Sangamon Sun

A vote of the Midwest Conference (MWC) men's soccer head coaches anticipates Illinois College finishing the 2024 season as champions for the second straight year, the league announced today. The Blueboys received four first-place votes and 57 points to edge out Lake Forest College, which received four first-place votes and 56 points.

A season ago, Illinois College ended a 33-year drought to win its program's second regular season title. Evan Philpott, the conference's 2023 Coach of the Year, returns five all-conference performers in Jives Efemini, Brock Kennell, Tyler Lunning, Reed Rogers, and Toby Ybarra from a squad that went 10-5-3 overall and 5-1-2 in Midwest Conference action.

Lake Forest won the MWC tournament title last year.

Cornell garnered the remaining first-place vote and 49 points to claim third place ahead of Grinnell in fourth with 47 points.

Knox was selected fifth with 34 points, narrowly leading Ripon in sixth place with 32 points.

Rounding out the preseason poll are Beloit (22), Monmouth (17), and Lawrence (10).

The 2024 MWC campaign officially gets underway on Friday, August 30, with eight of the nine teams in action. League play begins on Saturday, September 28.

The league's top four teams in the final standings will meet at the 2024 MWC Men's Soccer Tournament on November 8-9 to compete for the tournament title and an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.

2024 MWC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll Results:

1. Illinois College (4) – 57 points

2. Lake Forest College (4) – 56 points

3. Cornell College (1) – 49 points

4. Grinnell College – 47 points

5. Knox College – 34 points

6. Ripon College – 32 points

7. Beloit College – 22 points

8. Monmouth College – 17 points

9. Lawrence University – 10 points

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