 | Johns Hopkins (27-2) | 184 | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | Hope (26-4) | 169 | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | Bowdoin (25-3) | 160 | 11 | 0 |
| 10 | Washington-St. Louis (21-7) | 149 | 14 | 0 |
| 11 | Chicago (20-8) | 144 | 9 | 0 |
| 12 | Washington and Lee (31-1) | 138 | 5 | 0 |
| 13 | Christopher Newport (24-5) | 125 | 16 | 0 |
| 14 | Baldwin-Wallace (25-4) | 118 | 15 | 0 |
| 15 | John Carroll (26-5) | 101 | 12 | 0 |
| 16 | Concordia-Moorhead (26-5) | 74 | 13 | 0 |
| 17 | Ohio Wesleyan (21-6) | 70 | 21 | 0 |
| 18 | Hardin-Simmons (24-6) | 59 | 24t | 0 |
| 19 | UW-La Crosse (21-10) | 58 | 18 | 0 |
| 20 | Illinois Wesleyan (23-6) | 57 | 20 | 0 |
| 21 | Ripon (26-3) | 56 | 17 | 0 |
| 22 | Southern Maine (27-3) | 53 | 19 | 0 |
| 23 | Trine (23-6) | 50 | 24t | 0 |
| 24 | Carroll (WI) (23-6) | 33 | 22 | 0 |
| 25 | UW-Whitewater (20-9) | 30 | RV | 0 |
Dropped out: No. 23 Bethel, MN (24-7).
Others receiving votes: SUNY- Cortland (23-5) 23; Bethel (MN) (24-7) 22; William Paterson (25-3) 21; Wisconsin Lutheran (24-6) 18; Otterbein (23-6) 17; Transylvania (24-5) 17; Whitman (21-8) 17; Brooklyn (24-5) 13; Johnson & Wales (23-5) 9; SUNY-New Paltz (26-3) 7; Gettysburg (21-7) 6; UW-River Falls (16-12) 4; Calvin (16-11) 3; Messiah (24-5) 3; Merchant Marine (23-5) 2; Randolph-Macon (21-8) 2; Rochester Institute (20-7) 2; Washington and Jefferson (22-7) 2.
The WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches Poll Committee is composed of one head coach from each of the 10 NCAA Division III regions. The committee for the 2026-27 season: Keri Carollo, UW-Whitewater; Samantha Crough, Regis (MA); Eric Harrison, Lehman; Jasen Jonus, Oglethorpe; Melissa Kolbe, Wittenberg; Casey Kushiyama, Puget Sound; Bobbi Morgan, Ursinus; Mia Smith, Illinois Wesleyan; Daphne Thompson, SUNY Oneonta; Kelly Thompson, Roger Williams.
D3hoops.com women's Top 25, 2026-27
| # | School (No. 1 votes) | W-L | Pts. |
| 1 | Denison (24) | 30-2 | 624 |
| 2 | New York University (1) | 29-1 | 592 |
| 3 | Scranton | 32-1 | 535 |
| 4 | Hope | 26-4 | 520 |
| 5 | Smith | 28-2 | 514 |
| 6 | UW-Oshkosh | 28-4 | 499 |
| 7 | Washington U. | 21-7 | 467 |
| 8 | Johns Hopkins | 27-2 | 356 |
| 9 | Trine | 23-6 | 345 |
| 10 | Chicago | 20-8 | 337 |
| 11 | Bowdoin | 25-3 | 332 |
| 12 | Christopher Newport | 23-5 | 262 |
| 13 | Concordia-Moorhead | 26-5 | 246 |
| 14 | UW-La Crosse | 21-10 | 243 |
| 15 | Otterbein | 23-6 | 227 |
| 16 | Ripon | 26-3 | 195 |
| 17 | Gettysburg | 21-7 | 170 |
| 18 | Wartburg | 20-7 | 160 |
| 19 | Hardin-Simmons | 24-6 | 158 |
| 20 | Bates | 26-4 | 156 |
| 21 | Baldwin Wallace | 25-4 | 155 |
| 22 | John Carroll | 26-5 | 109 |
| 23 | Washington and Lee | 31-1 | 106 |
| 24 | Ohio Wesleyan | 21-6 | 104 |
| 25 | Carnegie Mellon | 15-10 | 97 |
Others receiving votes: Wisconsin Lutheran 90; Illinois Wesleyan 87; UW-Whitewater 71; Emory 66; Bethel 42; Gustavus Adolphus 38; St. Mary's (Minn.) 37; Cortland 31; Calvin 29; Southern Maine 24; Carroll 21; Coe 17; Messiah 12; Johnson and Wales 11; Merchant Marine 9; UW-Eau Claire 9; William Paterson 9; DePauw 7; UW-River Falls 3; Washington and Jefferson 2; Emmanuel 1; Millsaps 1; Randolph-Macon 1.
