Illinois Wesleyan 2008-09 Women's Basketball Stories

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Illinois Wesleyan 2008-09 Preseason Information (pdf)

IWU Rankings in 2008-09 National Division III Polls

February 14
The No. 1-nationally ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team claimed its second straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship with a 101-57 decision over Wheaton on Feb. 14 at the Shirk Center. The Titans improved to 22-0 overall and 12-0 in the CCIW behind the 16 points off the bench from sophomore Stacey Arlis, 15 points and nine rebounds from junior Christina Solari, 14 points from senior Mallory Heydorn and 13 points off the bench from freshman Kylie Castans. The Titans shot 57 percent from the field (38 of 67) and made 11 of 27 3-point tries while forcing 28 Thunder turnovers. Wheaton (13-9, 8-3 CCIW) was led by the 18 point effort from Kathleen Fidelia. The Titans will host the CCIW tournament on Friday-Saturday, Feb. 27-28.

February 10
The No. 1-ranked Illinois Wesleyan Titans rolled to their 21st straight victory in a 67-45 win over Millikin at the Shirk Center on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The night was the IWU PinkZone night, helping raise awareness for breast cancer. Sophomore Hope Schulte and senior Mallory Heydorn led Wesleyan with 13 points each while senior Claire Sheehan and junior Christina Solari added 11 apiece. Solari pulled down 10 boards and handed out five assists and Heydorn gave out six assists as IWU improved to 21-0 overall and 11-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The Titans shot only 39 percent in the game (26 of 67) and managed only 10 of 34 3-pointers but overcame a rough shooting night by forcing 27 Big Blue turnovers. Millikin fell to 11-10 overall and 5-5 in the league. The Big Blue were led by the nine point and five rebound effort from Elise Wildman. The Titans will host Wheaton at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14.

February 7
No. 1-ranked Illinois Wesleyan improved to 20-0 and 10-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with a 62-46 win over Carthage on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Kenosha, Wis. Junior Christina Solari scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the win while senior Mallory Heydorn added 11 and sophomore Hope Schulte scored 10. The Titans led the Lady Reds (13-7, 5-4 CCIW) by a 27-23 score at halftime and outscored Carthage, 35-23 in the final 20 minutes. Wesleyan outrebounded Carthage, 45-36, and forced 25 turnovers while committing 17. IWU shot 37 percent from the field (25 of 59) and shot 21 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (four of 19). Wesleyan hosts Millikin (11-9, 5-4 CCIW) at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The Titans were 70-64 winners over the Big Blue in Decatur on Jan. 17.

February 5
Junior Christina Solari has been elected to the first team of the college division all-District V academic women's basketball squad and will join representatives of seven other districts on the ESPN: The Magazine Academic All-America national ballots. Solari has a 3.81 grade-point average as a political science major. She leads the 19-0 Titans with 10.6 rebounds per game and is second on the team with a 14.3 scoring average. Senior guard Claire Sheehan was chosen to the third team all-district squad. She has a 3.72 grade-point average as a biology major and will attend dental school next fall. The all-district teams are chosen by a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. To be considered for the ESPN: The Magazine Academic All-America squads, players must be of at least sophomore standing, have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.3 (of 4.0), and be a starter or first-line reserve.

February 3
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team, ranked No. 1 in both the USA Today/ESPN and D3hoops.com polls, rolled to a 94-49 win over North Park on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at the Shirk Center. The Titans improved to 19-0 overall and 9-0 in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. Senior Claire Sheehan scored 20 points to pace IWU while senior Mallory Heydorn and junior Christina Solari added 11 and sophomore Hope Schulte scored 10. Solari had a game-high 12 rebounds as Wesleyan held a 46-22 rebound edge and forced 24 turnovers by the Vikings (3-15, 0-8 CCIW). Sophomore Sarah Cotner came off the bench to contribute eight points and six rebounds as 13 Titans were in the scoring column. Wesleyan plays next at Carthage in Kenosha, Wis., on Saturday, Feb. 7.

February 2
For the second time this season, Illinois Wesleyan junior center Christina Solari has been named “Player of the Week” for women’s basketball in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. Solari (Park Ridge, Ill., Maine South HS) averaged 20 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in two Illinois Wesleyan wins last week. In a 87-50 win over Elmhurst on Jan. 27, Solari nearly had a triple-double, collecting 13 points with 10 assists and eight rebounds. She made six-of-eight from the field and had two steals. In a 65-55 win at North Central on Jan. 30, Solari scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while handing out three assists. She was 12-of-21 from the floor and made two steals. For the week, she shot .621 from the field (18-of-29), playing an average of 29 minutes per game.

January 31
With the game tied at 53-53 with 8:44 to play, Illinois Wesleyan scored 12 of the last 14 points to post a 65-55 win at North Central on Saturday, Jan. 31 in Naperville, Ill. The No. 1-nationally ranked Titans the 17-0 Titans improved to 18-0 overall and 8-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Junior Christina Solari scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to pace Wesleyan while senior Claire Sheehan and sophomore Hope Schulte each added 10. Wesleyan survived an afternoon when it shot only 36 percent from the floor (26 of 72) and made three of 17 3-pointers but forced 22 Cardinal turnovers. North Central (8-9 overall, 3-4 CCIW) managed a 48-45 rebound advantage in the loss. The Titans play next at home against North Park at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

January 27
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team, ranked No. 1 in both the USA Today/ESPN poll and the D3hoops.com poll, breezed past Elmhurst by an 87-50 score at the Shirk Center on Tuesday, Jan. 27. The win was the 17th straight for IWU, setting a new school record, and the 17-0 Titans improved to 7-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Senior Claire Sheehan scored 16 points and junior Christina Solari had 13 points and 10 assists with eight rebounds. Kylie Castans came off the bench to score 10 points. Wesleyan shot 53 percent from the field (34 of 64) and forced 24 turnovers while limiting the Bluejays to 31 percent shooting from the floor (20 of 65). Elmhurst dropped to 10-7 overall and 3-3 in the league. The Titans play next at North Central at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.

January 26
For the second time this season, Illinois Wesleyan senior guard Claire Sheehan has been named player of the week for women’s basketball in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. Sheehan (St. Charles, Ill., East HS) scored 19 points on seven-of-nine shooting from the field in the Titans’ 109-52 win against Augustana on January 21. She made three-of-five 3-point tries and both of her free throws while tallying four steals and handing out two assists in 22 minutes. In a 79-47 win at Wheaton on January 24, Sheehan had 15 points, four assists, two rebounds and a blocked shot in 28 minutes of playing time. For the week, Sheehan averaged 17 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She also shot 63 percent from the floor (12-of-19), made five-of-11 3-pointers (.455) and all five free throw tries. The No. 1-nationally ranked Titans (16-0 overall, 6-0 CCIW) host Elmhurst (10-6, 3-2 CCIW) at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

January 24
Junior Christina Solari grabbed 18 rebounds and scored 12 points to help the No.1-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team to a 79-47 win at Wheaton on Saturday, Jan. 24. The Titans improved to 16-0 overall and 6-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. The Titans' 16 game winning streak equals a school record set in 2007-08 and Solari's 18 rebounds is second most in an IWU game, behind the record of 19 shared by Debby Brady (vs. Greenville, 1979) and Mary Valitchka (at Benedictine, 1989). Freshman Kylie Castans led IWU with 18 points and senior Claire Sheehan scored 15. Wesleyan outrebounded the Thunder by a 50-38 margin and limited Wheaton (9-7, 4-1 CCIW) to only 29 percent shooting from the field (17 of 59). The loss ended a six-game Wheaton winning streak. The Titans will host Elmhurst next at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

January 21
The No. 1 ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team set a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin record with a 57-point margin of victory in a 109-52 win over Augustana on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at the Shirk Center. The previous record was 56 when Millikin downed Wheaton, 100-44, in 1989 and the school record is 78 when the Titans beat Elms, 105-27, in 2002-03. IWU jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first six minutes en route to the win as senior Mallory Heydorn, coming back from a stress fracture of her femur, made eight 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 24 points while senior Claire Sheehan scored 19 and sophomore Stacey Arlis came off the bench to claim 18 points and a game-high eight rebounds. The Titans (15-0, 5-0 CCIW) forced the Vikings into 37 turnovers and limited Augustana to just 30 percent shooting from the field (14 of 47). The Vikings fell to 2-14 overall, 0-5 CCIW. Illinois Wesleyan will play next at Wheaton (9-6 overall, 4-0 CCIW) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24.

January 17
Trailing by a 53-49 score with 9:47 to play, the Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team went on an 11-2 run to take a 60-55 lead and held on to win, 70-64, over Millikin on Saturday, Jan. 17 in Decatur. The No. 1-ranked Titans, who trailed by 34-30 at the half, improved to 14-0 overall and 4-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while the Big Blue fell to 7-7, 1-2 CCIW. The Titans shot 37 percent from the field (25 of 67) but won the battle of the boards, 41-28, and forced 22 Millikin turnovers while committing only 13. Senior Claire Sheehan scored a game-high 22 points while junior Christina Solari had 10 rebounds and scored eight points. Sophomore Hope Schulte had seven points and nine rebounds in the win. Whitney Schwartz led Millikin with 14 points while Elisa Wildman and Tracie Yantis each had 11. Wesleyan plays next at home against Augustana at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

January 13
Ranked No. 1 in the USA Today/ESPN national Division III poll for the second straight week, the Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team cruised to a 93-48 win at North Park on Tuesday, Jan. 13 in Chicago. Nikki Preston led Wesleyan with 17 points, making 10 of 11 free throw tries, while Claire Sheehan, Christina Solari, Holly Harvey and Stacey Arlis each scored 11. Senior Colleen Caplice had eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds as IWU outrebounded the Vikings, 53-27. The Titans, who jumped out to a 51-21 halftime advantage, improved to 13-0 overall and 3-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while the Vikings fell to 3-9, 0-2 CCIW. Wesleyan plays next at Millikin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17.

January 10
The No. 1-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team posted a 72-48 win over Carthage on Saturday, Jan. 10 at the Shirk Center. The Titans (12-0, 2-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) got game-bests of 16 points and eight rebounds from sophomore Hope Schulte while freshman Kylie Castans came off the bench to score 14. Junior Christina Solari had 10 points and seven rebounds as the Titans outrebounded the Lady Reds, 34-22. Carthage (8-4, 0-1 CCIW) had 12 points from Katie Jarger and managed 40 percent shooting from the floor (18 of 45) while committing 22 turnovers. Wesleyan, who committed 21 turnovers, shot 51 percent in the game (25 of 49). IWU next plays at North Park on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

January 6
The No. 1-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball team won its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener by a 65-46 score over Augustana on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in Rock Island. The Titans built up a 35-17 halftime lead as they improved to 11-0 and earlier in the day earned the No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll and the No. 2 ranking in the D3hoops.com poll. Against the Vikings (2-10, 0-1 CCIW) IWU was led by the 17 points and nine rebounds of junior Christina Solari while sophomore Stacey Arlis came off the bench to score 15 with a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the field. Senior Claire Sheehan, the current CCIW player of the week, added 13 points as Wesleyan shot 43 percent from the floor and forced 21 Viking turnovers. IWU hosts Carthage (8-3) on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 2 p.m.

January 6
For the first time in school history, the Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball team has ascended to the No. 1 position in an NCAA Division III ranking, claiming the top spot in the USA Today/ESPN poll. The Titans (10-0), who were tied with Rochester for No. 2 in the last poll, received 222 points and six first place votes in voting done by 11 Division III head coaches. Rochester (8-0) is second with 212 points and two first place votes and Wisconsin-Eau Claire (11-0) is third with 203 points and one first place vote. The Titans are No. 2 in the weekly D3hoops.com poll, trailing only Rochester. IWU got 605 points and 10 first place votes compared to 609 points and 13 first place votes for Rochester. The D3hoops.com top 25 is voted on by a national panel of 25 coaches, sports information directors and media members. Prior to this year, Wesleyan had never been higher than No. 5 nationally, attained midseason in 2007-08.
The Wheaton men's team is ranked No. 1 in the D3hoops.com poll, marking the first time since 2005 that the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin has had a team ranked No. 1 in both genders during the same week - D3hoops.com ranked the Illinois Wesleyan men and the Millikin women No. 1 in their respective polls of December 4, 2005.

January 5
Illinois Wesleyan senior guard Claire Sheehan was named the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin women’s basketball "Player of the Week" on January 5. Sheehan (St. Charles, Ill., East HS) averaged 17.3 points and 3.3 assists while shooting .559 from the field in three Illinois Wesleyan wins from December 27 to January 3. Sheehan scored 23 points on eight-of-11 shooting from the field in a 73-54 win over Puget Sound in the Nick’N’Willy’s Winter Classic in Tacoma, Wash., on Dec. 28. She had 20 points, five rebounds and five steals in the Titans’ 64-62 win at St. Francis on January 3. Sheehan also scored nine points and handed out four assists in a 75-62 win against Linfield in the Tacoma tournament. For the period she was 19-of-34 from the floor, four-of-12 from the three-point line and 10-of-12 from the free throw line.

January 3
Senior Claire Sheehan scored 20 points to lead the Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team to a 64-62 nonconference win over St. Francis in Joliet, Ill., on Saturday, Jan. 3. The Titans improved to 10-0 as they rallied from a 39-36 haltime deficit. Junior Christina Solari had foul trouble but finished with 10 points and nine rebounds while sophomore Nikki Preston came off the bench to score 13 points. The Titans committed 17 turnovers and forced 19 and St. Francis (8-10), who led the game by as many as 13 in the first stanza, outrebounded Wesleyan, 35-34. IWU opens College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at Augustana and will host Carthage next Saturday, Jan. 10 at 2 p.m.

December 28
The No. 2-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team improved to 9-0 with a 73-54 win over host school Puget Sound in the Nick'N'Willy's Winter Classic in Tacoma, Wash., on Sunday, Dec. 28. Senior Claire Sheehan led Wesleyan with 23 points while junior Christina Solari had 15 points and 14 rebounds and sophomore Nikki Preston came off the bench to score 11. The Titans and Loggers each had 32 rebounds and each team committed 22 tunrovers but IWU shot 53 percent from the field (25 of 47) and made seven of 16 3-point tries. Karen Chase led Puget Sound (6-3) with 20 points. The Titans play next at St. Francis in Joliet, Ill., on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 3 p.m.

December 27
The No. 2-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team staved off a second half rally by Linfield (Ore.) to post a 75-62 win in the Nick'N'Willy's Winter Classic in Tacoma, Wash., on Saturday, Dec. 27. The Titans (now 8-0 overall) trailed 20-13 in the first half before closing with a 32-14 run to lead 45-34 at intermission. The IWU lead was cut to one (57-56) in the second half before the Titans put the game away. Sophomore Holly Harvey had a career high of 12 points, junior Christina Solari scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and freshman Kylie Castans scored 10 and had nine boards as Wesleyan claimed a 41-35 rebound edge in the game. Linfield (now 1-6) forced 19 IWU turnovers and was led by the 18 point effort of Whitney Honn. IWU plays the host school Puget Sound (5-2) at 8 p.m. Central time on Sunday, Dec. 28.

December 19
The No. 2-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team breezed past Fontbonne in a nonconference game at the Shirk Center by a 101-53 score on Friday, Dec. 19. The Titans (now 7-0) were led by the 24 point outburst by senior Claire Sheehan while sophomore Hope Schulte and junior Christina Solari each added 16 in the win. The Titans held a 43-29 rebound edge, shot 52 percent from the field (33 of 64) and forced 28 turnovers. Solari had seven boards and Schulte added six. Calli Collier sxored 19 points to lead the Griffins (2-8). The Titans next play in the Puget Sound Winter Classic in Tacoma, Wash., against Linfield on Dec. 27.

December 16
The Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball team continues to reach new heights in NCAA Division III national rankings – the Titans are No. 2 in the D3hoops.com poll and tied for No. 2 in the USA Today/ESPN Division III poll. In the D3hoops.com poll, the 6-0 Titans got 595 points and eight first place votes and trail only Rochester (8-0), who received 11 first place votes and 599 points. In the USA Today/ESPN rankings voted on by 11 Division III head coaches, IWU and Rochester are tied for second behind Hope (7-0). Hope had 239 points and three first place votes while IWU and Rochester had 238 points and three and four first place votes, respectively. Prior to this year, Wesleyan had never been higher than No. 5 nationally, attained midseason in 2007-08. The Titans host Fontbonne (2-7) at 5:15 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19.

December 13
The No. 3-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team limited No. 17 Chicago to only four points in the final 5:48 of the game and claimed a 64-47 nonconference win at Chicago on Saturday, Dec. 13. The Titans improved to 6-0 despite a cool shooting day, firing at only 37 percent from the field (21 of 57) and connecting on 33 percent of 3-point tries (8 of 24). IWU won the rebound war, 46-37, and both teams were guilty of 12 turnovers. Wesleyan was led by senior Claire Sheehan with 14 points, junior Christina Solari with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore Nikki Preston came off the bench to score 10. The Maroons (6-2) had 16 points from Molly Hackney and managed to shoot just 13 percent (2 of 15) in 3-point tries and 31 percent (18 of 58) from the field in the game. IWU next hosts Fontbonne at 5:15 on Friday, Dec. 19.

December 6
Led by the 28 points from senior Mallory Heydorn, all five Illinois Wesleyan starters scored in double figures as the Titans defeated Maryville, 92-82, in St. Louis on Saturday, Dec. 6. Heydorn had eight 3-pointers in the game. Junior Christina Solari had 21 points and a game-best 17 rebounds while senior Claire Sheehan had 14, sophomore Hope Schulte scored 13 and senior Colleen Caplice added 10. The No. 5-ranked Titans (5-0) outrebounded the 2-4 Saints by a 39-26 margin and shot 49 percent (27 of 55) from the field, connecting on 14 of 32 (44 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Wesleyan now plays at the U. of Chicago next Saturday, Dec. 13 at 2 p.m.

December 2
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team, now ranked No. 5 in the weekly D3hoops.com poll, claimed an 86-59 nonconference win over Missouri Baptist at the Shirk Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Junior Christina Solari scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in only 25 minutes to pace the 4-0 Titans. Freshman Kylie Castans had 13 points and senior Claire Sheehan scored 11 while senior Colleen Caplice had 10 points and nine rebounds and sophomore Nikki Preston scored 10 points. The Titans forced the Lady Spartans (4-3) into 27 turnovers and held Missouri Baptist to 38 percent from the field (23 of 60). The Titans play next at Maryville on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m.

November 29
Freshman Kylie Castans came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points as the Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team cruised to an 84-40 win at MacMurray on Saturday, Nov. 29 in Jacksonville, Ill. Seniors Mallory Heydorn scored 13, senior Claire Sheehan added 12 and junior Christina Solari scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Titans held a 46-29 edge on the boards. In the game, Wesleyan shot 38 percent from the field (27 of 71) and connected on 11 of 40 3-point field goal tried (28 percent) while MacMurray shot 20 percent from the floor (11 of 55) and committed 17 turnovers. The 3-0 Titans, ranked No. 6 in the weekly USA Today/ESPN Division III poll, held a 44-24 lead at halftime and will host Missouri Baptist at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2 in the home opener.

November 24
Illinois Wesleyan junior center Christina Solari was named the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Player of the Week Monday. Solari (Park Ridge, Ill., Maine South HS) led the 10th-ranked Titans to a pair of victories and the championship of the Washington University Tip-Off Tournament, held November 21-22 in St. Louis. Solari had 16 points and seven rebounds in the Titans’ 77-76 win over No. 3 DePauw on the opening night, then came back with 21 points and 17 rebounds in Illinois Wesleyan’s 72-69 win against No. 6 Washington U. Solari was seven-of-13 from the field and seven-of-eight from the line in the title game. For the week she was 12-of-21 from the field (.573) and 13-of -14 (.929) from the line, averaging 18.5 points and 12.0 rebounds.

November 22
The Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball team held off a late charge by host school Washington U. to post a 72-69 win over the Bears on Saturday, Nov. 22 and win the Washington U. Tip-Off Tournament. Wesleyan improved to 2-0 and got 21 points and 17 rebounds from junior Christina Solari while sophomore Hope Schulte scored 13 points and senior Claire Sheehan added 10. The Titans led by as many as 14 with 14:39 to play in the game but the Bears (now 2-1) could get no closer than two points with 34 seconds left. The Titans shot 45 percent from the field (25 of 56) and connected on 14 of their 17 free throw attempts in claiming the title. IWU plays at MacMurray on Saturday, Nov. 29 and opens its home season vs. Missouri Baptist on Dec. 2 at 5 p.m.

November 21
Sophomore Hope Schulte connected on a free throw (after missing her first try) with one second remaining to give the No. 10-ranked Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team a 77-76 win over No. 3-ranked DePauw at the Washington U. Tournament in St. Louis on Friday, Nov. 21. In the season opener, the Titans got 21 points from senior Mallory Heydorn while Schulte had 17 and junior Christina Solari had 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Claire Sheehan also finished in double figures with 12 points. IWU was outrebounded, 40-24, but forced the Tigers into 23 turnovers, including a crucial one with four seconds remaining. The Titans will play either Washington U. or Central (Iowa) on Saturday, Nov. 22.

October 30
The Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball team has been picked No. 10 in the national preseason Division III poll done by D3hoops.com and No. 12 in the rankings provided by USA Today/ESPN. The Titans, who earlier were a unanimous choice to defend their College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin title in the preseason coaches poll, finished with a 26-3 record, won the CCIW regular season and tournament titles and played in the NCAA Division III tournament for the second straight season. The 26 wins and the 16-game winning streak were IWU school records. Wisconsin-Whitewater is the preseason No. 1 in D3hoops.com, followed by Oglethorpe and DePauw. Washington U. is No. 6 and Chicago (IWU opponent on Dec. 13) is No. 11. The Wesleyan women, coached by Mia Smith, open their season vs. DePauw on Friday, Nov. 21 at the Washington U. Tip-Off Tournament.

October 29
The Illinois Wesleyan women’s basketball team is a unanimous choice to defend its conference title in a preseason poll conducted by the head women’s basketball coaches of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin on Wednesday, Oct. 29. The Titans won the poll with 49 points including seven of the eight first place votes. Illinois Wesleyan advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III women’s basketball championships last season, losing to eventual third-place finisher Wisconsin-Whitewater. Carthage placed second in the poll with 41 points including one first place vote. Millikin placed third with 37 points while Elmhurst was fourth with 32 points. Wheaton (24), North Central (21), Augustana (11) and North Park (nine) rounded out the preseason poll. Coaches may not vote for their own team. The women, coached by Mia Smith, open their season vs. DePauw on Friday, Nov. 21 at the Washington U. Tip-Off Tournament.

July 21
The Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team opens its season against perennial Division III power DePauw on Friday, November 21 at the Washington U. Tip-Off Tournament in St. Louis. The Titans finished with a 26-3 record and won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season and tournament titles and played in the NCAA Division III tournament for the second straight season. The 26 total wins and the 16-game winning streak were IWU school records. Senior Mallory Heydorn was a first team all-CCIW selection as she averaged 13.0 points and connected on 79 3-point field goals. After three seasons she is Wesleyan's all-time leader with 215 3-pointers, ranks No. 10 with 1,054 career points, and No. 7 with 260 assists. Junior Christina Solari led the Titans with 9.8 rebounds per game and set a school season record with 284 boards, topping Elaine Hill's mark of 279 in 1988-89. Wesleyan's leading rebounder in 23 games, Solari also set a school game record for field goal percentage, making 10 of 11 (.909) in a 111-77 NCAA tourney win over Maryville (Mo.).