Elmhurst University men's basketball earned the No. 1 spot in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) preseason poll for the 2026-27 season.
The Bluejays collected 62 points and six first-place votes from the league's head coaches, according to the CCIW's Oct. 15 announcement. Coaches could not vote for their own teams. Illinois Wesleyan University, last season's regular-season and tournament champion, finished second with 59 points and three first-place votes. Wheaton College was third with 49 points.
Head coach John Baines enters his 14th season leading the program. He returns two All-CCIW honorees in Dominic Trelenberg and Vinnie Adjahoungbeta.
Trelenberg, a Westchester, Ill., native, averaged 18.1 points per game last season, according to the Elmhurst athletics department. He led the CCIW in minutes played per game at 35.3 and earned unanimous First Team All-CCIW honors. He also received D3hoops.com All-Region Third Team and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Second Team recognition.
Adjahoungbeta, from Moline, Ill., pulled down 207 total rebounds last season and averaged 7.4 per game, fourth in the conference. He posted a team-high 28 blocked shots and earned Second Team All-CCIW and College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, per the Elmhurst athletics department. The CCIW listed his scoring average at 11.9 points per game.
Last season Elmhurst went 19-9 overall and 10-6 in conference play. The Bluejays earned the third seed in the CCIW tournament, beat Carroll University in the quarterfinals and Carthage College in the semifinals, then lost to top-seeded Illinois Wesleyan in the championship game.
The Bluejays open the 2026-27 season Saturday, Nov. 7, at Ripon College in Ripon, Wis. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Doc Weiske '50 Memorial Gymnasium. CCIW conference play begins Saturday, Nov. 28, when Augustana hosts Wheaton. Games at CCIW venues can be streamed free on the CCIW Network.
