METAMORA, Ill. – The No. 18 Illinois Wesleyan University women's golf team clinched its fifth straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championship Saturday, Oct. 3, at the 5,627-yard, par-71 Metamora Fields Golf Club. The Titans took home their 21st CCIW Championship trophy after a dominant 30-stroke lead with all six golfers accruing top-15 performances. Junior Grace Fagan (St. Louis, Mo.-Visitation Academy) claimed medalist honors behind rounds of 73, 70, and 75 for a three-round total of 218 (+5). With the win, the Green and White snags the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship, held at Kingsmill Resort Tuesday-Friday, May 11-14, in Williamsburg, Va.
Fagan, who topped the player leaderboard with a five-over 218, carded a 75. She topped her career-best of 54 holes, which she set at the Redbird Invitational last month on Sept. 13-14, and tied for the second-best 54-hole score in CCIW Championship history. Fagan is the fifth Titan in as many years to take home the league's individual title, following Emily Gastrau (2025), Macy Ludwig (2024), Emma Thorman (2023), and Lexi Onsrud (2022). Fagan's three-day score tied for second-best alongside Thorman and Carthage's Adrienne Rohwedder, while sitting two strokes off the record held by Ludwig (216).
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Freshman Natalie Ocheltree (Normal, Ill.-University) finished strong with a 10-over 223 to tie for second place, sharing it with Carthage's Lexi Manteufel. Senior Nora Cerroni (Waukesha, Wis.-Waukesha North) followed one stroke behind in fourth. Senior Emily Gastrau (Wauwatosa, Wis.-Wauwatosa East) rounded out the top-five for IWU with a fifth-place finish.
Junior Gigi Zera (Glenview, Ill.-Loyola Academy) finished the tournament in a tie for 12th, and freshman Merritt Bell (Palatine, Ill.-Fremd) earned a tie for 15th place to close out the Titans' run.
Illinois Wesleyan was represented by Fagan, Ocheltree, Cerroni, and Gastrau on the All-CCIW team after their top-10 placements. Gastrau added Elite 26 honors for the second straight season, winning the award presented to the all-conference performer with the highest grade point average. Gastrau, who previously shared the award with Fagan at the 2025 championship, nabbed the accolade again this year by way of the credit hour tiebreaker. Junior Caroline Carr (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East) was recognized as IWU's CCIW RESPECT award recipient. After celebrating its 30 years of women's golf this weekend, IWU has now won 21 CCIW titles over the 30-year span.
The Titans will finish up the fall portion of their schedule with a trip to Destin, Fla., for the Golfweek October Classic, Oct. 18-20.
All-CCIW first team
- Grace Fagan, Illinois Wesleyan
- Natalie Ocheltree, Illinois Wesleyan
- Lexi Manteufel, Carthage
- Nora Cerroni, Illinois Wesleyan
- Emily Gastrau, Illinois Wesleyan
- Ro Longden, Carthage
- Anna Meinhart, North Central
- Madison Barnes, Augustana
- Alysa Nenoff, Carthage
- Ava Hackman, Millikin
CCIW Elite 26 award recipient
- Emily Gastrau, Illinois Wesleyan
CCIW RESPECT award winner
- Caroline Carr, Illinois Wesleyan
IWU individual standings
- 1. Grace Fagan 73-70-75=218
- T2. Natalie Ocheltree 72-74-77=223
- 4. Nora Cerroni 75-71-78=224
- 5. Emily Gastrau 76-72-77=225
- T12. Gigi Zera 84-75-82=241
- T15. Merritt Bell 82-81-81=244
Team standings
- 1. Illinois Wesleyan 296-287-307=890
- 2. Carthage College 301-317-302=920
- 3. North Central 322-320-319=961
- 4. Augustana 319-319-324=962
- 5. Millikin 329-329-330=988
- 6. Carroll 333-342-339=1014
- 7. Wheaton 350-348-359=1057
- 8. Elmhurst University 366-347-357=1070
